Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1825-10-08
HISTORY or A BELLOws-MENDER

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HISTORY or A BELLOWS-MENDER
WRITTEN BY HIMSELF.
Translated fran The French byJ C. GiAeiand.
CONTINUED.
A thousand times did | resolve &c
thraw myself at her feet, confess the
whole, and sue for her pardon. My en-
gagements, passion and my self-love still
rescued me from the degrading avowaI
and hope gilded the o5scurity of the fu
ture. Aurora will be wretched for q
while, said /; but love will cure hel
wretchedpess. My immagina,ion, my
blind vanity, and the still binder bitter.
ness OF her enemies, convinced me that
she would be happy. | was to receive
as much money as would procure sub.
sis,ence. With industry might be able
to support her comfortably. | would
indeed have thought myself a vile
wretch, had not been disposed to de-
vote all my faculties, and all my life, to
her service. Her first resentment would
be terrible; but when she found herself
beyond the reach OF remedy; she would
probably listen 10 reason; we would
have love in place of riches, and finally
we would, we mus, be happy.
The day at last arrived-but never
until aurora pronounced her vow, did
feel completely the odious part | had
acted. l was frozen with horror-I was
placed almost senseless in the carriage {:
A burst of tears relieved my heart OF
the load that oppressed it. Those a
round us imputed this last effort of ex-
piring virtue to the excess Of sensibility.
Even Aurora mistook i'll saw felt
that she did, by the tenderness Of the
caresses which she afterwards layished
upon me. The engravers, to reward
me for the address with which | had
managed their plan, permitted me TO
proloBg her error for another month";
Lost in the excess Of love, during that
period had no thought or feeling for
the terrible close OF the project which
approached us. After some cousula-
lions with those enemies of my Aurora,
il was resolved on tdat | should retire
with her 10 our little hamlet in the neigh.
borhood Of Mountelimar, and that until
her arrival she should be unappraised o!
her situation.
In proposing to my wife to set cut on
tour which knew would end, not at the
castle of my father the Marquis in
Dauphiny, but at the cabin of my father
the bellows mender in the little hanle,
near Mounte limar, coul1 not suppress
a sigh, which, however, the creduh,y of
Aurora did not interpret. Her lively
imagination became at once exalted with
the idea Of my splendid equipage-the
waiting WON en-the footmcn-all in my
llvery-going to be stared at as we pas
sed--how gratifying to her love as we'll
as to her pride-and after all how excu-
sable was it in one of her age and Of her
education. She was delighted with those
preparations which to me were unspeak-
ably horrible. implored the engravers
to spare me-they had only to remind
me of my engagements and siualirn.-
There was no more to be said about l..
Two of the ten friends were to be the
mounted attendants, and the one whom
Aurora had discarded was impudent
enough to be our coachman. Indeed,
he was so altered by his dress-by an
odd kind OF wig-a plaster over one
eye, and other articles OF disguse-,hat
he was hardly recognized by one OF our
selves. Three of the others mounted
gaily behind the carriage in the charac-
ter of footmen. The remaining four
said to manage matters in Lyons, con.
so'ing themselves by requiring of their
comrades promise, that the incidents OF
the Journey should be reported regular.
ly from every place at which we might
stop.
My merry rogues Of walters could
hardly contain themselves on hearing
my wife at one time giving them orders
with tone Of proud authority, and al
another conversing with me about my
castle in Dsuphiny-the exten, of my
domains-my fisheries, parks, and par.
ticularly my mines, which she thought
rich as those Of Peru. These were our
only subjects OF conversation all the way
to Moontcllmar. Having passed that,
the finger board beyond it pointed the
road 10 neighboring village. The stee-
pie OF the village church was just in
view-i' seemed far out Of our way but
it was not, alas! thar village which con.
tanned my Dauphiny castle.
The road was bad, and approached
a.. vill,ro ,y;th 1;Ge,,i,x, A. lac, 80.