Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1825-10-08


door. II was my father. | approached
him to-but the scene cannot be desert
bed. Imagine on the one hand myself
all trembling and horror struck-on the
other, Aurora, whom the engraver had
placed without ceremony IN an old bro
ken cart See them burst into wild
lsughtet--see the pretended coachman
throw away his old wig, take the plaster
from his eve, and address my wife IN a
tone of superiority No---you were not
| born to marry an engraver-yon did not
deserve an engraver-you made choice
more suitable TO your fortune and your
educatlon--there is your choice, a bel
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS there is your house,
anu there is your father in-law;" | would
have said something, but he immediately
resumed his seat, and in COMMISSIONS OF
| laughter they drove away
| | knew the catastrophe would have
| been bitter, but did not imagine that 1t
would have been SO overwhelming -
| The manner OF ii had been kept secret
from me. even found that we had
| been deprived of all those articles that
could be taken from US. Before The en-
graver finished his speech, my poor Au-
rora neither saw nor heard what passed.
Judge then o! my situation. That
sens bi!ity which nature had impaired
was Just brought into life by my recent
| education that it might be subjected TO
| trightful torture. set about recovering
Aurora from her swoon but in the hor-
ror, the wilderness Of the moment, /
even hoped she would never recover
| She remained lifeless SO long that | was
| irighted to think that my impIous wishes
might be heard. AT last her senses re-
turned; her wandering eyes for the mo-
ment caught NINE. " Monster !" she
exclaimed, and again tainted away. !
took this opportunity oil removing her
from the crowd which the scene had coll
lected They were chiefly women--a
set of old, yellow, wiihered, haggard
beldames that looked like groupe OF
witches. One oil my good neighbors
spread some Of my fathers rugs upon
little straw then requested those that
surrounded US to withdraw, and pre-
pared to relate the story OF my decep-
ZION. She was still lileless--l caught
her in my arms--l pressed her TO my
bosom, and with burning tears bathcd
her face. Again she opened her eyes,
and fixed them upon me with look that
froze me to the hear. She begged that
would leave her alone; and that |
would defer until the mex, day the recital
OF the horrid plot TO which she bad ta-
len victim. retired and left her 10
the care OF the curate's niece, who most
oblgingly undertook to attend her.
Whal night did | pass From a life
of sp!endor to descend into wretched
howell, with only few guineas in my
possession--with a beautiful wife IN the
spring and bloom OF youth accustomed
to participate IN the pleasures OF So
cety OF which she had been the orDa
ment and the idol. | too had been the
principle author Of the evils brought,
upon her. How could cure thc-heart
which | had wounded How could |
presume to offer tenderness to her.
For myself, | had endured poverty
and could easily meet it agaln--but TO"
could | announce to her loved, that
had brough, upon her SO many OF the
evils that make up the long Isl OF hu-
man misery? was not to become mere
~ an object of indifference 10 her--l
was not merely to be banlshed from those
eyes whose light had been life and Joy
to mel was not TO behold in them mere
GOODNESS; bu, contempt and horror.
Despised by the woman adored, and
deprived even of the right OF complaint
nav ahhorred by myself, renorse came
TO fill up the measure of my destiny. |
had spread the pail of death over the bril-
liant horizon OF Aurora's day; and she
would probably seek an asylum in The
grave from the degradation and distress
into which had plunged her. Think
you l slept that night without hese APP
palling visions passing in succession,
and returning before my view
All night it rained SO that the roads
between our village and Mon,elimar W ere
for several days impossible. This pre-
vented me from sending for those things
that we were in pressing need of and con-
tributed 10 render Aurora's situation
more humilialng. You are very sure
that early in the morning inquired for
her; | received answers mysterious,
though not discouraging. She had de-
termined, said the curate's niece, TO show
force and frmness of mind--a decisive
ness, Of character and courage, that in
the cruel circumstance sl under Which She