Literary cadet, and Saturday evening bulletin. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1826-1827, 1826-05-27
ORIGINAL STORY.
FOR THE LITERARY CADET.
TALES OF AN ITINERANT-No. W.

TALES OF AN ITINERANT-No. W.
He took me by the wrist, and held my hand;
Then goes he TO the length Of all his arm
And, with his other hand thus DER his brow,
He falls to such perusal of my face
As he would draw 1t. Long stay'd he so,
At last-a little shaking Of mine arm,
And thrice his hand thus waving up and down,
He rais'd a sigh SO plteous and profound
As II did seem to SKATER all his bulk,
And end his being. CPHELn.
The paper involuntarily dropped from my hands,
as | read the dreadful words; and a thousand sensa-
tons filled my bosom.
Roderique, who was a few PAGES distant, absorb
ed in reflection, accidentally looked npon me at the
moment, and observing the trepidation which but
too evidently had possession Of me, eagerly inquired
the cause of my apparent disorder and distress
" Tell me, lady" said he, Z" the cause of thy unhap-
piness, aud believe me, the veriest exertions ! can
make to restore quiet to thy bosom, shall be freely
made, and if possible ! will restore to thee thy won't
ed placidity of feeling" Unable to give utterance
to language, | pointed to the scroll which lay upon
the ground, and intimatcd to him that that was the
cause Of my disquietude. Hastily he dismounted,
and taking up the paper which spoke hut too truly
the evils which yet awaited her to whom it was adj
| dressed; he gazed upon it with horror, and as it drop
| Ted from his trembling hand, his countenance dis
| torted by the convulsed feelings of his soul, bore
witness to the sensations the prophetic words of the
hostess created.
Mute and dlsordered, he stood for a few moments
beside the mule, whilst his eyes, now flashing fury,
,,,l nnu l,,Linr 1oenair bcro ap,pln fosfimony ia
the storm of passion which warred within him.
Suddenly bursting from a momentary trance, he
caught me firmly by the wrist, and claspins me TO
as bosom, wildly exclaimed "Fear not best OF
| creatures, for thou art safe, and ere thou shit be
betrayed into sorrows or Affections this heart which
| now palpitates for thee and thee only, shall be
| pierced and torn asunder by the wretch who seeks
| thy destruction. Here shalt thou repose in the
moment of danger: and this heart shall afford thee
an asylum which the poniard of the assassin shall
not, cannot penetrate. Fairest of the fair, and love-
liest of the lovely, deem not my acts ~olicious or
untimely, but stranger as am to thee and thine, !
VOW that death alone shall drive me from thee, and
that the Powers of Darkness shall not separate u.s.
As he spoke, the wiIdness of delirium pervaded
his language, and | no longer doubted that my
guide was laboring under all the pains and calami.
ties of mental Alienation.
Astonished at the strange and mysterious deport.
ment of my guide, | knew not what course to pur.
sue, and had already began to suppose myself il
the hands of a ruiIian, who had sought beneath thu
guise of friendship to betray me into the commits
sion Of acts, from which my soul shrunk back will
horror, and my heart sickened. Thus tortured, AM
sinking beneath the acuteness oil my feelings, I i'm
plored HIM by all the ties oil friendship, and tn
principles OF humanity, to restore me once more t
the protection Of the Commander of the fortre.
and not thus, in a moment, when | was at hi
mercy, unprotected and unonending, blast me wit
his curses, and trample upon my infirmities. Wild
ly he spurned me from him, and in a voice whie
yet distracts my senses, exclaimed, Go thou vii
wretch and find succor and protection in the wi
derness, nor again bias: me with thy presence
Thou Abandoned, thou accursed one, III hav
naught to do with thee, since thou hast suspecte
mine honor, and condemned my assistance. +,
thee would have died most freely;-for thee shoul
the La, drop ofblood have flowed freely from m
hosom, butin the hour Of danger, at a moment whit
would have saved thee from impending ruin ar
shame, thou hast blasphenled mine. integrity ar
traduced my fame. Hence, misguided creatur
hence, and learn, as thou shalt wander over Il
wide world, frendles, and unprotected, how Vi
profitable it is to offend him who sought nothir
but thy happiness and welfare;-he who wou
have sacrificed his joyson earth and hopes in he
ven to have made thee happy" On my knees J b
sought him not to spurn me, when the world frow
ed, and hell itself seemed to oppose me, but rath
to afsrd protection to her who now sued for me
cy, and the forgiveness Of offences unintep,ional