Literary cadet, and Saturday evening bulletin. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1826-1827, 1826-05-27


eral fate, and the individual destiny Of ach.
Ruth's Rosy lip grew pale for u moment as she
heard oil these things, in the pext her spirit return
ed, and III will make him tell my fortune" she
said, as she went with u party OF laughers, to
search out and deride the conjurer. lie was alone
when they broke in upon him. and their morkeries
Soaded his spirit; but his anger was deep, not loud;
and while burning with wrath, he yet could calm
ly consider the means Of vengeance; he knew the
master spirit with which he had to contend; II was
no ordinary mind, and would have smiled at ordi-
nary terrors. To have threatened her with sick
nes-, misfortune, or death, would have been to call
forth the energies of that lofty spirit, and to prepare
It to endure, and il would have gloried in manifest
.ng its powers Of endurance; he must humble It,
therefore, by debasement, he must ruin lis conf
dence in itself; and 10 this end he resolved TO threat
IN her with crime. His resolution was taken and
Effected; his credit was at stake, he must dauDt his
enemy or surrender 10 her rover he foretold sor-
rows and joys 10 the listening throp., not according
to his passion bu, hisjudsment; and he drew n blush
upon the cheek of one, by revealing b secret when
Ruth herself, and another, alone knew, ana which
prepared the former to doubt of her own Judgment,
az 1t related 70 this extraordinary man.
Ruth was the last who approached to hear the
secret OF her destiny. The wizard paused as he
looked upon hes,-oreued his book,-shu it,
pausel,--and again looked sadly and feartuliy up
on her; she tried TO smile. but felt startled, she knew
''l n.y. Tue bIlSh enluiIIuS SiahSc II No'h
We could not ciaase the purpose OF her enemy.
Tier smile could not melt, nor even temper the hard
re. of his deep seated malice; and then coldly
wrung out the whitening words, "Maiden thou art
doomed to be Ii murderer"
From that hour Rhys Meredith became the des-
tiny OF Ruth Tudor. A : first she spurned al his pre-
diction, and alternately cursed and laughed at HIM
for the malice of his ialsehood; but when she found
that none laughed with her, that men looked upon
her with suspiCIOus ewes. w men shruuk from her
society, and children shrieked at her presence, she
felt that these were signs of truth, and her high
spirit no longer struggled against the conviction
a change came over her mind " hen she had known
how horrid it was to be alone. Abhorring the
prophet, she yet chung to his footsteps. and while
she sat by his side, felt as if he alone could avert
tina, evil destiny which he alone had foreseen.-
With him only was she seen to smile; elsewhere,
sad, silent, stern; it seemed as il she were ever &C.
cupied in nerving her mind for that which she had
to do, and her beauty, already o. the majestic cast,
grew absolutely awful, as her perfect features as
sumed an expression which might have belonged to
the angel Of vengeance or death.
But there were moments when her naturally
strong spirits, not yet - holly subdued, struggled a.
galnst her conviction, and endeavored to find
modes Of ~averting her fate: it was in one ofthese,
perhaps, that she gave her hand to a wooer, from
a distant part of the country, ii sailor, who either
had not heard, or did not regard the prediction OF
Rhys, upon condition that he should remove hex
far FROM her native village, to the home OF his FAM
lily and friends, for she sometimes felt as if the do
cree which had gone forth against her, could not
be fulfilled except upon the spot where she had
heard 1t, and that her heart would be lighter II
mems eyes would again look vi on her in klndli-
ness, and she no longer safe beneath the glare OF
those that knew 50 well the secret other SOUL
Thus thinking, she quilted ", with her hus-
tand; and The tormenter, who poisoned her repose,
.oon alter her departure, le!t the village, as secret
ly, and as suddenly as h. had entered it.
But, though Ruth could depart from his corpo.
real presence, and look upon his cruel ia e no
more, yet the eye OF her soul was fixed upon hs
shadow, and his airy form, the creation of her sor-
row, still sat by her side; the vi sht that he led
Ur'atAel UPON her peace had wi,hcied her heart,
and II wa ~ vain tnat she sought to forget or ban
'sh the recollection ION her brain. Mn and wo-
men smiled upon her as before IN the III " of her
Joy, the friends Of her husband welcomed her to
then rosums, but they could give no peace to her
heart; she shrunk from Their friendship. she shiver-
Ell equally at their neglect, she DIRE aded Any cause
that n, ght lead 10 that which, IT had been said, she
must do; nightly she sat alone and thought, she
awelt upon the character of those around her, and
shuddered that III some she saw violence and sell
fshness enough TO cause injury, which she might
be supposed 10 resent to blood. Then she wspt
bitter tears and thought Of her native village,
whose inhabitants were so mild, and whose pre-
vious knowledge Of her hapless destiny might in
duce them TO avoid all that might hasten its COM
pletiOn, and sighed to think sac had ever left 1t in
the mistaken hope of finding peace elsewhere.-
Again, her sick fancy would ponder upon the modes
oi murder. and wonder how her victim would fall.
Against the use OF actual violence she had disa-
bed herself; she had never struck a blow, her
small hanl would have suffered injury in the at
tempt; she understood not the use of fire arms. she
was ignorant OF what were poisons, and a knife she
never allowed herself, even for the necessary pur-
poses: how then could she slay? At times she took
comfort from thoughts like these, and at others, in
the blackness Of her despair, she would cry, "Ifi il
must he, o let it come, and these miserable antici-
pdtions cease; then | shall, at least, destroy but
one; now, in my incertitude, | am the murderer Of
many"
Her husband went forth and returned upon the
voyages which made up the avocation and felicity
OF his life, without noticing the deep rooted sor-
row Of his wife; he was common man, and ofa
common mind; his eye had not seen the awful beau
ty of her whom he had chosen; his spirit had not
felt her power, and, if he had marked, he would
not have understood her grief; SO she ministered
TO him MS a duty. She was silent and obedient
wife, but she saw him come home without Joy, and
witnessed his departure without regret; he neither
added tc nor diminished her sorrow; but destiny
had ono solitary blessing in store for the victim OF
its docrees--a child was born TO the hapless Ruth
lovely little giri soon slept upon her bosom, and.
coming as IT did, the one lbne aud lovely rosebud
in her desclate garden, she welcomed it With q
warmer Joy and cherished il with akindlier hope.
A few years went by unsoiled by the wretched.
ness which had marked the preceding; the joy Of
IL -