Literary cadet, and Saturday evening bulletin. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1826-1827, 1827-02-17

all was over. He stood motionless and
saw those dim eyes closed whose liquid
light had often thrilled his heart with Joy.
He saw thin white sheet drawn over
that still beautiful countenance, and not
a muscle did he move. No tear sprung
to his relief, no gfoan issued from his bo-
som; there was gasping structure about
his heart, and cord, as it were, drawn
round his head whose tightness penetrat-
ed to the brain. Flashes of light few
before him, and all things in the room
seemed stirring and reelng, and he had
fallen helpless to the floor had not a
strong feeling near to insanity braced him
with unnatural strength. He turned ith
low gaSping shrek and rushed from the
room-lrOn the house out into the cold
glittering winter night. Myriads Outright
twinking stars looked down upon him
and lighted his rapid steps through the
deep snow. There was an indefinite
thought that Ellen was at the fountain,
( and he half imagined that if he could ar
rive there, the place would be as he left
it in all its bright autumnai charms
Thus he struggled on through the vast
piles of snow scarcely aware of what OBJ
structed his way; its GOODNESS affected
him not, for he was burning with inward
heat, and large sweat-drops wrung ont by
his agony fell in every foot-track. When
he stumbled over drift that his dazzIed
eyes could not distinguish, and plunged
his hands deep in the snow, its GOODNESS
felt grateful, and he instinctively retained
a portion in his scorched palms till it
dissolved and reached the ground con-
gealed into solid spheres of ice. Nearly
blind and half reckless where he went, his
hair and clothes whtened with frosty
peIlcIe from his breath, he soon lost his
way in the trackless woods, yet he still
Struggled onwards till the village was far
behind. AT last exhausted nature could
toll no more; he threw his painting form
on the red carpet formed by the decidu-
Gus portion of an ancient pine, whose long
sweeping boughs had prevented the snow
from collecting near their stem.
There he lay as in a trance; the sense
of the reality of things had passed away,
and he knew only that he was miserable.
Ihick-,hronging gloomy fancies came to
him; he imagined funeral train was
passing silently over the heaped up snow,
and the VOLTS long howl from lhe wintry
hill came like requiem shrek ON the
gusty night-gaIe. The signing rush of
the pine grove seemed the mysterious
whIsperings of unseen spirits, and he
stared around as if he expected TO descry
their half viewless shapes careering on
the pinions of the wind. Regardless of
cutting blasts and The finely ground snow
that it flung to melt on his face and hands.
he INDUCED the insane musings that fit
ted rapidly across his mind. Once as
memory flashed the truth upon him, he
thought if he could weep-oh, if he could
but weep! Then he arose on his knees
and attempted to address Heaven in a
beseeching prayer, but low, choking
note was all his voice could obtain He
recalled past events--;he Aowery glen |
the beautiful fountain-the sylph-like
form III her loose flowing robes-the soft
sweet songs, the sweeter converse, the
bushes of madenly aAection-their vows
of eternal love, and the dusky form and
the boding words Of the Indian. He
shrieked aloud as he remembered that the
dark prophecy was all fulfilled. 1t was
the last effort of his straining mind he
stretched himself out Oh the frozen
ground, and felt numbness and dispo-
stion to sleep coming upon him that he
could not resist. 1t seemed like the cold
approach of death, and was welcomed as
the termination Of his wretchedness His
eyes were fast closing and noticednot the
dull purple light that was spreading over
the east, the harbinger of the cherries
winter sun. The partridge whirred past
him unheeded, and the white rabbit sur
veyed him with her wide wondering eye.
Had sumber fallen upon HIM there un-
der the old pine amid the SHOWS and
blasts of winter, it had been for eternity
but he was shaken violently by the
arm.
CHAPTER VI.