The ladies' garland. [volume] (Harpers-Ferry, Va. [W. Va.]) 1824-1828, 1827-10-27

bering to an aperture IN the division wall, he
saw Immediately below him beautiful girl,
who sat in mournlul abstraction beneath tree,
plucking the leaves from a rosebud as she sang
her plalntve air As she raised her head and
observed the stranger before her, she smiled and
beckoncd him to come to her after a moments
hesitation and reflection OF the Consequence,
he threw himself over the wall and seated him
self beside her. Her mind seemed in state of
perfect simplicity: her disorder appeared to
have given her all the playful gentlencss Of
childhood, and, as she fixed her dark expressive
eyes on his, she would smile and caress him,
and sing over and over the song she was trllng
when he had first heard her. Struck with the
novelty Of such situation, and the beauty Of
the innocent and helpless being before him,
w stayed long enough to avoid detection,
and then returned by the same means he had
entered the garden, but not till she had induced
INN to promise to come again and see her.
The following day he returned and found her
at the same spot, where she said she had been
singing for a long time before, in hopes to at
tract his ear again He now endeavourcd to
find out her story, or the cause Of her derange
ment, but his efforts were unavalling, or her
words SO lncohercnt as TO convey no connected
meaning. She was, however, more stad and
melancholy willie he remained with her, and
smiled and sighed, and wept and sang. By turns,
till if was time for him to again hid her adieu
With the exception OF those chdbe wander
ings, she betrayed no other marks of insanity
her alterations were merely playful and inno-
cent; she was often sad and melancholy, but
oftener lively and light spirited,
W felt an excitement in her presence
which he had never known before; she appear
ed to him pure child Of Nature, in tie extreme
Of natures loneliness. She seemed not as one
whom reason had deserted, but as a being who
had never mingled with the would, and dwclt in
the midst of its vice aud dcformty in p,imeval
beauty and uncontamnated innocence and af
fiction. His visits were now anxiously repeat
ed and as eagerly anticipated by his interesting
companion, TO whom he found himself, almost
involuntarily, deeply attached, the more 50 per
haps, from the romantic circumstances Of the
case, and secresy, which it was absolutely nc
cessary to maintain Of the whole affair, SO that
no ear was prlvy to his visits, and no eye had
marked their meetings At length, however
the matter began to effect singular change in
the mind Of the lady, which became more and
more composed; though still subject to wander
lngs and abstraction; but the new passion which
was daily taking possession Of her mind, seem
ed to be eradlcating the cause, or at least coun-
teracting the effects of her malady This alter
alton was soon visible to the inmates Of the
house, and the progress of her recovery was SO
rapid as to induce them to seek for some more
latent cause, and toeratch her frequent and pro
longed visits to the garden; the consequence
was. that at their meeting an eye was on them,
which reported the circumstance of VS.
visit to the superior of the establishment: an