The Litchfield County post., 1827-08-16

say, Harriet forget me not would be a
sweet attonement for many little offences past.
/ But once the thought stole to her bosom
| perhaps they were destined for another; She
! banished it with sigh, and it hardly escaped
her ere Charles Leland entered. She rose
| to receive him, and he gently took her hand
Accept" said he " my humble offering and
forget ME" Harriet interrupted him as he
attempted to place single flower in her bo-
SON. where is the other" said she as she
playfullys put back his hand. A moments
silence ensued; Charles appeared embarrass-
ed, and Harriet, recOlecting herself blushed
deeply and turned it off; but the flower
was not offered again and Charles had only
said forget me
This could not have been all he intended
to say, bat mutual reserve rendered the re-
mainder Of the evening cold, formal and in
spid: and when Leland took his leave, Har-
riet felt more than ever dissatisfied. AS it
was not yet late in the evening she resolved
to dissipate the melancholy that this little in
tervew, in spite of all her efforts to laugh at
, it. left ON her mind, by spending few min
utes at neighbours where three daughters
were her most intimate companions.
The youngest of these ladies was gay
and interesting girl; and was the first to
meet and welcome her young friend, hut as
she held out her hand Harriet discovered a
little flower in it; it was "a forget me not"
she examied tit was one of Leland's. The
mark she had made upon it when she took
it from the basket of the flower girl was there.
This was at the moment an unfortunate dis.
covery. She had heard that Charles fire.
qucntly visited this family, and that he ever
paid attention to Jane, but she had never be-
fore believed it; ard now she shuddered at the
idea of admitting that for once rumor told
truth. "Where did you get this pretty flow
err Jane," said she. ''Oh beau, to be sure"
said Jane, archly; don't you see a-Forgct
me not :" and as she took back the flower.
81 should not like to tell you where got it
I'll wear it in my bosom though-come sing;
"I'll dearly love this pretty flower,
For or his own sake who bid me kee,pit-
" Ill wear it in my bosom s."
Hush Jane" said Harriet, interrupting her,
-" my head aches, and your singing distr,cts
me-" {" All it's your heart" said Jane, ''or
you would not look so dull" "Well il it is
my heart" ssid Harriet as she turned to con,
ceal her tears, sit does not become friend
to trife with it, She intended to convey a
double meaning in the reply, but it was not
taken, and as soon as possible she returned
home.
A sleepless night followed Harriet felt
that she was injured: and the more she
thought about it the more she felt. She had
engaged her hand to. Leland six months be-
fore; the time appointed for their union was
approaching fast, and he acted thus. "If he
wants to be freed from his engagement" said
she to herself. II will give him no trouble :"
and she sat down and wrote, requesting him
to discontinue his visits. She wept over it a
flood of tears; but she was resolute until she
had dispatched the note to his residence.
Then she repented Of it. and then again rea-
soned herself into the belief that she had act
ed right. She waited for the result not with
out many anxiOusly cherished hopes that he
would call for an explanation. But she only
learned that the note was delivered into his
hands; and about month afterwards hc sail
ed fer England.
This was an end to the matter, Charles
went into business in Liverpool, but never
married; and Harriet remained single, devo-
ting her life to the care of her aged mother,
and the distressed around her.
About 40 years after Leland left Phiadel-
phia, Harriet paid a visit to New York, and
ching in large company one day, an old
SCuICtudIl, VIII ~ ScttAAeu Wv" " '"N i''''i
being called upon to defend the fraternity to
which he belonged from the aspersons of
some of the company told a story about
Philadelphia, and courtship and an engage
ment, which he alleged was broken off by his
capricious mistress from no other reason than
his offering her sweet new blown forget me
not, six weeks before she.was to have been
his wife. But was there no other cause"
asked Harriet who sat nearly opposite to the
stranger, and eyed him with intense curiosity
-" none to my knowledge as heaven is my
witness" Then what did you do with the
other flower :" said Harriet; the stranger ga
zed in establishment; it was Leland himself,
and he recognized his Harriet, though almost
half century had passed since they had met,
and before they parted the mischief made by
the twin flowers was all explained away, and
might have been forty years before, had
Charles said he had lost one of the forget me
not's,' or had Jane said she had found it. The
old couple never married: but they cores
pended constantly afterwards. and have al
| ways thought Harriet looked happier after
this meeting than she ever looked before.
| Now have only to say at the conclusion
of my story, to my juvenile reader; never
let an attachment be abruptly broken off; let
an interview and candid explanation spec
Oily follow every misunderstanding. Fer the
tenderest and most valuable affections when
won will be the easiest wounded; and believe
me, there is much truth in Tom Moor's SEN
timent
"a something light ara look, n