Literary cadet and Rhode-Island statesman. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1827-1829, 1828-04-09
the owner OF large tract north Of

into those speculatiOns III land, which
have since brought ruin to many, and
wealth to few, he built a house in
this inhospitablc region, intending to
pass tho summer months here with his
family. The first season of their res
idcncc here was sufficiently favorable;
the father found enjoyment enough
in framing impracticable plans Of i'm
provement, and the children were con-
stantly amused by the novelty Of the
scene they were continually Won
dering at the changing colors of the
mountains at the different hours OF the
day. It is true that they were not
sufficiently acquainted with nature. to
realize the sublimily of the scene,
which was then almost unknown to
tourists; but the real desolation of
the region Was very impressive, and
the thoughts of their distance from the
habitatiens Of mcn,-the silence. only
broken by the cattle Of the farm, or
j the dog Of the solitary hunter, togelh-
cr with the frequent appearance OF
beasts fprey. oppressed them at times
with a painful feeling Of dread. The
Indians, though they were friendly
contributed to this impression Tney
often stopped for relreshmcnt at the
house. and repeated to the household
legends Of the beings with which their
wild fancy had peoplcd the "chry stal
mountains"
A girl Of eighteen had removed to
this place with the family at the be-
ginning of summer. She had been an
inmate Of the household from her ear
liest youth, and was treated by them
with entire confidence and kindness.
which she returned with warm and
grateful reflection. She went with
them reluctantly, for she left a lover
in the town, who used all her persua.
sion TO induce her to remain but she
felt that her services were needed by
the family, and refused for time at
least, TO leave them. The children
were going to dreary habItation.
where her place, she knew, could not
be supplied by stranger ;-thereforc
she determined for time, the claims
of love should give place to those Of
gratitude and duty. 1t was not alto
gethcr se!fishness that induced the
family to accept her offer to 60 with
them. Her attachment was not yet
avowed, but they well knew its OBJ
ject; they knew also what was con-
ccaled from her, that the young man
was entirely unworthy of her. They
could not endure the thought, that the
friend who was dear to them all, should
be so sacrificed ; and every time they
heard her beauty praised, or received
some new proofs Of her selfdevotion
to them, they resolved in their hearts
TO do every thing to save her from
throwing her happiness away. They
supposed that the attachment had
never been confirmed by mutual
promises, and that absence would soon
cface it; they were glad, therefore,
to have the opportunity of removing
her from society, which they thought
dangerous to her peace and welfare.
But il was too late. She reposed the
most perfect and simple trust in the
good faith Of her lover, and it never eh-
tered her mind that she could be un-
true to him. The family were not
aware Of the strength of her passion,
or they would never have thought Of
such an expedient for removing it:
certainly, place where the cares of
the household could not fill all the
time, and the unwearied solitude round
them was always weighing upon the
heart, was i'll chosen to divert the
thoughts from favorite object; the
effect, as might have been antici-
pated, was, that her affection Was in
creased by the separation, till the idea
of her absent lover was hardly ever
absent from her heart.
For the first few weeks Of her aB-
sence, she heard from him often -
Pedlars from the town, would provide
themselves with messages to the fami-
ly. in order to make sure of their hos.
pitali,y as they journeycd to Vermont /;
and sometimes a solitary traveller
would ride up to their door, and draw
ing out an enormous black pocket
book, carefully explore its caverns in
search Of his dispatches. She would
be the first to discern one Of these
worthless, while yet at agreat distance,
winding along the mountain slde;-