Virginia free press & farmers' repository. [volume] (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1827-1832, 1831-01-05
bend bel, 90 danger from the recital Of you,

H..
as usual, when the present is not mar.
.,cu,ar'y agreeable, amused my self by
thinking on the past. You cannot
Imagine what a world Of misery pass.
ed before me! but as the minds i'm
ages shi@kened, they grew fainter: the
DIM light of the lamp grew DINNER be !.
lore me; the bowling Ut the north wind
died away in my ear; and l fell asleep
IN NV arm chair.
fors time my visions were broken
aud vague, yet they bore somew hat of
the Impress Ut my waking ones. half.
formed, half seen faces, once familiar.
started around me. and dim and hur,
RED perceptions Of familiar scenery
passed before me, like the changes Of
Phantasmagoria. Suddenly the SC enc
was changed. seemed wandering
over vast plain Of ice, anon, strug.
cling IN the drift of Swiss avalanche,
or riding on tho steep pinnacle Of an
iceberg, or standing in swift current
OF cold water with the raw wind blow
ing and the ice stitching around nv
body; and then the dimness and ipco.
herence passed away, and new order
oil visions came before me.
was standing in a familiar looking
dwelling. at least its proportion seem
ed s", but II was entirely composed Of
ice-co'd, shining, unmclting ice. The
trees which stood without, I knew
them by their gnarled limbs and stoop
ing bodies. as familiar to my youthful
days, were also Of ice, limbs and foil
age, and trunk Of the same. was
treading upon an icy floor, the ceiling.
the doors, and windows, and house
hold furniture were ice, nothing but
clear glittering ice.
stood in the winiry parlour, ahak.
ing with cold, when figure slowly ap.
preached me. l knew il in an Instant.
II was the mother Of my first love
the Caroline whom | have told you of
SO often. There were the same figure,
proportion, dress, &c.-the same pair
OF huge spectacles on her face, which
characterized her thirty years ago.
She came forward and bowed without
relaxing a muscle Of her cou n tenance e.
and pointed tn sofa Of ice behind me.
Hardly had l seated myself, when the
door again opened, and Caroline her.
sell entered. and advanced slowly and
without any sign OF emotion towards
me, although she evidently recognized
me. and held out her hand in a sor, of
mechanical welcome. rose and clasp.
ed It IN my own. Heavens!-it was
cold as winter tomb stone--and as
the icy fingers fastened about my own J,
| shuddered as If spectre had vel
coined me To the world Of shadows
She was ice, like every thing around
her.
The cottage. the old lady, and nv
long-loved Caroline passed away, and
| found myself in beautiful mansion
IN lar oil land. There too, the spell
OF winter rested ike death upon every
thing around me. The pillars, the
splendid galleries, and magnificent a.
partments, and the servants, and the
attendants, were all ice in that winter
OF dcsolation. Yet ! recognized the
scene Of my deepest attachment-thc
dwelling OF her whose beautiful image
has never ceased to haunt me, from
the moment Of our first meeting. And
saw her--ihe magnificent girl and
she threw her arms around my neck,
aud kissed me, lit was like the kiss Of
a marble statue--the twining Of the
arms of the dead around the neck Of
the living--a cold and icy communion.
And then, seemed myself to take the
nature Of all around me, and became
as ice, all. save my heart, which still
beat beneath its unconscious body
And We sat down together, two icy
statues, knocking one another with the
look Of warm aud kindly affection. -
And she would lay her cold hand in
my own, and bend her head With its
rich, but unmOving mass Of ringlets
towards me: and her eye beamed con i.
stanIly with a smile like that with
which she always welcomed me ;--and
yet l knew that IL was an awful mock
ing and that the warmth and the pas.
sion OF love aud life were not there"
IawOke. My lamp was like a small
spark, it had burned 50 low--the FIRE
had gone outs aud the moonlight az il
sueamed through the unshutteTed win
dows, revealed the black and cold bars
Of the CRATE before me the doors were
sj'r, and the current of air, bitter with
frost, was sweeping through the room.
For a time indeed, almost Imagined
my dream thing of reality, for | was
actually Supplied with the cold, and
have not yet half recovered from it,
Ny friend, a. he spoke, drew bis cloak
closer around him, with sort Of inyo.
lustaFy shadder.
/ Now continued he, have deter.
mined TO 1--we alone no longer, will
marry, let TIE consequences Be as they
may. Rather than suffer again ,shat