Vandalia Whig and Illinois intelligencer. [volume] (Vandalia, Ill.) 1832-183?, 1832-11-21

and was not expected back short of year.
Mi Thompson at length came across the
young gentleman to whom the letter and certii-
cate had been sent impeaching the character of
Sophia. They had been some acquainted, and
Mr. Thompson ventured to open few slight de-
tails of his concerns, and he found that the young
man seemed to know more than he was willing to
tell about it, This alarmed Mr.. Thompson still
greater but he could not decipher the enigma.
Poor Sophia was in tortures. So much trou-
BE can ''enyy hatred, and malice,'' make the
most innocent people living, in very short time.
Set the tongue Of SANDER agoing, and we shall
soon find that sit is an unruly evil full of deadly
il 'ssetteth on fire the course of ma
lure, and is set on fire of hell"
They were all willing to think the best of their
friend and benefactor; yet to leave them in such
a situation could not be justified even by the plea
Of necessity, however imperious. There must
ne some weighty cause for such unaccountable
behaviour. What it could be was the great desI-
deratum. Perhaps he went off in great haste,
and would still write back an explanation. They
concluded to wait awhile longer before they set
tied on any course to take.
In this perturbation of mind, Sophia was looks
ing over an old book, and found the following
lines, which she took the pains to Transcribed
The tender immaculate dove
May fly and abandon his mate,
Awhile--bnt his wanderings are loves
IT'S not in his nature to hate.
Returning in season to bring
Glad tidngs the spirits to buoy
He bears on his tremulous wing
Professions of transports and JOY.
And so shall thy lover return,
Thou maid of dsconsolate soul,
And kiss off those tear-drops that bum
Deep channels wherever they roll.
But darker and darker must grow
The night of dstrust and dismay,s
Till Heaven shall give thee to know
IT'S darkest not long before day.
And when the clear morning breaks QUE,
And shines on thy Phares and thee,
No more shall the shadows of doubt
Raise spectres so frightfdl to see.
The soace which Sophia gathered from the
perusal of these stanzas was of short duration.
for as it is with person under severe affiiciion-
-------''the darkest day,
Wait till tomorrow, will have passed Always
so OH the contrary, CLEAN OF hope seems often
to twinkle on the surrounding gloom, for mo-
snent, only to mock our misery, by lighting up
the spectres of our departed joys, and then to ban
ish from our view.
Let no one pretend to believe that Sophia had
no great reason to be so extremely wretched as is
described Her mind was in suspense, and those
who are skilled 10 the arts of love--who have
been taught in the school of experience, tell us,
that
"Suspense is worse than absolute despair"
But she was soon to be relieved from this painful
anxiety.
After the lapse Of several weeks and Mr..
Thompson had given over sending to the post
office for some time, as the family were sitting to-
gether one evening after tea, all but the boy, and
not more than an hour after Sophia had finished
copying the verses, in rushed the lad, flourshing
a letter in his hand, which he pronounced in
brea,hless trepidation, to be from "Mr. jackson"
Sophia almost tainted, although she was not
one of the faintng kind of ladies. In thought
less haste she was just going to take the letter
from the boy, who exclaimed, "not you, but ta-
Their"
The old gentleman took it, broke the seal,
cast his eve to the bottom, and said with some
animation, cit is from Mr.. Jackson, sure enough"
Sophia looked all coors at once, if pale IS color
Mr.. Thompson took out the certificate against
his daughters character, for it was the letter
which had been sent to the village, as before
He first read the letter then the GER
,ificate, and exclaimed, 80 what villainy-what
But Jackson Is not to blanche is
He could utter no more-threw the papers TO
his wife, and to his daughter, who caught a
glimpse Of hope from the last words which her
father ronounced-"Jackson is not to blame he