Litchfield enquirer., 1833-11-14
STONY az In HEIREss.

session Of more Of the chaF OF elGh minds OF cOmpO
sitiOn than ID ordinarily me- with. With the allure
inents Of an mpassioHed syn and strong feeling, the
story has also tho merit conveying useful Instruction
% those WHO witt receive a. The writer commences
her narration with revoof OF the mode OF ed-
cation adopted IN fashionable boarding schools. In
0fshese, che was trained until her eighteenth year,
and Then iorth, irv,lsus aud thomgtfees 0r-
skilled y find the path Y happiness, although had
from NATURE beauty some talent, an. quick Strong
leetngs-frOtn tuFlnne, rank. riches md fashon-
doub,lt gifts, which enibiaer woe rs often as they
heighIeA biiss.n
The events which rendered mo an heir
ess were fraught with shame and sorrow
When was i hslpless, wailiug baby, nv
mother fed her home aud child, and was
divorced. Ny only brother, a wild bat high
spirited youth, slsarked at his mothers dis
grace, and disguised With The unl,appiness
Of home, absconded, and put TO sea in /,
merchant vessel trading Id The Mediterra.
nean. The vessel persisted. and the crow
was never moro heard Of. My father,
whose sole heiress I now was, loved me
little, and placed fiss v,han ONLY FIVE wears
old. at a boarding school sf the highest
fashions Soon after, dying, he directed
that shOpld~remain at school until the
completion of my eighteenth year, at which
early age, was 10 be emancipated from
the control Of guardians and teachers, and
TO enter ON the nnrestrained possession of
my princely inheritance. Here was a per-
ilous destiny! 1t might have been high
and happy one, had received that moral,
mental and religious culture due 10 every
rational being, bat especially to those
whose wealtl, and station confer ON them
extensive social influence. And in what
pursuits were spent those precious years
that should lfave moulded my character to
stability and dignity !! Exclusively in lcarn-
ing to sing, to dance. to play, to talk and to
dress fashionably-I, who was entrusted
with the distribution Of so large portion
Of the nations wealth, scarcely knew the
names or natures Of patriotism, Of benefi-
cial or social duty, or moral responsibility
~ who had nothing to do with life but to
enjoy it. was unconsciously an exile from
the land Of thought, stranger to tile hall
lowing influence Of study; my pleasures
were all Of this noisy world, all drawn
from external things. had no inly spring.
ing source of joy--no treasures stored to
solace the hidden life. Oh! happy are
the children whose infancy reposes ON a
mothers bosom, whose childhood laughs
around her knees and gazes upward into
her loving eyesi Home is the garden whore
the young affections are reared and FOSTER
Ted, I'll theyTisc gs&daalIy and graudly into
the stateliest passions Of the human soul !;
but was even an alien from the domestic
hearth the flow Of gentle feeling in me
Ilay motionless aud chill, still as a frozen
torrent yet destined to leap to rushing and
e. Al. al,,..,
rays of passion. But these are the relec-
lions Of AN altered character, and matur-
or age not such were. the feelings with
which the young and highborn Augusta
Howard entered on the career of fashion,
Fable'l life.
was now eighteen, and resolved to
avail myself abundantly Of my legal liber-
ty. took splendid residence in town,
purchased the companionship Of tonish
widow, and deliglltedly resigned myself to
the intoxication Of the triumphs thar await
ed my entrance on tho gay world. trod
the spacious apartments Of my mansion with
transported and exultant sense of free
dom and independence. | danced along,
the mistress Of its brilliant revels: song,
and light, and odor, doatcd around my
steps, and my free heart bounded gaily to
the beat of mirthful music. Lifc seemed a
feast--a gorgeous banqnet-I, an excmpt-
ed creature, whom no sorrow nor vicissi-
tade could reach. The young and brave,
the affluent and nobIc, stroye for my favor
as for honor and happiness every eye af-
forded homage, every lip was eager TO Ut
ter praise. All /! II Is something to swalk
the earth arrayedin beauty, clad in raiment
of natures own glorious form and dye
And what though. ii be not fadelcss Z
What though the disrobing hand Of death
must cast il off to' darkness and the worm r
Is il not something to have been portion
of the spirit Of delight dispenser Of so
many Of tho stray joys that lilo scattered
about the highways Of the world Surely
loveliness is something more than mere
toy, when but to look on il ennoLles the
gazer, and raises him nearer to truth and
heaven. For me, although in the FIRST gid
dy years Of youth, knew not how 10 prize
Earigbt any gift Of nature yet feel that
the Joy Of being beautiful springs from a
warmer and purcr source thar vanity
Still priced too highly the potency ofper-
sonaT attractions, when believed them ABB
solute over the affections. lived to learn
that there are hearts wIiich il cannot pur-
chase. e
Meantime, the gloss ofnovelty grew dim,