Vandalia Whig and Illinois intelligencer. [volume] (Vandalia, Ill.) 1832-183?, 1833-08-14

y at the moment as the young dancing di.
vnlty had finished a concluding priourehe
of extreme difficulty and exquisite grace,
and remained moionless, with ii half tim
id, half conhding air, as if to woo the ad
miration of her enraptured behoIders-
Just at that very moment, an old man with
a long beard and broad leaved hat, not in
the least degree rural or ArCadian, rush
ed from the side scenes to Miriam, and
seized her delicate gauze dress. which he
franticaiIy crushed and tore. 'Wrctchcd
girl shouted he, could nothing prevent
your exposing yourself IN these butterfly
gauds to the gaze of all Palermo? Well.
then, before all Palermo, curse you bit
teriy with a fathers curse, and pray heav
en- that you may end your days in rags and
wretchedness! curse you!' repeated he,
gnashing his teeth with fury; and altho'
Levi was not in the least degree an actor.
perhaps there never was uttered upon the
stage an imprecation which produced a
greater theatrical effect.
| At this apparition Miriam tainted, and
her father was apprehended and carried
off as dsturber of the public peace, by
two police officers. The audience were
electrified by this unexpected coup de
theatre, and the manager was in utter aston
Ishment at the anger Of Levi, as his daugh
ter had obtained more advantageous
engagement by ten zecehns night, than
any dancer since the days of La Volta
piedi. The male part Of the audience
were unanimous in stigmatizing the Jews
conduct as brutal and uncaled for, to-
wards a daughter possessed of such fault
less ANGLES: while the ladies, with that i'm
partially which a woman always exercis-
es towards her own sex, allowed that Mis-
RAMS figure was tolerable, but declared
that she must be very Abandoned girl
indeed, to occasion so much grief to so
respectable parent. AS for the people
in the pit, at first they appeared affected
by the Incident; but when they recovered
! from their moncntary emntinn, and the
manager came forward TO excuse the dis
appearance of Miriam. on the ground OF
her indisposition, Kisses and cries OF dis
appreciation were heard on all sides, de-
handing the restitution of the entrance
money, as the Jew father was not men
toned in the play. bill, and as they had
come 10 see pastoral ballet, and not
domestic drama. However, the tumult,
like all other tumulls in this best Of posi-
BILE worlds, whether political, religious or
dramatic, was at last stilled, and the ballet
ended, without the temperance OF eth
er father or daughter.
When the Jew and Miriam returned to
their respective habitalions, they both
were attacked with violent fevers, caused
by the harrassing emotions which they had
Experienced. The old age of the father
sunk under the disease, but the youthful
strength of the Jewess triumphed over its
mali gnity, and that day month saw them
both fulfilling their several destinies under
, very different aus pices. Levi was carri-
ed, with all the funeral solemnities OF his
tribe, to the Jewish burial ground outside
the city gates, upon the road to Messlna
and along that very road, upon the self
same day, in the travelling carriage OF
1.-THE English ambassador, sat Miriam, as
the conpagnon du uoyage of his admIring
excelency. She had heard of her faith
: er's death. and notwithstanding the ex,
=, citemcnt of the journey, the compliments
of the ambassador, and the more delicate
, diplomatic attentions of the secretary OF
legation, as the carriage drove by the old
burial ground, lis rows of expresses, and
gloomy array Of tomh-stones, with their
! half etfaced Hebrew Inscriptions, she
r could not refrain from thinking Of the old
, man who had once so tendcrly loved, her.
aid whose dying curse was yet anrepent-
+ ed and unrecaled. There is a strange
influence in a fathers curse; ii is not a
force, a moving power, as the mathematl
, clans 81 y-it is not "A body, a substance
tangible or material; there is nothing
! more unreal or unsubslanlial than the
, words, Il curse you;' and yet there are few
q persons loaded with the parental anathe
> ma who have shaken off its effects, OF
borne it lightly or harmlessly through life
As for Miriam, the gloomy recollection
> weighed on her mind for the first few
i, leagues of her journey; but long before
= she had reached Messina, it was effacee
by the rapldity and luxury with which she
! travelled and by the glowing Anticipation
= of the Clories which awaited her in Lon
:, don-that paradise of pretty opera girls
" where pioure,tng holds now the SANE
rank in public estimation, which agitation