Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1833-10-02


vulsion Of her breast: Al that moment, know
not what demon possessed me. There was a
dead, more than customary silence IN all th'ngs
around me. felt a fury within me-a c'amor'
Gus anxiety about my heart-a knaw'ng some
thing that would not sleep, and could not % 81
lent; and, without thought Of what was 10 DO
or what had been done. knelt down beside her.
NV eyes wandered wildly around the tores''
but at length, invariably settled, in the end, up
on her. There was an instinct in all this. she
had the look Of an enemy to the secret and imPei'
ling nature within me, and, without utterlng q
single word, my fingers. with an internal grippe
were upon her throat. She could no, doubt the
desperate character Of my design. yet did she not
struggle-but her eyes, they spoke, and such
language. A cham which myself had thrown
about her neck-that neck all symmetry and
wbiteness-was in my way. l SOUGHT Out
vaInly, to tear it apart with nv hands, and eouiu
only do so-with my teeth. In stopping 10 90
this, she writhed her head round and lifted her
lips to mine. | shrunk, as from the lang oil
serpent. They had worse sting, at that mo-
ment in my eyes. Mourniully, as she saw this
she impored my mercy
o." Spare, forgive, dearest Martin. | will never
vex you asan-spare me this time. and VIII oe
silent Kill me not-kill me not''-more Wild
ly she exclaimed as my grasp became more pam
full" am too young to die-l am too bad TO
perish in my sins Spare me-spare me. l will
not accuse you-l-God! Oh God!'-and she
was dead-dead beneath my hands!
This is certainly finely dramatic. The pain
ter Of such a scene has literary talents OF no
common order. There is another passage which,
as forming an admirable sequel to this, We must
here add:
have already said, the bride was beautiful.v
Words cannot convey an idea Of her beauty. She
was emphatcally thing of light and love-
(which seer, becomes part of sight"
In grace, one knew not with what, save her.
self, to institute comparison. In expression,
there were voIuues of romantic and interesting
poetry, embodied, in each feature of her lace;
and the steel of my affections, stern as it was,
wherever she turned. even as the dutifu needle
to the pole, turned intultivelv along with her -
Such was the maiden,-so much alter the make
and mould of heaven. whom q cruel destiny was
about to link with one formed in spirit after the
fashion Of hell.
The ceremony was begun. We stood up
with linked hands a: the altar. The priest
went on with his formula. The brides hand
trelnbled in mine, and her eyes were commerc.
ing only with the richly carpeled floor. was
about to answer the question which should have
made Us one, when cold wind seemed to en-.
circle nv body. My bones, were numbed,
and freezing chill went through nv whole sys-
TEN. My tongue refused its Office, and, instnc.
lively, as it were. bending to the opposite quar-
ter of the apartment, my eyes fell upon guest
whom none had invited. There, palpab!e as
when had last seen her, stood the form OF Emf
~ Andrews A pale melancholy picture. and
full Of terrible reprOach. | was dumb, and Tor
a moment. had ewes only for her. She was mo-
tionless, as when had borne her to the unhal
lowed grave in which she did not rest. felt
that all eyes we're upon me-the brides hand
was slowly Withdrawn from mine. and tina, mo-
ton restored me. Mine were terrible energies.
seized her hand with a strong effort, aud with
a voice of the sternest emphasis, my eye firm
fixed upon the obtrusiye phantom, gave the re.
quireda ffirmative. With the word, the figure was
gone. had conquered. You will tell me, as
philosophers have long since told US, that this
was all the work of masnation-a diseased and
excited fancy; and in this you are probably right
But what OF that? Is IL less a matter Of super.
natural continuance, that ones o,on spirit should
be made TO conjure up the spectrss Which haunt
and harrow il, than that the dead should actual.
iy be made to en,body themselves, as in life, for
The same Providence? The warning sound that
chatters IN my ear of approaching death may
be, in fact, unuttered; but if nv spirit, by an
overruing fate, il calculated for the inception of
such sound shall we hold il as less the work
Of superior agency? Is it less an omen for
tha,F
This was not all. At midnight, as | ap.
preached my chamber, the same CHASTITY spectre
stood at the door as If to guard it against my en-.
trance. For moment | paused and faltered;
but thought came to ny relief knew that the
energies Of soul, immortal and from the highest
as they are. were paramount, and advanced. l
stretched forth my hand to the KEY, and all was
vacancy again before me. IL my fances con.
eeived the ghost. my own energies were adequate
to its control. In this I had achieved new
conquest. and nv pride was proportionately in.
creased and strengthened. was thus taught
how much was in my own power, in making even
destiny subservient to my will!
With these specimens Of the work, which
speak for the mselves, we have nothing further to
add Of the tale, except that the moral impresses