Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1837-01-06

ing your pardon--sincc | knowed him
speaking to me! why that--that was--whv,
bloody my eycs' you have not taken young
Washington F-'s handsome figure for
old Ebenezer rs mouldv carcase ?"
The rude but not unirendly mate had
hardly uttered the sentence, before he cnrs>
I'D himself to The bottom of every sea be.
tween the poles for the use he had made Of
his tongue. Alice fell llfcless upon the
cabin floor. The seaman shouted for assis.
lance, aud then, as he aud the better bred
CAPITA who, as the father of n large and
cstimable family, was q more fitting nurse
for the tnrlorn maiden. applied one restora-
tive after another, she recovered animation
at intervals. Fit succeeded fiji, however;
and then, as The wind rose and brewing
Itcmpes, called all hands on deck. the cap
tain could only place her kindly in her
berth, in the hope that the new excitement
q, hand nigh, possibly be of service to his
patient.
The shin was driven widely out of her
course. Alice was long Indifferent to eve
| ~ thing around; but as the storm lasted
for seyeial days, and finally threatened to
DESTROY tho stou, craft in which she sailed
the near prospect of the death for which
ab, had but now been longing, called ali
her religious feelings into action. Sine felt
TINT .he WINS the child of destiny. Her
onntl, pnv would not n|low her to wish
for sudden aud violent death. though the
oeace Of The crave was what she most de-
sired She prayed then, not for life, bu,
for an escape from its horrors; alike from
those which ragged IN the angry element
around her, and those which varied so
iearruv in her bosom.
Weeks elnpscd before the vessel reac he'd
the haven Of which she had once been with
in few hours sail. The missionary g,tI
bad apparently recovered from all bodily
| indl position, and her features were again
az calm as ever; but It was The camneSs oI
rigidity, and not of peace. they wore. 1t
was sacrifice Of herself to heaven she had
mcd,a'cd originally; "and why" cxcIalm-
ed she mentally, "why should shrink from
the Offering now, when Providence has ena-
| blcd me to make it richer and more abund.
ant, to make my souls triumph more com
plete as its trial is more bitter and severc,
Still, when the isle of her destination hove
in view, 1t was with shudder that she
frs, looked upon The shore, aud thought Of
the fate TINT there awaited her.
Womnns heart is a strange, a wayward
thing. In many bosom it's strongest chords
are never touched by the hand to which
il ID welded. II 10 ofo" Ieo.e~od win
,u;,, consent on him who seeks it-bcstOw.
cd in utter Ignorance of the power Of low.
ing the wealth Of tenderness it boards
within itself;
.Circums,ance, blind contact, and The necessity
Of lo,hs,"
Will afterwards mould 10 ia fate, and pre-
vent ropninG q, his choice; but when once
it's hidden strings have v.brated, and given
out their full music; when once its inmost
treasures have been disclosed to its owner
counted over and Welded up with fell
knowledge Of their worth, to another; and
when ",he pearl Of the soul" has heen once
avished in the map,ug cup of affection !:
it revoIts from all teebler preferences, aud
it is true, even in death, to its one only lore.
Our story ia now rapidly drawing to q
conclusion. The Missionary soon came
on board to claim his bride. He was a
plain and worthy man, with nothing to dis.
tingnish him from the numbers ofhs pro.
fcssion IN our country, who, installing the
prompting, of zeaI for the inspiration of o
special calling, and who, without minds
injured by experience or enlightened by
education, leave the plough or the shop.
board to become The instructors of those
who, with feelings as sincere as their own,
and unders, andlngs far more exercised in
knowledge Of good and of evil, are expcc-
ted to bow 10 their narrow teachings; TO
receive them, not as humble soldiers of The
cross needing guidance like themselves,
but ns the captains and leaders of the
church militant, armed in full panoply-a
living bulwnrk against its foes. Alice
We're had but little experience in society
bn, the qnickn,ng power of love had late
Iy called all her dormant perez options of
taste aud feeling into play, and very
brief interview sufficed for her TO read the
character Of her destined husband. She
felt that she could never love him. Re.
spect him she did, as she would have done
the humbIcst brother Of her faith and had
she never known what love was. her re.
gard would perhaps not have been with
holden in time; for every woman loves
the IaIHeV VI ncI CHI'oTcH, " bc Ue Hu! n
creature to be abhorred. But if there be
an agonizns thought to gIrl of delcacy
and sensibl,ly, it is the idea OF becoming o
bride under such circumstances as sur
rounded poor Alice Vere-thc thought
that her heat shall beat against the DO.
som of n stranger when its very pulse
lhrobs for another. Still high. impe,i-
Gus duty, as she believed. constrained her;
md she prepared to resign herself TO her
fate.
The nnp'ial day arrived. 1t hac been
arranged that the master Of The vessel on
board Of which Alice, wis'fuly lingering,
had begged I, remain, should perform The
ceremony; (agrecaly to the laws of the
State of New York, by which marriage
Is me,ey civil contract. requiring only