Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1843-07-14
There came a letter 10 tP.'


1t was an inky night. The moon was in
her private chamber. The stars had drawn
over their head the coverle, of clouds and
pretended to sleep. The street lamps heart
lessly burned on.
Twelve struck with damnable iteration
On tiptoe and with beating heart Phebe
Jane left her fathers area. Ophelia Film
Minis followed her little distance, for lone
was going to meet her spirit bridegroom, and
receive renewal of his ante-vital vows
and she wished her friend, the echo of her
soul, TO overhear and witness them. For oh
If words were anylhing-ii the soul could
be melted and poured, lava-like, upon, satin
post'-if there was truth in feelings magnet
ic and prophetic-then was he who had re-
sponded to, and correspondent with lone S
-, (she writing to 81 and be to 'P, y the
ideal for whom she had so long sighed the
lost half of the whole so mournfully incom-
lplete-her souls missing and one spiritual
y Siamesed twin His sweet letters had
echeed every sentiment of her heart. He
rad agreed with her that outside was nothing
that earthly beauty was poor, pershing,
Pitiiul-that nothing that could be seen,
ouched, or described had any thing to do
With the spiritually passionate intercourse to
which their respective essences achingly
yearned--tfat, unseen, unheard save in wills i.
pers faint as roses sigh when languishing
at noon, they might meet in communion
blissiul, superhuman, and satisfactory.
Yet where fittingly TO meet-oh agony
agony!
The street-lamps two squares off had
been taken up to lay down gas. Ophelia
Flimmins had inwardly marked it. Between
No. l26 and No. l32, more particularly, the
echoing sidewalk was bathed in unfathoma.
BILE nght-tor there were vacant lots occu-
pied as repository for used-up omnbuses.
At the most lonely point there stood tree,
and, fortunately, this night, IN the gutter be-
meath the tree, stood newly-diSabIed bus
of the Knickerbocker line-and (sweet
omen y it was blue In this covert could the
witnessing Ophelia lie perdu, observing I'M
seen through the open door and beneath this
tree was to take place the meeting Of souls
the re-interchange of sky-born vows-the
ilnmaterial union of IIhuriel and lone Bliss!
bliss !-exquisite to anguish!
Butch incontinent vessel--Ophelia had
blabbed The two fat Miss Flimminses
were in the secret-nay, more They were
in the omnibus Ay-deeply in, and por-
tentously silent, they sat, warm and wonder
ing, on either side of the lamp probably ex-
tingushed for ever! They knew not well
what was to be. But whatever sort of thing
was marriage of SOUL and whether 'Ilhu-
riel" was body or nobody-mortal man or
angel in blue scarf-the Miss Flimminses
wished to see him. Half an hour before
the trystng-time they had fann'd their way
thither, for thunderstorm was in the air
and the night was intolerably close !: and
climbing iuto the omnibus, they reciprocally
loosened each others upper hook, and with
their moistened collars laid starchless in their
laps, awaited the opening ofthe mystery.
Enter Ophelia, as expected. She laid
her thin hand upon the leather string, and
drawing the door after her, leaned out OF
its open window in breathless suspense and
agitation.
3 Ione's step was now audible, returning
from 1872. Slowly she came, but invislbly