The Arkansas banner., 1843-10-14

of hope! From that hour my resolution was taken; concealed myself in tho wood that bordefed her house; made my home with the wild fox in the cavern and the shade; the daylight passed in dreams and 1 passionate delirium--and at evening wan dered forth, to watch afar off her footsteps 1; or creep through the copse, unseen, to listen to her voice; or through the long and lone night to lie beneath the shadow of her house, and fix my soul, watchial as star, upon the windows of, the chamber where she slept. l strewed her walks with the leaves of po- ctry, and at midnight made the air audible with the breath of music. In my writings and my songs. whatever in the smooth accents of praise, or the burning language of passion, or the liquid melodies of verse, could awak en her fancy, or excite her interest, at tempted. Curses on the attemptl May the hand wither! may the brain burn may the heart shrivel, and parch like a leaf that a l flame devours--frem which the cravings of my ghastly and uniiatural love found a chan mel, or an aid l told her in my verses, in my letters, that had overheard her confess sion.
 told her that was more hideous than the demons which the imagination of north ern savage had even bodied forth; I told her that 1 was a thing which the daylight loathed to look upon; but told her, also, that adored her; and 1 breathed both my story and my love in the numbers of song, and sung them to the silver cords of my lute, with voice which belied my form, and was not out of harmony with nature. She answered me,-and her answer filled the air, 1 that had hitherto been to me breathing tor ture, with enchantment and rapture. She re- peated, that beauty was as nothing in her estimation---that to her all loveliness was in the soul She told me that one who wrote as l wrote--who felt as felt---could not be Ioathsome Tn her eyes. Sine told me that she could love me, be my form even more monstrous than l had portrayed 1t. Fool !-miscrable fool that was, to believe herl So, then, shroudcd among the trees, and wrapped from head to foot in mantle, and safe in the oath by which had bound her not to seek to penetrate my secret, or to behold my form before the hour myself should appoint arrived-I held commune with her in the deep nights of summer, and beneath the unconscious stars; and while unrolled to her earnest spirit the maryels of the mystic world, and the glories of wisdom, l mingled with my instruction the pathos and the passion of love
 ssGo,n said she, one night, as we confer red together, and through the matted trees ] saw--though she bcheld me not--that her cheek blushed as she spoke; " Go,-and win from others the wonder that you have won from me. Go, pour forth your knowl- sage to the crowdi makes the l.., glory of tal--and then come back, and claim mel will be yours '"
 ssSwear itlo cried I.
 "I swearp p' she said; and as she spoke the moonlight streamed upon her face, flushed as it was with the ardor of the moment and the strangeness of the scene; her eye burned with steady and deep fire--her lip was firm and her figure, round which the light fell like the glory of halo, seemed indistinct and swelling, as it were, with the determin- ate energy of the soul. gazed--and my heart leaped within me; answered not-but stole silently away: for months she heard of me no more.
 fled to lonely and far spot,--l surround ed myself once more with books. cx- plored once more the arcana of science; l ransacked once more the starry regions of poetry; and then upon the mute page pour ed tho thoughts and the treasures which l had stored within me l sent the product without a name, upon the world: the world received it; approved it; and it became lame Philosophers bowed in wonder before my discoveries; the pale student in cell aud clois- ter bored over the mines of learning which l l.. tl, in, bowers blushed and sighed, as they drank in the burning pathos of my verse. Tine old and the young,-all sects and all countries united in applause and enthusiasm for the unknown being who held, as they avcrred, the Gcnii of wisdom and the Spirits of verse in mighty and wizard spells, which few had ever won. and nonc had ever blended before.
 returned to hcr,-I sought meeting un- der the same mystery and conditions as of old,-I proved myself that unknown whose fame flied all cars and occupied all tongues. Her heart had forbodcd it already! claim ed my reward And in the depth and dead- ness of night, when not a star crept through the curtain of cloud and gloom-when not gleam struggled against the blackness--not breath stirred the heavy torpor around us that reward was yielded. The dense woods and the eternal hills were the sole witnesses of our bridal; and girt with dark ness as with robe, she leaned upon my bo- som, and shuddercd not at the place of her reposc
 Thus only we met,-but for months we did meet, and was blessed. At last the fruit of our ominous love could no longer be con- cealed. It became necessary, either that should fly with her, or wed her with the rites and ceremonies of man--as had done amid the more sacred solemnities of nature In either case, disclosure was imperious and unavoidable. took, therefore, what grati- tude ordained. Beguiled by her assurances; touched by her trust and tenderness; mad dened by her tears; duped by my own heart, I agreed to meet her, and for the first tune openly reveal myself at the foot of the altar
 The appointed day came. At our mutual wish, only two witnesses were present, be-