Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1843-08-25
BY VINE. RYrHER.1
THE FATAL WORD.
ny EMILY II. MAY.

ny OF 1t is unworthy of being loved
You are too severe, said Ellen in reply
TO the speaker and exact more from oul
sex tkan you demand Of your own. Is this
justP rf .r f
j admit the truth Of what you say; fol
tho | cannot trust man who is guilty Of
talsehcod, | loathe and abhor woman ha.
bhually given to duplicity, We look fol
more purity in your sex than in our own
and love only ought TO be favored by you
which regards you in this exalted light
Notrue man but chafes at the chains which
bind him to the grosser things Of earth, and
has longings for something better and holt
er; and love in its purity--for all love is not
pure-steps in here to lift us heavenward, by
adordng us companionship with a being Of
finer sympathies, and of more heavenly i'm
pulses than ourselves. With what loathino
then does it fill me to find her deceitful; for
of-all the virtues, is in my eyes the highest.
Let man or woman be incapable OF
fasehood, and she is incapable of continued
guilt a a..s.r .
Ellen was silent, for she had begun the
conversation in Jest, and she felt that the
speaker uttered the truth. She continued
silently at her work, and in few minutes,
Robert left the parlor, and went out-Not
until the front door had closed on him did
she look up, and then her eyes met those of
her cousin, the only other occupant of the
room, who was sitting at the opposite side
of the work table, The face of the latter
was flushed, and her lips parted as if in par
tail terror. She clasped her hands and ex-
claimed,
oh if Robert knew it, and burst into
tears.
Emily rose up, went around the table, and
encircling her friend with her arms, said
soothingIy, ia
But he will never discover it, dear Lucy,
so don't fret. 1t was only once you did it,
and then it couldn't be helped
But if he should find it out sobbed Luz
cy, 'oh! how wish had never told him the
untruth. Don't you think she continued,
looking up earnestly through her tears, that
he has heard of it! He scarcely said good
BY when he went out
Mono, quickly retorted Ellen, calm
yourself, dear Lucy, or, when he returns, he
will see that you have been crying. No one
could have told him. Besides, even if he
knew,he might not be angry, at least not uery
angry, for you know he spoke of habitual
duplicity, and of that, my dear, no enemy,
even you had one, could charge you with
being guilty
But wish had told him the truth at
once and never will deceive him again,
said Lucy, drying her tears
Lucy was betrothed TO Robert Emerson.
and in many respects was fully worthy of
his love. But she had one fault-uanitv.-
Fond of dress, fond of amusement, fond of
admiration, and fond OF display, she was Of
ten led into frolics, for the qualification Of
her vanity, which in her after moments
she bitterly repented. Robert was not ig-
norant of her failing, but he knew she had
a good heart, and he trusted in time to cure
her of her foible. Still he was not aware of
the many errors which she committed for
the qualification Of her vanity, much less did
he suspect that falsehood had been resorted
to in order to conceal her conduct from his
eye. But such had been the case.
Robert hated alike coquetry and untruth.
lie had often said that he could never love
a woman who would trife Intentionally with
a sutton, for, apart from the selfish vanity
such conduct displayed, there was always
more or less duplicity in a flrt Lucy there
fore since her acquaintance with Robert,
studiously avoided the error that otherwise
her love of admiration might have induced
her to commit-but alas! how true is the re-
mark that our errors dog our footsteps, and
will not let us go even when we would for
get them. During sojourn at Saratoga the
preceding year, Lucy, then just ushcpsd into
the great world, and comparatively thought
less, had allowed the attentions of young
man, whose suit she would not have encour-
aged seriously for a moment. She had first
listened to him to pass away an idle hour,
and found herself compromised in measure
before she thought of her indiscretion.-I
She was glad therefore, when her summons
home took her Unexpectedly from the
springs, though she trembled lest her sutton
should follow or write for her. The latter
ne had done, but the letter was left unan-
swered. When she became interested in |
Robert she wholly forgot her former lover;
but, few weeks after she was betrothed, he |
suddenly appeared in the city They met
accidentally at an evening party, where he |
recognized her, and in such way as induc-
ed Robert to ask if she had not been intm- |
"'e win hlin. nc dreau OF discovery ana
Of her lovers dspleasure, if the truth was
known, induced her to deny the acquaint-
sace of Mr.. Warren, saying that he was on
" gentleman who had once paid her some
civlities in stage-eoach, and that he pre-
sumed too much in claiming friendship
With her. The answer satisfied Robert, but
IT did not satisfy her own heart. From that
evening she had been tortured with fears lest
her falsehood should be discovered; and of
ten had she blushed scarlet, even in the SOL
'ude of her chamber, when she thought
OF her dnnlicifv wv III