Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1844-10-04
AMY WOODLEIGH.
~ THE AUTHOR OF BLIND ALICE.

whose feet the savage has laid down his fe-
rocty-the refined courtier his plumed pride,
and the sage his philosophy From Eve to
the fair being whose name heads this page,
thou hast found in woman thy chosen type
she wears thy crown, Yields thy sceptre,
and receives the homage Of thy slaves. And
whence springs thy powcr-of what element
is it composed-why, as we catch some lain,
tokens OF thy presence even in inanimate
nature-in budding flowers, in evenings gor-
geous clouds, in the wreathed mists of morn
ing, IN some smiling landscape with its ver-
dant lawn and transparent water, its shadowy
groves, its gentle undulations of hill and vale
why, most of all, as thou lookest on us
from woman's eyes Of light, are our hearts
drawn to thee with an irresistible attraction,
winch lifts us for time above earth and its
cares and even causes US for a few short mo-
ments to forget those ever present idols
ourselves? Is it not that in thee we see the
outward form-the visible type of goodness
of gentleness, purity, truth-and that,
fallen as We are, we cannot blot from our
nature their reverence for thesel Too often
alas !-the beauty which enslavcs us is but
scmblance-thc outward form from which
the living spirit of goodness-of moral love-
lness-has departed. Too often il is but
"A glded halo lowering round decay,
The farewell beam of feeling pat away"
The emotion excited, the homage attract
ed by such beauty, however, is fleeing as
itself.
Beautiful, exceedingly, was Amy Wood
leigh. Dost thou doubt, reader? Turn to
the engraving prefxed to this Magazine and
satisfy thyself-yet thou scest not there the
eyes soft hazel, the glossy brown of her ring
lets, the pure yet richly colored complexion,
the pcarly teeth, and those dimples which
played around her mouth, if she smiled or
spoke. Invest the form and features on which
thou lookest, with these charms and acknowl-
edge that the original must have been love-
lest among the lovely.
We have said much of Amy's beauty, be-
cause at seventeen, when we introduce her
TO the reader, there was little else to render
her an attractive object. The silly batteries
of weak mother and an ignorant nurse had
sown the seeds of vanity in Amy's mind
even in the nursery, and the adulaion of in
udicious acquaintance had so fostered theil
growth, that the noblcr tendencies Other ma
ture had withered beneath their shade. Mrs
Woodle'gh would have been shocked at ii
charge of having neglected her daughters
education, and would probably have assured
the accuser that in this respect, Amy hal
enjoyed unusual advantages, as she had beer
r placed, at an early age, in very fashionable
y school. where the price Of tuition was unusu
ally high. and had been kept there till she
was prepared TO enter into company.
Prepared 20 enter into company! Thi
was the only preparation of which mole
Q, and daughter had lhought-this, the CRANE
epoch to which all effort was directed, IA
which all expectation terminated. Prepar
for life and its solemn responsibilities Pre-
pare for death and its more solemn conse
quences these were thot's which had sci
:, dom, If ever, occurred to them.
-" Amy's seventeenth birthday was celebra
ted by an assemblage of all that was gay
fashionable or attractive, a, her mother
splendid mansion. Many days had bee
occupied in preparing this fetc, and Amy
sparkling eyes and buoyant movements a
she descended from her dressing room, show
% ed that she was satisfied with the result {
the hours passed in her own adornment.-
One thought only disturbed her serenity O
Swallowed the brightness of her anticipation
t-Charles Herbert would not see her in a
OF her triumphant loneliness. And who wa
70 Charles Hebert? A ward of Mr.. Wood
I leighton there was a Mr.. Woodeigh, thong
h. initiating the fashionable acquaintance of h
b wife and daughter. we have left him undi'
:" turbed IN his dusty counting house.
Charles Herbert was five years older tina
nc hnnIsnn,a ,,,,,Ithu DncSncc,nv hi
ne intellectual endowments, polished manners
to and that indescrbable Charm which is dilu
ed over all these gifts by a manly spirit, col
ny scious Of its own worth, and too much in
OF pressed with the dignity of its nature, j
st grave responsibilities and lofty deslinies,
a value itself on the decorations of cart
Charles Herbert was admired wllerev
known, sought wherever seen. He was
present the one "bright particular STAR"
Amy's hemisphere, where he had just real
~ peared after four years absence at Colleg
Ut Amy had never heard from his lips the fla
a teries which had met her ear from so mar
re others, yet she had formerly felt quite SUI
'rt that he admired her beauty, though his a,
mira,ion was not expressed in words. B
ke since his return from College, though 81
es ndu OIten met HIS SdZ0 TINettcu vi HeT, dS
Cd old, it did not, as then, express pleasure-c
- the contrary, It was almost always sad, al
~ sometime. disappearing. He had spoke
before her too, of the graces Of mind an
tn heart as more attractive TO him than tho
he Of the person, and had more than once throw
lib out suggestions, which seemed to her l-brt
on and disagreeable, on the uncertainty of Ii
and the fleeing nature or earthly good
m Still, unpleasIng as all this was, Amy adm
in red Charles Herbert, and lhirsted for h
praise more than for all the world beside.-
=" Did she really value his high qualities.
was he to her what Mordecai had been
H. Hamanl
ne We have said that Charles Herbert's ref
he sal to attend her birthday ball had somewh
We lessened Amy's joyful anticipations. TT
On. pleasure with which she saw him standir
-, beside her mother, as she opened the parl
'M door, may therefore be easily conceived
;" Mrs. Woodleigh seemed to have been ur,