American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1845-08-29

was blind to the suggestions even of her better
Judgment. At length when he had complete
" triumphed over her gentle heart, he left her,
and sought some other sweet flower TO blight,
as he had done this
Isabel bore his GOODNESS awhile with apparent
Indifference. But the lustre gradually left her
eye, her cheeks grew pale and thin, and her
fine red lips to death-lke purple hue She
complained to none. She murmurcd nothing
against him. Her friends observed that she
mingled more with the plous, and less with the
gay 1t was evident, however, that the ma
chnery of her existence was gradually running
down; and every day was expected to bring
some story of her sickness or death. AT length
she almost Stunned society, aud spent her time,
when the weather would permit, in wandering
among the hills and forests.
One evening, OF pleasant day which she
had spent away from home in this manner, her
parents observed that she did not return at her
usual hour. They became alarmed, and rous-
ing party of their neghbors, they went in
pursuit of her. They travelled the forest and
thicket for long while in vain. They shout
ed her name through the deep glens, and blew
their horn from the top of the hills. But echo
alone replied
At length, about midnight, one of the party,
OF his return, discovered her OH the edge of
high ledge of rocks, seated at the foot Of an
old beach, which hung far above the preclpice.
He called on her as soon as he discovered her.
She returned no answer. He thought she
might be asleep, and he clambered up the rocks
to where she sat He called again, and louder,
but she answered not Then lie touched her
shoulder and gently shook her, and started
back with horror. She teas dead-cold and
stiff though, as she sat, she looked more like
one enjoying quiet slumber Her left arm
rested OH the trunk of the tree, and the fingers
of her right hand were laid upon the letters of
my brothers. name, cut in the smooth bark
1t seemed as if she had been trying TO trace
them out in the dark. Doubtless such was the
fact, and that her broken spirit had passed
away while busted in this strange but natural
effort.
She was buried in the village church yard
the next day without any parade. But the
story Of her life and death became one of the
traditions of the place, and the stranger may
hear it told by any one Of the villagers, should
he chance to ask whose neat white monument
it lis which stands in the corner of the yard
with strangely quaint device sculptured upon
it. Our school-master had been a re ected
lover of isabel's, and he procured the artist
who executed the monument to grave upon it
IN emblem of his own devsing. 1t consisted
simply of her. name, in beautiful German ca
pitfalls, under which there was dropping lily,
in full bloom, around whose stock small ad-
der had coiled himself, his head thrust into the
cup of the flower, as if he was sucking away
the life juice of the lovely plant. This was
her only cpitaph. No one who knew her sto
ny could be at loss as to the design.
NV brother was absent when she died
When he returned and heard the story Of her
death, he showed some signs of emotion. For
several days he kept aloof from society; you
could read remorse in his eye, and at times
there was a twtching Of the muscles of his
face, as if he felt the gnawing of "the worm
which never dies"
But it soon wore off, and he became as gay
as ever. He mingled with his usual lighlness
in all the trolics Of the village. He smiled as
sweetiy as ever upon our bellies, and alas, poor
human nature, they returned them as swectiy
as ever.
must confess that thought sometimes Of
my uncle Obed's warnings, and looked for
some dreadful fulfIment Of the deceiver's
curse. | felt fOreboding that a judgment
would come. 1t did come
After he had graduated he studied law and
established himself in an adjoining county, in
his profession. He had fine talents for the bar,
and rose rapidly IN the esteem of the public
Several years rolled away, and at the age Of
twentV-nne he found himself wealthy, and of
high reputation. lie still remained, however,
as reckless and wild in his intercourse with
society, mingng in all its gayest circles
In the winter of his 29th year he caught
dreadful cold, while OIL sleigh ride, which
made great nroads upon his health and brought
on symptoms of consumption. His physicians
told him that he could not survive the figors oil
another New England winter, and recommend
ed voyage to Cuba. | went with him as his
nurse, and the following winter we spent in !
Havana. Here he rapidly reganed his health,
and as he spoke Spanish as huently as Cas-
titan, he mingled great deal with the Span
ards His fine person and fascinating man
ners soon found him a passport to the favor OF
many black-eyed donna. He seemed per
fectly happy while basking in the sunshine OF
their smiles. But alas, poor fellow, slow-toot-
ed justice was about to overtake him.
On some great occasion the Governor Gene
raj gave splendid ball at this place. We were
both invited. | was satisfied with looking on
the gay scene, but he mingled in all its luxu-
ries.
| observed that he waltzed several times with
the beautiful wife Of young Spanish officer of
high rank. The last time lie handed her seat
he plucked her a moss rosebud from vase
which stood near him, and dropped it into her
bosom. Here he stopped and whispered some
thing in her ear, and when she raised her head
observed that deep blush was passing over
her face, and a smile Of peculiar meaning curl
ing her lips. He forgot that the eye of Span
ish jealousy knew neither slunber or sleep.
Two days afterwards he was found by the
city guard, about daylight, on the pavement 10
front of this Spaniard's house; a broken guitar
lying beside him, and the Spanish dirk stick
ing in each side, both thrust quite through his
heart.
was at no loss to guess whose hand direct |
was but an instrument, raised up by ONE who