The Columbian fountain., 1845-11-04
sEu ECTE D

ing in anecdote, entertaining and instructive
Mankind are apt to imagine, under aiiiiction,
that there cannot possibly be individuals
worse off than themselves. They are, al
most invariably, mistaken The following
is an instance in point, for the truth Of which
Dir. Hall vouches.
g A lady and gentleman several years ago
were living at the Hague; they had been
for some time married, and were justly reck-
oned amongst the happiest Of the happy
Particular business called the husband away.
Shortly afterwards the wife received a let
ter by express, stating that her husband was
dangerously ill; and that she must has
ten to him if she would see him alive. No
tine was lost but on approaching the inn
she was met by funeral, and learned, to
her unspeakable horror, that the hearse be-
fore her contained the dead body Of her hus-
band! She tainted in the streets; but when
the funeral had passed on, the people were
at loss what to do with her, not knowing
who or what she was, s,-nor her connexion
with the gentleman who had died for when
she recovered from the fainting fit, her reas-
on had fed A benevolent lady, however,
who witnessed the whole scene from her
window, ran down into the street and de-
sired that the unfortunate woman should be
carried to her own room.
For some weeks her mind continued un-
settled, and she seemed unconscious Of every
thing, except that some dreadful calamity
had happened. At length her senses re-
turned, and with them full comprehension
of her loss. Her grief became outrageous
and uncontrolled, and she constantly ex-
claimed, | am the most wretched, the most
unfortunate Of women--surely never, never,
was there any one put to such trial. For
little while her unknown but kind friend
did not attempt to stem these bursts Of grief,
but at last she said to her, mildly, though
firmly our lot is hard, but you are not
the most unfortunate Of mortals Listen to
my story. |, too, was happy, happy wife.
My husband and | had passed upwards Of
twenty years in the uninterrupted enjoyment
of life, in companionship with our two chill
dren, son and daughter, who were in every
respect what we could desire. To our in
finite horror and amazement, we discovered
that william in our establishment, man in
whom we had trusted, had, by series of
diabelica1 arts, sedaced the virtue Of our poor
girl He fled from our vengeance, and his
wretched ruined victim died shortly after
wards in childbed Meanwhile her broth
er, who was of delicate frame, and of a
sensitive temperament was SO wrought upon
by grief and humiliation, that he speedily fell
into decline, and we saw before, us anoth-
er inevitable source of grief
"'To avert the blow, however, as long as
possible, a journey to the south of Europe
was recommended, and the grateful air of a
more genial climate seemed to revive the
dropping spirits of our son. One day he en-
tered coffe-house, and had scarcely sat
down before he beheld the destroyer of his
sister placed before him. Supplied, and un-
certain what to do, he remained silent while
the other at oncebroke into taunts, illusions,
and reproaches. This was too much for hui
man nature to stand, and our poor boy snatch
ing up knife,> (which unfortunately lay with
in his reach, plunged it into the heart of the
monster who had ruined the peace Of whole
family.
"sOfcourse he was instantly secured, The
trial followed, and in spite of all the extern
uating circumstances which were urged, he
was condemned, and, dreadful to relate,
executed! My husband returned to me from
the horrid scene apparently calm and un-
moved We felt it our duty to support one
another under this terrible dispensation, sent
upon us, no doubt for our good, by the wis
dom of a Power whose ways are inscrutable.
The next day we had agreed to take drive
together; but after my husband had handed
me into the carriage, he said he had forgot
something, for which he must return to his
room. waited for five or six minutes.
and then alarmed, ran up stairs, and found
that he had put period to his existence!
!" "sJudge now, therefore, my dear madam,
whether there may not be more unfortunate
women in the world than you are"
The succeeding quotation is descriptive
of an interview between Mr. Hall and a
medical man." who, without any of that
caution which true science teaches, boldly
assumes universal infallibility. 1t is sogood
hit at some of our modern infallible pill
manufacturers, who profess to have discov-
cred panacea for all the ills that flesh IS
heir to, that we cannot refrain from giving
it. The idea of imparting efficacy to medi-