American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1845-03-31

ming, and | was SO afraid | should miss you,
that have been walking up and down the
street this hour, waiting for you to open your
Office You will pardon my oarnestness," she
continued, looking touchingy at me, while her
ewes were suffused with tears, "but | am his
wife"
was deeply affected. | was yet young
man, and my heart was not then, nor ever has
been scared to misery The perious situation
of an old, and had no doubt of an innocent
friend, was enough to raise all my faculties in
his favor; but when TO this was added the elo-
quence of his almost broken-hearted wife, |
felt as if 1 could have gone TO the worlds end,
to restore him TO freedom and her TO happiness.
hastened to assure her that every faculty |
was possessed of should be excrted in behalf of
my friend, and not doubling that the charge
was exags Grated, comiorted her by an assur-
ance of his speedy enlargement. Indeed"
continued, seeing that her feelings overpower-
ed her, ''indeed, there is no room for fear
The charge will, trust, be easily disproved.-
Tonight will see your husband free. But now
let US hasten to his aid," and calling coach,
| ordered it to drive to the prison,
Never shall | forget the sad yet grateful
smile, with which that angelic woman thanked
me for my promptness. 1t seemed as if her
whole soul was wrapped up in her husband,
and as if every moment of suspense or delay
was to her worse than death. | would have
put her down at her lodgings, but she could
not be persuaded to desert him to whom her
VOWS were plighted. What is there in this
world like the constancy Of woman?
The meeting between my old schoolmate
and myself was one of sad interest to both
As pressed his hand, crowd of former me-
mories rushed across my soul For moment
ura fs,r0nt nil hnt tho at Rut thnn m tho
terrible consciousness of the present, Of tho g
nominy of Duval's situation, and the perils
that threatened to break his poor wiie's heart.
One brief word, one hasty assurance of my
friendship, and of my confidence in his inno-
cence was all that the time permitted US. He
said nothing, for the jailer entered 10 conduct
him before the committing magistrate-but |
could see that he turned his head aside to brush
away a tear, and hear, as he pressed my hand,
the fervent ejaculation, "thank God" would
not have given that one moment for the richest
hour ambition ever had.
With much difficulty his wife was persuaded
not to accompany us to the police office, where
a denomination was to be given to the pri-
soner before his final commitment to answer
before his fellow men for the awful crime of
murder. AS it is necessary for the unity of
my story, | will premise the circumstances Of
his marriage, as subsequently, learned them,
both from his own lips, and during the course
of the examination.
In the village of -, though celebrated for
its female beauty, there was no one to rival
Mary Symmes, the ward of the wealthy Mr..
Wilson. Even when | first beheld her. and
when sorrow had made sad havoc with her
countenance, she was still eminently handsome;
and sure more exquisite expression | never
saw in any human face. She was an orphan.
Her father dying left her under the care of his
friend, bequeathing her a large fortune, with
the not unusual provision that she should not
marry without the consent of her GUARDIAN
Beautiful, accomplished, and an heress, she
had no sooner entered into society, than her
hand became the prize for which wealth and
family commended. But to all her sutors she
was Indifferent. They amused her leisure, but
they touched not her heart Conscious offeel-
ings not accorded to every one, she longed for
some kindred spirit who might love with an
intensity equal to her own. From the crowd
she turned away, wearied with their selfish and
empty protestatons. She longed to he loved
not for her fortune, bat for herself; and when,
at last, she met Henry Duval, and listened to
his high and lofty aspirations, she felt, before
they had known each other month, that her
destiny was woven with his, And he loved
her in return, ay! loved her with an intensity
of which only exalted natures are capable
Little did they think, in the guilelessness OF
first affection, that woe, and sorrow, and misery
should yet fill their cup to the brim. But the
web of fate was already woven
Henry Duval, was indeed, a being to be loved.
Frank, generous, and confding; with fine
person and noble air; possessed of talents as
brilliant as they were varied; mind disciplined
by study and enlarged by travel, the fascination
of his conversation and the openness OF his
heart, fixed the admiration which his address
was calculated to excite. Is it to be wondered
that Mary Symmes reciprocated his affection!
1t never occurred to her that his poverty was
in her guardians eyes, an nsuperable bar to
their unon and when MIR. Wilson, at last
aware of the danger of further intimacy be-
tween his ward and Henry Duval, forbade the
latter his house, the beautiful heiress for the
first time woke to the consciousness of her stu
alton. She knew her fathers will, and that
she would be penniless if she married without
her guardians consent. But it was too late
Their troth was plighted to each other, and
shortly afterward they were married.
For the first time that lovely girl disobeyed
her guardian. But she was happy la the
presence of him she loved she could forget for
tune, friends, hatterers and all. She trusted
too that her guardian would relent. Poor
thing. how she deceived herself. Her letters
were returned unopened, and she herself spurn-
ed from his presence. Their future history was
that of hundreds before and since. Poverty be-
gan to lower around them. The utmost ex-
ertions of her husband, opposed as he secretly
was by the influence Of her guardian, scarcely
sufficed to win the necessaries much less those
superhuties of life which habit had made in
| valuable. Asa last resort he removed to the
city; but his pride forbade him to seek his old
acquaintance. At this time it was that our
correspondence ceased, and lost all knowledge
of him. Here too lie fell sick. Want began
already to haunt his lowly dwelling, and to
strip it of its last few comforts. Yet in that
dreadful winter his lovely wife was as an angel
| from heaven. Friendless and alone; almost