Ypsilanti sentinel. [volume] (Ypsilanti, Washtenaw Co., Mich.) 1843-1900, 1846-08-26
From the Lady's Book.
THE BROKEN PROMISE.


"GooD even, fair jus! glance from the page
which for these ten minutes has absorbed all your
faculties, and give word of welcome to your friend
was the gay saIutaton of Marina Sanford as she
entered the parlor of her cousin, Edith Morton, whom
she found sitting in armchair, one hand support
ing her head the other grasping the Ladys Book, in
which she was so engaged that the somewhat noisy
entrance of Marina and her prolonged gaze of ten
minutes were UNDECIDED.
'sYour pardon, dear Marina your visits ever
welcome. This Interesting tale must be my excuse
for not seeing you. 1t has, indeed, been skllful
magnetizer, and a willing subject. Have you read
il.
'sNo; do not read love stories. l really thought
you had too much sense to throw away your time on
such stnf-not only your time, but for the while
yourself, think for your own benefit you might as
well have been in magnetic sleep. Ii there be any
truth in that would-be science, you then might have
benefited Others
"very good, Miss Marina. What fine lecturer
you would make, What beautiful expression of
scorn beaned from your eye and curled your lip as
you exclaimed Il neUer read lore stOriesr To be
rious, how long since you have been so wiser
"Why, since have arrived at years of discretion,
and have learned that Lore and constancy are idle
dreams of YOUTH"
$50 you are sure that Consistency lives in realms
above, and love is but an idle flower that blooms
and dies the self-same hourr"
ayes. So far my own experience and observa-
ton show, affection such your favorite tales por
tray exists not, in the Imagination. Therefore
l think we should not peruse such writings as pic
ture-thnps that are never realized
sSTkere we agree. 1t would be worse than folly
to spend our precious hours in reading the descrip
ton of characters, of events that are not and may
never be. Here we differ. You say the stories of
the heart which occasionally read have counter
part in real lfeto this conclusion you have arrived
by your own observation and experience. Then |
must think you have loved, aa4 that your Oh
kservations have been incorrect-at least PARTIAL
ETrue, have never been in love according to your
storytelling acceptation of the word, but it would
seem you have, or, albeit am somewhat older, you
have looked things with different eyes from mine
Pray, do you know of all acquaintance single.
case of matrimony all for lore, or, what would be
stranger STILL one of snge-blessedness for the sake
of an early lover
eyes, my memory is full of SUCH and had you lift
ed the veil that shrouds the thoughts of even some
of your friends fiom the prying world, you would
have said with Willis
'Oh, if there is one law above the rest
Written in wisdom
If there is anything that keeps the mind
Open to angels visits, and repels
The ministry of ills, it's human love
Our good and noble Uncle Geoflrey~-dd it ever oc-
cur to- you why he old bachelorr
s.UncIe Geoffrey2 You surely do not mean to say
that he has been votary of celibacy all for love
"Most-su do, my incredulous coz. You will
vet learn by your experience, put me down
for false prophecies, that true affection is not
nance, but reality"
'May your prophecy prove true if you can prove
to me, by any of your tales Of observation, that the
love of your teers finds abode this earth
among the bipcds called men and women. But first,
Uncle Geoffreys history---that could not have been
one of your observations, for. from his age, it must
have happened prior to your BIRTH
81 did not witness it, but my knowledge of the
circumstances is the result of my observations.
had long noticed the readiness with which Uncle e.
reads the tales you sgmatze stuff; that he is as
deeply absorbed as | was when you found me. After
lde perusal of soInc he would throw his head back
in his great chair while expression of sad abstract
edness would pass his countenance, as if he was
looking back to other times; heavy sigh would es-
cape him, which would rouse him from his reveric
he then would arise and go forth, whistling or
humming some lively air, to his business. These
little things attracted my curiosity. On one of my
visits to Aunt Maria, much to her surprise, inqu-
red Uncle g. had not in his youth been the hero of
some little romance. She then gave me the history
I'll now relate if you not tired by this long pre-
face"
sPray, proceed; am all patience and attention"
"That large, old fashioned brick house opposite
Amt M 50 was formerly the residence of DIR. Denton
his wife, a son and daughter. Susan Denton was
the companion and schoolmate of Aunt Maria
While at school youthful attachment sprang up
between Susan and David Haughton, bright, hand
some lad from neighboring town. He was wild
reckless fellow ever ready for sport and where dan
ger might be found, the first to meet it was David
II. Ever ready was he to rescue the girls and save
The weak and the fearful from the reproofs of the
teacher. Susan was amiabe and intelligent, yet, |
timd beyond her mates, more often called for the
Youths protection. She was generally loved, yet
some of the older ones might be occasionally heard
70 saw, .What pity Susan Denton hasn't little
more firmness and decision of character; and many
al f.. afterwards