Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1847-08-05

TO him she loved, hardly bestowing a thought
on her surprising beauty and her many at
fractions, except SO far as they made her
more precious to him and more worthy to be
his wife, And such was the bride whom,
ere the leaves of autumn had fallen to earth,
Philip Armytage took to his home and to
his heart, treasure long wooed, long-sigh-
editor, at last won
CHAPTER VI.
Thcir sky all glory hut cloud sailed into il there
was Lightning in its bosom, and it broke"-BERsARD.
WE have seen the blind girl as a child
young maiden, woman in the pride of
her loneliness let us now behold her as a
wife, no longer the idol of lovers dream,
but the sharer of his life-the Joy, the
comfort of her husbands home We would
fain describe her, but the words float from
our pen, and glide away into poesy-into
that sweetest picture of woman that ever
dawned on poets brain. Stella was
" A creature not too bright and good
For human natures daily food
For transient sorrows, simple wiles,
Praise, blame, love, kisses, tears and smiles!"
I" A being breathing thoughtful breath;
traveller betwxt life and death;
a perfect woman, nobly planned,
To warn, to comfort, and command;
And yet spirit, still and bright,
And something of an angel light"
After this, what can we say but that Philip
Armytage had, in truth, an angel in the
house" Rare, very rare, are such in this
world; but we have known some, and 9TH
ers, doubtless, have done the same. Alas !!
that while they were walking with us we
knew them not, until they had spread their
invisible wings and flown to heaven
The home of Philip Armytage was one in
which the world may sec that poesy can hal
low daily life, and that the glorious light OF
genius is not incompatible with the subdued,
delicious glow of the domestic fre-side. A
man of talent is like beacon set on hill,
exposed to every wind of heaven, and to the
gaze of innumerable eyes, eagerly watching
lest its light should be extinguished. If it
futter wave for moment, like any other
common fire. up rises the cry of rhundred
voices, and a hundred hands are lifted to
quench the unworthy beacon. God help
the man of genius he walks through road
that is full of snares, more, and deeper, for
him than for men of less exalted minds and
less sensitive natures and all these set up
rejoicing shout if he only stumble. Yet
it is not impossible to tread the path in safe.
ty many strive thus to walk, and all honor
to those whose life proves that men may
glory at once in lofty intellect and blame
less and pure heart. Such an one approach
es nearest to that ideal of humanity-whicf
all shall, we trust, one day attain-wher
mind and matter shall no longer strive to-
gether, and we become 4" a little lower thar
the angels"
Philip Armytage lived this life, as near a.
a man can do on earth. He brought the
treasures Of his lofty intellect to brighter
his home; he did not relinquish his profes
sion, but he adorned it with the refinement
of a gifted mind. He had none of the va
carries of the poet; he did not consider tina
genius must necessarily be eccentric, ant
no one would have thought that the clear
headed, sensible man, whose courteous ant
winning manners were the ornament of tn,
intellectual society which he collected aroun'
him, in his well-ordered home, or the gentle
affectionate husband, who read and talke,
cheeriully to his wife, during the long win
ter evenings, was the same high souled poet
whose brilliant imagination made his wri
tings worshippeG by some, and wondered a
by others
When the long, pleasant, summer day
came again, Philip and Stella took " tn
wings of the dove" and fled away for tim
to home far down in the country, the sam
where Stella's mournful childhood had bee
spent, and which was now left half desolat
in the absence of its present owner, Edmun
Brandreth. The happy wife of Philip Al
mytage trod, with her husband by her side
all those forest walks where the lonely bin
girl had once wandered, and the contra'
made her, if possible, happier still Lii
was TO the young pair an enchanted dreaI
of such deep Joy that their hearts tremble
under the burthen, like flowers heavy wit
much dew. Young, rich, with minds giie
to behold and enjoy, to the full, all that wa
: beautiful, and hearts that seemed as one i
close and loving union; what had they NOR
t to desire! Sometimes light shadow {
fear would fit over them--a sort of vagu
doubt that as night comes after day, so gri'
ever follows happiness. But then love chase
| the dim phantom away with its angel wing
r 1t had been long season of drought, S
) that the very grass was parched in the mea'
ows, the birds became almost mute, and fle
to the deepest shades of the vast Forest
f Very grateful now was the thick Woo
, whose verdant recesses formed the only r,
, relief from the insupportable heat Ever
evening Stella and her husband took the
r pleasant ramble together, from twilight III
til the stars came out the young wife az
+ ded to every beautiful sight and sound b
her deep sense of enjoyment, while Philip
noble mind invested all things with hal
of poesy, SO that to walk with him was I
walk with magician, who unveiled the il
ner life Of nature.
One evening they went out together {
usual, but did not pass beyond the lawn, ft
twilight brought with it the tokens of con
: ing storm. Dark, vapor-iringed cumuli ros
up DER the bed of the departing orb, shu
ting out all the lovely purple and gold of
September sunset, and growing thicker an
blacker, until they reached mid-heayen, COZ