Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1848-08-11
VOLUME II--NUMBER a.

"Whn,l not heard about The fire. at farmer
Wesiern's, and young Mr.. Hoathcote. aud his
accident" cried the delighted gossip, pIancinp
mcnningly At Miss Lasier.
81 am sorry fnr it," said Margaret, quietly.
"What has happened 10 himl'
81 thought you must have known; but no..
forgot. Well. he is not quite killed--nmost." :"
Both lad es started. and to their INQUIRIES,
! Mrs. Doddridg' answered with long story.
the substance Of fwhich--scparaling ruth from
fiction. we will tell in our own words: Phillip.
coming hnme from n country ball. had seen the
most fearful Of all sighls-especially in lone.
| ~ country place--S house on fire. lie spurred
his horse 10 the spot, and reached il with as.
sslance; but too late. The house was wrapped
in flames, and the farmers aged mother was
still within. No one thought Of saving her.
IleaIhcoe, with sudden AMI generous impulse,
rushed into the burning mass, and they never
thought TO see him return, until he staggered
forward, with his burden in his arms, aud f,ll
inSenslble upon the ground. When he return.
ed To consciousness, be- was found 10 be feur.
fully burnt. aud one foot entirely crushed by
falling beam. The young. gay. handsome Phil.
lip. who had danced so merrily few hours
before, and charmed all, as was his wont, was
taken home by the gray morning twilight, dis
figured 70. life!
Margaret Testers kind heart overfowed with
iunmingled pity at hearing this melancholy sto.
~ of her former lover. And then his heroic
and generous deed. She could not have be-.
ieved him capable Of such. IleI tender con.
science smote her for having misjudged him,
and many slight instances of his feelings rose
to her mind. which showed he must have had
Il higher and better character beneath the one
in which he publicly appeared. There is noh.
ing so sweet. or so all exlenualing us the com.
passion Of genIehearled woman, though ex.
ercised towards rejected, or even u laitbless
lover.
Many months did Phillip lay on his desolate
sick bed, for he had no mother or sister to watch
over him. Some few among those who had
been so charmed with him, sen, TO inquire al.
ter The poor young man for u lirie time. But
the interest and excitement Of the eventsOon
died AWAY, and long before the invalid was able
10 crawl TO the closedup garden Of the manor
house whrre he lived, all had Gorsaken him, ex.
cepr one or two kind souls. who sent him
book now and then, out of charity. Among
young man recovered, gratude-or something
else, warmer sliIl-led him thilher The first day
he left his house.
No one had seen him since his accident, ex.
capiing his medical attendant. Phillip could
not bear that his former friends should see how
frarfullv charged he was. His braulilu aud
classic features were scar :ely recognizable for
The deep scars left on his face, and his finely
moulded figure and elastic gait were changed
inio an incurable lamrness. 1t was fearful
shock-suCh as none but strong mind could
bear. But Phillip, through his long and solila-
ry illness, had thought much and deeply. and
his external appearance was hardly more chang
ed than his mind. Nevertheless, with all his
courage, he could NOT repreis many bitter
pang. us he waited alone in Mrs. Testers draw.
ing room, an caught a glimpse of himself in
the mirror, which so olten bsIDr1tim. ref 'ctGI
the graceful figure Of the handsome phillip
IIearhcole. When the door opened, and Mar
garet ertcrod, he could have shrunk anywhere
from her view.
A hue, very slight was in Margaret's usually
colorless cheek; she looked once at the young
man, and then advancing, took his hand in both
hers, aud said, in frank earnest friendly tone,
that went to Phillips heart, 81 am very glad.
indeed, TO see you here again, Mr.. Ileurhcole."
There was no confidence. no allusion to his
illness; she did avoid looking nj him, but spoke
and smiled with true and kindly tact, as ifnoth-
ing had happrned; So that Phillips dread and
embarrassment wore off hrceplibly. Once
only, when deeply engaged talking 10 Mrs. Les.
ter, he caught Margaret s eyes fixed upon his
E,,, ,;,b ia, Il, tbn
he was not sure, that those sweet blue orbs
were moist with tears; and the young man
would have parted almost with life itself fpr one
tear of aif'clionale pity from Margaret Lester.
He stayed Il long time. and then went home,
certainly happier than he had often been in the
days Of his bloom and gaety. What Margaret
thought of her old lover could not be known;
she said very little, but that night she heard the
old church clock strike one, before her eyes
fairly closed in sIumber.
Phillip Hearhcote's re.appearance in society
caused the usual nine days wonder and excite
ment, and then all subsided. He was an alter.
ed man; his abundant flow % spirits was no
more; he could no longer join the dance, in
which he had shone so brilliantly a(oretime; he
was often silent in company, and the bellies who
had so often gazed delightedIy on his handsome
face; now passed him by with slight recogn-
ton, or audible "poor felow how handsome he
was once!" Phillip had grown wiser through
suffering; but still no one is ever quite insensi,
BILE to the loss OF personal attractions; and the
chad been" grated harshly on young Heath
cote's feelings for long time. He gradually
withdrew from society, in great measure,
pleading, as his reason, The i'll health which he
really did labor under; and at last his visits were
almost entirely confined to Mrs. Testers where
he met no altered looks or obrusive condo
lence.
And now we must turn to Margaret. She,
too, was changed, not outwardly. but in her own
heart. Love, under the guise Of pity, had sto'
len in there unawares. She had been perfect.
Iy indifferent TO Phillip in his days ofwiumph,
but when she saw him pale, feeble, thoughtful,