The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1849-06-27

&; But, Mrs. Russell, exclaimed Ag-
mes warmly, Harry myth usband, IS
not She paused.
sIs not what mine is, said her COM
panion. sWhy4 did you hesitate? / saw
your thoughts in your countenance.
That istgery true; he is not get what
John Russell is, but be may one day be-.
;Waituntil the rose, fades on your cheeks
and the light dims in your eye.'
sOh!' exclaimed the young wife, sif
he loves me always but just as well as
he does now will be content. sI am
not too exasting; I possess his best of.
fections, and I rely confidently on their
continuance. / will not court misery
BY, thinking Of the days to come, when
my beauty. will no longer. exist. IF
Harry cared only for a fair face, ]
might tremble for my safety. But he
has often told me that ho valued the
heart he had won for its good qualities,
I iii which he believes implicitly; and I
assure you it is not my intention to un-
deceive him..''
ss.You will then always be what you
now are?' resumed Mrs. Russell. sYou
think that time and sickness will not
change your sunny temper, nor ruffie
your smooth countcnance. But lknolp
that when you are peevish--as you
will be sometimes, or your servants are
angels; when you frown, as the mis-
tress Of, every house must Harry will
fret and fume, grow proud and sullen,
or take himself to his club or some Sc
cret lodge (by-the-by, these last are
what ruin half the men) in disgust
You see, know human nature, for I
have experience; and / know Mr.. Mon
teith PARTICULARLY well. What was it that
made him break off his engagement to
Julia Ethr:dge, which had gone so far
that the lady had procured her para
phernalia and was selecting her wait.
ers? Why he saw her pull o servants
nose and box her little seamstress' ears,
and he instantly left the house and his
beautiful betrothed, though she wept
and prayed him to remain
Agnes sat like one stupifed during
this speech, and the paleness of her
cceck increased at its conclusion, until
it looked corpse.likc, while her heart
beat with the slow heavy stroke of the
muffted drum. She had never heard
her husband allude to former engage
ment, and she could not believe had de-
ccived her so terribly But Mrs. Rus,
sell knew the whole affair, and seemed
to imagine that she must be acquainted
with it too. Montcith had met her at
the house Of his uncle while on visit
to her native town, and a mutual at.
tachment had sprung up between them
She married him without hesitation,
believing him to be as near perfection
as her Christian education could allow
man to approach, and though six months
had passed, she still thought him all that
she could wish. What a shock it was
to her then to find that she had been
steadily and Intentionally deceived
where she had Sc blindly trusted. The
tears came gushing to her eyes; but an
effort restrained them, and she spoke in
as calm tone as she could assume
''You surprise me, madam; if what
you tell mcis true, why should Harry
have concealed it from me? I thought
he conGdcd every secret Of his heart to
me, for ho has often told me So"
"Thcn you do not know it. How
singular; for it happened just before
Mr.. tMonteith visited your town, when
he first saw you. How queer that he
should not have told it, for men mostly
like to relate such things. Where wo-
man die oflove for them they are not
backward in spreading the news
'Then did Miss Ethridge die?'' as
ked Agnes, with CHASTITY look. sOh
how horrid. / could not have believed
that Harry had evor been so cruel
It ia awful and she burst into tears.
mo, no, my dear, she did not die, but
she came very near it; for she had
brain fever and raved of Monteith for
week or more. Her mother was on
the point Of sending for him, and she
would have gono down on her knees to
him to ask her daughters life at his
hands, but the poor thing grew better,
and refused to let the messenger dc
part. sIIer woman's pride, she said,
revolted against such an act; he was
lost to her forever, and she would not.
sue for his return though her life depen-