Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1850-10-04


symptoms Of fears and petition 10 desist
accompanied by an earnest remonstrancc q
70 the danger Of racing. was preferred to the
Captain
ms otiieer, fine specimen Of Louisiana
eniyalry, With the eye Of an eagle, and a
m9h,a rigid as Marble. where uneopqlerable
n SCI its seal gracionsly responded TO
the committee on behsH of il I,S;as -,
he would pledge his wv 3 life for ~ DID Tsfafy
and remarked moreover th,t tAeg I'M s,ls,,
astE9nger security thai lis oath Ill thu pre.
senee Of his wife aud children then Oh board
I This assurance ard kssseroie den,ealcr
i Of the captain lady, WHO had treated lie
subject as a matter Of admirable amusement.
+ quilted all Napprel ensIon of peril, and re-
stored mirth and genial bumor
Gradually, as tile contest continued. the
most timid recovered from their transient
alarm, and men, women, aud children crowd
Ell 70 the hurricane deck, eager to witness
the brilliant struggle Of speed. Indeed il
! was q vision to intoxieate man to the mad
/ ness of excitement
4 Nov the Henry Clay would glide grace
fdlllyfahead amidst the Joyous cries Of tile
crew and shouts of the passengers then the
Fairy Queen, having found the proper eur
rentspy stimulated BY her fires to more yigur-
Gus pdor would suddenly shoot forward ana
/ pass her rival, with deafening cheers; !. and
/ then again. both weald move, as it were, to-
gether with equal velocity, in line parallel
to either shore, and thus continue abreast
torTnles, without any appreciable difference.
till every breast heaved with painful sus,
pense 4.
he struggle went On and stiIl with-equal
slccfss The excitement grew uladdeniug
Ladies clapped their hands and waved their
handkerchiefs to encourage the smoke BIZ
grined firemen
ESgai.ltes in brosdcloth tossed Heir GOLD
headed canes into the river. and aided ii
trood1ag like the lowest menals
SUCH, ~ the passion Of the competition thu
master impulse of the souls Of sage aud sav-
age. prince aud peasant Such is tn. rt
sstlable appetite for hazard ia the hannah
AeartfalwaFs developing ITSELF iii solia. 6ae
OF tts Protgan~fernis Bat tatx not Of till
excitement OF horse race where steRd9 coili
tehd sEht as the wiBd away with Tie slim
ulous m cafds. dlct- and chess W bat are
sucA ihltryl affairs as these eompare~ to the
fire race Of thundefing steamboats, 1t il
the nature Vt all emetonto expand and thus
accom- niodate itself u tle grandeur Of The
agents which arouse it. and to the sphere i'll
which ii operates
" Onward r the shout rolls down the ant
Gent river, and startles the blue crane from,
has perch ia the tree top and the white swan \
from her bath in the lake
! Onward Z The crews curse The com
We have said that all gu board the FAIRY
Queen partook Of the common excitement,
The statement, for tue sake Of truth, requires
a slight qualifications There were two who
avoided the vortex
William Grey, wealthy young man Of
New Orleans, stood unmoyed and lnmovat
bic in the general to+Ladp of animal passion
He was sole son, and hs had been left an
orphanHin his infancy From his Inherent
disposition rather than favorable education.
he had Iimbided igid code Of ethics which,
blending with poetic and highly imaginative
turn ofImind, LED him toabominate gambling
as the most dangerous d all vices Hence
he looked on the present strife with loatht
ing amounting to horror hH
Helen Harrison was native Of Boston 10y
One year previously her parents had emit
grate4to Illinois, where, in a short time
they both fell prey to the fevers Of the eli
mate and now, poor and frendless. she was
making her way back % the classic city Of
her birth The gri Of recent bereavement
saved her from To L infeetive excitement
which 81 many older and wiser heads had
been unable to Withstand \ III
1t could not but Be Otherwise than that
two pensions, who Looked. the one with dis
dan aud the other with sorrow aud tears, SoI.
the intoxicated circle around them, should
especially observe one another, stationed as,
then both were on serene emnetice. above
the, passionate tumult of the hour William
Grey gazed long and often during the day
on the pale. sweet face, and doyelike blue
eges-inila. yet intelligent, and brilliant as
the stars-and yearhed to know who the
strange maiden was and she, On her part
cast many an oblividh glance Of tirnid but
! irresistible admiration toward that nlanly
ceunteaance and noble form, which flied at
4 once tile ideal Of her dreams, and made her
\ inwardly wish that she had a brother such
as he
Love pc frst sight is-'.a fiction Of roi
ma1cer@.n cries one: IA delusion Of the
senses. \ signs another. We viii not now
y gainsay either theory Yet who has not
f loved thirst sight2 Who has not seen eyes
/ elancing from stages and steamboats,, through
Il windows, and frosn beneath wells. thrilling
4 the heart with spirit like token Of kindli-
4 est recognition, not wanton or passionate,
4 but pute al the gaza of an angel through
starry ha16es2 Then the soul longed to
Y hail its celestial mate but the moments
VI glimpse suficed not fora opportunity, aud
the vision faded oa the sight leaving IFS
II memory fregh>to all eternity He who meyer
loved .at first sight never loved al all iyInot
blessed with tie faculty Of loving But
enough If such srrudiss, ana now let Us 6Iish
orr storJ
The race still continued and augmented
j in interest," The sun set and the neon and
stars r5se. but the, spectators scarcely noted
the fact One problem monopolized AZ
thonght-- Which win beat to st Louis
Who viii win the ten thousand dollars e.
& short time before midnight storm blew
over the sky, the moon became obseured
with murkY clouds, rain began to patter Oh
the hurricane deck, and the ladies retirei
below The race was almost run TIL
boats Hete opposite The mouth Of the Illinois
IL r was only twenty miles to St. Louis, anG
neither rival had yes gained any perceiTabl'
advantage.
Then the captain Of the Fairy Queen ven
tured ID desperate e1Pedient He order
/ "a barrels Of oil and turpentlne to be broker
opeu aud used to feed the fires. The strata
ge4m succeeded The newand beautiful boa
Shot ahead Of the Henry Clay and soon lef