The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-03-28

to think it Of SO little importance-that his fear
had been set at rest and, indeed, his self-respec
had prevented him from expressing to Britannia
an uneasiness for which at heart he condemue,
himself. He had even grown to think that th
notice might possibly have reference to some on
else
Upon the second week after the family quarrel
one evening, as soon as Louise had weeping, lef
the oak parlor, and as soon as Louis had, sympa
thizing, followed her, General Stuart ordor
putting on his dressing-gown and slippers, an
sinking into his easy -chair began to make himsel
comfortable by stretching out his feet and restin
them upon the fre-irons, and drawing his candle
stand laden with papers to his side. He ha'
scarcely commenced reading, when Apollo rod
up to the door, and, jumping from his horse, en-
tered the room Vita The o g., .----.l.
"Give them to me, here, Apollo!" said tn
General, dropping his paper and Apollo, undraw
ing the strings Of the bag and taking hold of tn
bottom by the corners shook the letters out
There were letters from exporting grain and to
bacco merchants of Baltimore and New York
there were political letters and there was one tina
was Immediately torn open and read. 1t bore thu
Washington post-mark. Ii was from James Fro
bisher, Esquire, Secretary of the British En-
bassy from the Court of ST. james, to Washing
ton. 1t ran thus:
WAsHNGToN april 80, IS.
To General Stuart Gordon:
SIR Yours of the Goth April is at hand. Tn,
advertisement of the heirs of Riley O'Riley il
the Intellgencer of the 10th April, to which
your letter alludes relates TO the following facts
viz:
INyce Riley O'Riley, last Earl of Cloupaach
nois, died at Castle Clonmachnois, near Athlone
4 >.+-ts Of Westmeath, lnelspj, on the pa e. las
February, aged ninety years. He died interstate
and without heirs unless the daughter of the late
Riley O'Riley, the youngest son of the Eirl's
fourth son, can be found
If this young lady lives in the person of Miss
Britannia O'Riley, and can prove her identity
she is sole heress to the late Esrs titles and es.
tates, and Countess of Clonmachnois in her own
right | shall do myself the honor of waiting
upon you, in relation to this subject in the course
of the week.
Sir, yours, most respectfully,
JAMES FRoBIsHER.
The letter dropped from the hands of General
Stuart Gordon, and a mortal GOODNESS and weak
ness seized his frame his heart sunk.
"This is blow Just Heaven this is
blow Within three days of my marriage, too y
And he arose and walked up and down the
floor, with his hands clasped behind his back
and his head bowed upon his BOSOM as was his
custom when troubled.
"Well! well! well well this is severe ! this
is heavy She will no longer have reason for
marrying man old enough to be her father
and yet | would have made her happy feel
that should have done SO But it is over, il is
over, this last, last dream Countess of Clon-
macintosh Oh, Brightly, after all, will you ever
meet with one who will cherish you tenderly as !
have done "
General Stuart Gordon did not 20 to bed that
night Early the next morning, without saying
one word upon the subject to any member of his
family, he took pen, ink, and paper and wrote the
following note to Britannia;
ISLE OF RAYS, May |.
DEAREST BRITANNIA: Let your most earnest
and sincere friend be the first to wish you joy in
your dawn Of fortune. have just resolved let
ter from the Secretary of Legation, and am
pleased to be the first to announce to you the brill
liant change that awaits you-to be the first to
address you by your new title.
There that is as far as can go, and as much
as can do, Britannia. ! cannot offer you my
congratulations in person have no strength to
do So am stricken, Brightly am stricken
Like the slave in the Brazilian mines, have
found diamond Of the first water, only to see it
snatched from me, and set in a coronet.
When found young, beautiful, accomplished
and amiable girl, alone and unprotected, girl OF
elegant manners and refined tastes exposed to all
the evils of an unsettled life had thought to take
that girl to my bosom, and, by chershing her
tenderly, to have made her happy and won her
affections
But all this is changed now The Countess Of
Clonmachnois has a splendid destiny before her
The diamond will blaze all the more brilliantly
when set in the coronet; Britannia will lend lus-
tire even to the high rank she will reach.
Brighty-for to me you are Brightly, and no
countess-Brighty, then, in three days more we
were to have been married know the strict in
tegrity of your heart, and know that you would
have kept your engagement under all circum-
stances, but release you fully and freely from
it. wish you joy. God bless you my dear
Brightly
| enclose you the letter of the Secretary OF
Leg ltiou. There will be no difficulty in proving
your identity and need not say, dearest Britain
MIA, that am at your command always, to render
any service in my power.
Your friend, as ever,
CARTwRIGHT STUART-GoRpoN.
He folded, sealed, and directed this letter, and
calling Apollo, babe him saddle horse, and take
il. to the Crags.
Louise kept her room with nervous headache
all that day. Two weeks of crying had complete
ly exhausted the delicate girl
Louis came to breakfast, looking disturbed
General Stuart-GOrdon told him, grayey, to take
comfort That the evil fates would probably
be concliated by the sacrifice Of one member o
any one family, and that that member would prob
ably be himself. And, without explaining hi
meaning further, General Stuart-Gordon left th
oak parlor, and shut himself up alone in his libra
ry, trying to read a Hebrew dictionary, placed
upside down before him lie did not 20 down h
dinner.
Soon after dinner, Apollo Belvidere returned
from his errand to the Crags and raped at tn
door of the library
"Come in,o groaned the General
And Apollo came in, bowling and scraping, am
holding his hat in one hand and a little note II
the other.
"Did you find the young LADY,"
eyes, sirn
"Well how was she--how was the family ?"
"Miss O'Riley and Miss Somerville, cir, wer
WELL cir they a-sittin' at the table, sir, an'
old Major Somerville, sir, he was a-prophecyinl
of the Bible, sir.D
"Well, what is that you have in your hand
| letter ~
eyes, sir"
And, with ano her bow and scrape; Apollo ad
vanced and handed the note
II WAS a little three cornered- thing, an
directed in the hand Of Britannia. He opened
hastily, and read follows:
"Will General Stuart Gordon favor Britanni
O'Riley with an interview this evening :"
That was all
-" Saddle my horse quickly, Apollo, then com