The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-01-31
WHOLE NO.. l6l.


to her ear and whispering in a low and love-tuned
voice, stood Willis Lindsay. How he sped in his
wooing it was impossible to tell from the habitu-
ally subdued and quiet manner of Louise.
The life, the sting of jealousy, is its uncertainty
Where there is assurance one way or the other the
passion may become love and JOY, or it may become
depair revenge, but it ceases to be j.olOp,y How
dissimlar, in unlike natures, are the manifestations
of passion and emotion. How various, in differ
ent subjects, is the pathology Of jealousy. In the
bosom of Louis Stuart Gordon, its rise was slow.
sorrOwful, rather than sndden or angry dspos-
ing him to selfimmolation rather than to ven
geance.
"lf Louise my dai ing Louise, falls away from
the affection of her infancy and childhood Of all
her young liie-if she has ceased to love me. and
has given her heart 10 this happier cousin Of
hers-why then--what then Shall | dim her
Joy witH-vas kmvisige OF my sudtffhgs7 no
Louise That may be demon love, hut il is not
angel love-it is not even human love No,
l.apise would not cast the shadow of another
cioud upon that young hrow--too overcast al
ready. No, darling Louise he happy-and God
give me some other way OF contributing to her
happiness. ! will even enrich that poor young
cousin, if his poverty stand in the way of your
union, Louise ! will be the unseen providence
Of your happiness, Louise aud then 49, and
then "a doH hf, God oh God a short hfs,n
So saying, Louis Stuart Gordon, with the
thought Of the happiness Of one being absorbing
his mind went straight TO make the misery of
another
There are more mistakes made, more sins com
mitted, more wrongs done, ny mere Houehilsss-
ness, than by all the evil propensitiss and magn
passions put together.
There was in the soft seeming form, serene
countenance, and quiet tone of Miss Somervlle
a mesmerizing influence that possessed the power
&C coruco~iox the most t~~h'-i-At emotions Of the
most disqueted souls that approached her ! be-
Gepe sAe~aS-&' -, - - sud es, aaSS Saimr
n maniac How healhful was her influence upon
| the morhidly excitable temperament of Louis
Suart-Gordon; hut oh at what fearful
price she impaired it When the diseased wo-
man touched the hem of the Sayiour's gar
ment, Christ felt "virue dpart FROM him
The health that healed the sick the strength that
raised the feeble, G'p0,ftd from the Saviour-and
| how i'll and weak il left him in Gethsomane! How
| i'll arr weak, until angels minisered unto him
! strengthening hint IL is not irreverent to say
that the life of the humbest disciple has its type
in the life Of Christ
Grief for the loss of his mother separation from
Louise, snaUi, tsdhm rita, the sickness of Adde'S
cence, the maturing and the disquet of energies
that had not yet found their proper direction. the
youthful want of love rather than love itself
these were the mixed motives that first drove
Louis 10 seek solace in the company OF Susan
Somerville-lttle dreaming that, while he was
gaiHng from her. health, strength, and cheerful
| ness, that she WAS losing the same To him Her
soft manners were so soothing to him, how cop6
he deem that the peace that was falling upon has
spirits WAS departing from hers? That, in ben
citing him, she growing 10 love him; that
in loving him, she was losing her old tranquility,
her independence aye, for a while the very power
of guiding her own life And 80, day after day,
thoSghflessly he had visited her, sat by her side
read, conversed with her. until his society became
| habit, a necessity TO her, in proportion his
returning cheerfulpess rendered hers needless to
him. Now, at Mont Crystal, he sought again the
society of Susan Somervillc balm for the deep
wounds his heart had received in the supposed
detection of Louise; and he met again the same
sweet welcome, the same gentle Chances and soft
tones that ever fell, like cooling dew, upon the
| fever of his spirits.
And Suan--how Jared il with here Calm
| cool and wise in all other Affairs, in fhts she was
| but too blind. She had suffered her heart not
head to interpret the meaning of Lous's constant
yisits-his long tarrying-his earnest glances-
| and his breathess listening for her words--and
even as Zoe had received the silent manifestations
of her lovers regard in all confidence, so Susan
accepted the tact friendship of Louis translating
il - lore and If she lost her serenity, and grew
hurried and agitated, II was, yet rather with
hope than with fear.
Ii was under these circumstances that, upon one
morning about week after their arrival M Mont
Crystal Louis sought the eide of Susan Somer-
vile The family had not yet assembled to break
fast, and she the sole occupant of the drawing
room. She was seated upon that crimson sofa at
the extremity of the saloon. Louis entered, slow
ly saunterng towards her, and took the seat by
her side, dropped his head upon his open palms,
and murmured-
Susan, dear Susan"
Louisn
That was all she said, but the round full, me-
odious tone in which that single word was
breathed might have stilled the tumult Of a
tempest.
"Susan, ! have need Of thee have need Of
thy affection give 1t me, Susan. Here lay one
cool hand on my brow, the other on my heart
no. Susan, ! have neither mother, sister, nor
love; and ! do need some romdns affection so
much-give me yours, Susan"
"You have my best love you shall have my
best efforts TO promote your happiness, dear
Louis
"Tbank you, my dearest siser--thank you,
Susan. Alas, Susan, You will despise me ] am
growing sentimental mnudlin, mawkish ! am
secret OF your cheeriuness-of the cheerfuness
of all the people see around me. How is il
that they live without q great love, Susan
How do they ell mp their hearts Why cannot
do 10 islt for the want OF good mother wit,
good strong common sense, Susan, that moan my
heart out because u young, pale frail, trembling
girl does not return my iovel Tell me, Susan"
Susan Somervlle had been startled by the
commencement of his last speech, had grown pale
II nj n,nlu az all lied
ia n sinking voice
4" do not ut all understand you, dear Louisp
"Ab, my sister Susan love md adore Louise
Armstrong while she has given her heart to an
other; pity me, Susan
81 do, I do indeed,r murmured Susan, in dying
tone. "But pity You because you are blind
she does moi love any one except her mother"
Are you sure of what you say, Susan ~
Every sure of 1t, Louis And now must bid
you good morning.
And 80 saying, the girl arose and left the room.
Meeting a servant, she requested him to have
Major Somerville,s horses saddled and brought
around.
Susan Somerville passed on up the stairs, her
smooth white cheeks a shade paler her quiet step
a degree slower, her calm voice a tone lower
these were all the signs the most acute observer
could have discovered Of the darkness GOODNESS,
desolation that had fallen upon the poor girls
life | know that this word "desolationp Is
strong--is backneyed. Yet let the reader re-
member that first disappointment in the afec-
tons falls upon the young heart like the knell
Of a doom more terrible than the death Of the
body-a spiritual annihilation. To them the de-
struc,ion Of their love hopes is indeed despair
"desolationp They have seen the sun set for the
6,s time, and have no experience to teach them
that II will rise ngain They have seen vegeta-
ton blighted by fra Goa-rivers and brook
let's frozen by fra winter, and they have no
knowledge that flowers will bloom and waters
flow in second spring. An no the darkness