Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1851-12-12
The Thrce Driaes-A ThIilling story.

little struggling fence in front, and few stuned apple
trees the ascent behind it. 1t sadly out of repair
now, and the garden is now overgrown With weeds
and bramhles, and the whole place has desolae ap
peaance # the winds were high now you might hear
their crazy shutters Tapping against the sides, and the
wind tearing the gray shingles OF the roof. Many
years ago there lived in that house an old man. who
cultivated the few acres of ground that belonged 10 it.
9" The father sef-taught man, deeply versed in
the mysteries of science, and as he could tell the name
of every flower that blossomed in the wood, or grew
in the garden and used TO sit up late at night at his
books. or reading the mystic story OF the starry heaV
ems, men thought he was craZed or bewiched, and
avoided him as the ignorant shun the gifted and
the enlightened A few there were. and among others,
the minister, the lawyer and the physician OF the
place. who showed Willingness 10 afford him counte-
nance, but they dropped his acquaintance. for
they found the old man somewhat eserv ed and moose,
and moreover their vanity was wounded on discover
ing the extent of his knowledge.
To the minister he would quote the fathers and the
scriptures in the original tongue, and showed himself
well armed with the weapons of polemlc controversy
He asohished the lawyer with bis profound acquaint-
ance with jurisprudence; and the physician was sur
prsed at the extent of bis medical knowledge. So all
of them deserted him, and the minister from whom be
differed in lrifng point of doctrine, spoke very
lightly OF him and by and by looked on the self edu-
Gated farmer with eyes of aversion.
&C He instructed his in all his lore: the languages
literature, history, philosophy and science. were IN
folded one by one, 10 the enthusiastic son Of the SOL
lary.
stYears rolled away, and the old man died. He died
when storm convused the face of nature; when the
wind howled around the sheltered dwelling, and the
lightning played above the roof, and though he went
to heaven in faith and purity, the vulgar thought and
said that the Evil One had claimed his in the ele-
ments. cannot paint 10 you the grief of the son at
this bereavement He was for moment ONCE distract
, ed The minister came and mnttered few hollow
praises in his ear, and few neighbors, impelled By
curiosity 10 see the interior of his dwelling, came to
Lib lofty InNz no
stood above the dust and the dead in the midst of the
band of hypocrca mourners with pang al his heart
but serenity upon his brow. He thanked his friends
for their kindness, acknowledged their courtesy, and
then strobe away from the grave, to bury his grief In
the privacy of the deserted dwelling.
He found at last the solitude of the mansion al
most insupporabe, and he paced the ebony floor from
morning till night in all the agony of and desoIa
ton, vanly importunng heaven for relief 1t came to
him in the guse of poetic inspiration. He wrote with
= wonderful ease and power. Page after page came
from his prolific pen, almost without an effort; and
there was time when he dreamed (vain fooD of i'm
mortality. Some Of his productions came before the
world They praised and circulated, and inqul-
ries set foot in the hope of discovering the author
Ile wrapped in the veil of impenetrabe obscnrity, lis
tened to the voice of applause, delicious because
it was obtained by stealth. From the obscurty OF
yonder lone mansion, and from this region to send lays
y which astonshed the world, was indeed triumph 10
the visionary bard.
His thirst for fame had been gratifed, and he now
began to yearn for the companlonshp of some sweet
being of the softer to share with him the laurels
~ he had won and to whisper consolation in his ear in
the moments of dependency, and to supply the void
which the death of father had oc"asioned. He would
" picture himself the felicity of refined intercourse
y with highly intellectual and beautiful woman, and
- as he had chosen for his motto, whatever has beer
done NAV be done he did not despair of success.
In this village lived three sisters all beautiful anG
n accomplished Their were Mary, Adelaide
e and Madeline | am far enough past the age OF en-
: thusiasm but can forget the beauty of those
s young giIls. Mary the youngest, and fairer
haired, laughing damsel, never danced upon The
green. Adelaide, who few years older, wa:
zr dark haired and pensve but of the three, Madeline
t. the eldest, possessed the most fire, spirit, cultivation
and intellectually. Their father, of taste, AM
education, and being somewhat above the vulgar pre-
udices permitted the visits of the hero of my story
!, Still he did not encourage the affection he found spring
N ing up between Mary and the poet. When, however
h he found that her affections engaged, he did no
it withhold his consent from their marriage, and the re
D. cluse bore TO his the young bride of his al
fections Oh, sir, the house assumed a new appear
ance within and without.
e Roses bloomed in the garden, iessamines peepe
through the attices, and the fields about it smiled wit
> the effects of careful cultivation Lights were seen
a. the little paror in the evening and many time woul
the passer by pause by the garden gate to listen
= strains of the sweetest music breahed by coral voice
" from the cottage If the mysterious student and hi
wife had been neglected by the neghbors, what care
- - they? Their enduring mutual affection made thel
i'll home little Paradise But death came 10 Eden
Mary suddenly fell sick, and after few hours Hines:
died in the arms of her husband and her sister Made
: line This the students second heavy attilchor
IL "Days, months rolled on, and the solace of the be
80 eaved sit with the sisters of the deceased an
of talk of the lost one To Adelaide he offered his vic
VI owed heart. The bridal not of revelry an
mirth. Yet they lived happily, and the rose agai
blossomed in the garden But it seemed as II taaIt
pursued this singular man. When the rose witheret
les and the leaf fell. in the mellow autumn of the yea
Adelaide sickeEed and died like her sister, IN til
on arms of her husband and Madeline.
Perhaps you will think it strange, young man, tn;
after ALL the wreched survivor stood again at the alta
= Madeline | well remember her. She was beaut
in in the true sense of the wordshe might have sat u
as on throne, and the most loyal subject the proude
Peer would have sworn the blood in her veins d.
bo scended from hundred kings She loved the widow
70 ed for his power and his fame and she welded him
ro "They were married in that church-it was
M summer aernoon-I recollect it we'll During the c.
- remony the blacklist cloud ever overspread II
or heavens, and the moment this bride pronounced h
= VOW clap of thunder shook the building TO is centr
he All the females shreked but the bride herself mac
nj the response with steady voice, and her eye gste
he ed with wild fire she gazed upon her bridegroom
he When arrived his house, she sunk upon the hres
At, od but this was the timidty of the maiden.
ted "When they were alone, he clasped her hand al
~ it was cold as ice He looked into her face Mad
tn line' said he, what means this! Your cheek is
inf pale as your wedding gown. The bride uttered
he frantic shrek. My wedding gown : exclaimed sh
re no, no this is my sisters shroud The hour
confession has arrived. 1t is God that impes me
:, speak. To win you lost my own soul. Yes, yes
me | am murderess! She smiled me in the joyo'
E hsr4 bof