Hannibal journal and western union. (Hannibal, Mo.) 1851-1852, 1851-12-25


'"AND so, Ella, you think it is impossible
that there can be any romance in second mar
riage?" And the speaker, fair and gentle
looking woman, no longer young but with a
'countehance whose placid beauty Time could
not destroy, looked pleasantly into the bright
eyes of the lovely girl who sat on low ottoman
beside her.
"Not one particle Of romance, Aunt Hetty,
either in the marriage ITSELF or in the hearts Of
those who contract it. All freshness of feeling
must be gone before such thing can be thought
tbf, and / believe a second marriage is always a
tihere matter either of calculation or convent
ehce'
'sBut even allowing the unfortunate individual
whb n second time enters into the married state,
to have lost his freshness Of feeling, and to be
incapable Of loving again with all the ardor Of
his first love, may he The twice louedl And
may there not be as much rom, }ntic devotion TO
him in the heart Of his second p artner as in the
frst?'
''impossible, Aunt! A heart re, lulres a heart,
nor will be satisfied with less than what it gives
He would have only the shadow of love to offer,
and therefore could not receive the ubstance IN
return"
''And so poor Sidney, rich handson 1e, accom-
-piished, as You own him to be, has bee re- eeted
simply because he has loved before? 1t is hard,
indeed, if he must pass the rest OF his Life alone,
because he had the misfortune to lose the object
Of his first choice, to whom he was united when
little more than boy Dying, as she did, in
less than mouth from their marriage, that early
attachment must seem to him more like pleas
ant dream than reality"
''It is dream to which he still clings most
fondiy, aunt. have seen him show far more
emotion when speaking of his dead wife, than
he ever did in expressing his love for me-"
"And that emotion, Ella, should have taught
Sou how deeply he can love, and the worth of
the heart YOU have thrown away. fear you may
live to repent this foolish fancy"
H .Neyer, never, aunt l could not love Mr.
Sidney; and would sooner die than marry one
/ did not love. Irespect and steem HIM; but l
will never accept divided heart-dne9 iilled
with the memory of former affection shali
never lave but once, and if | cannot receive IN
return the freshness Of first and only devotion,
will do as YOU have done, and remain single
awe Shall see" replied her aunt, smiling,
,bouoh half sadly. "You know but little OF
life Vet, Ella; ], for one shall not be surprised
if after all this romance you commence ihe
reaIities of life by uniting yourself to a widow
sr rrth half a dozen Of children, not half so at
tractive or interesting as George Sidney"
"Annt Hetty!" commenced thegirl indignant
IL. hut she really loved her aunt dearly, and
meeting her now playful smile' the angry huSh %
upon ier cheek subsidized, AID, tossif'S ts as'sis
back from her fair brow, she cCnclnde1 heT con-
= versation with, c''You are too bad aunt; VIII
oo and talk to Fido; / really believe he has more
sentiment than you." And she was soon bound,
ing throughthe garden with her favorite SPanlei
byher side. o., ,,n,,
U Ella Mason was the eldest daughter OF wealthy
. and indulgent parents. Lovely and interesting
though not strikingly beautiful she had many
friends, and as yet knew nothing Of the realities
of life. The pride Of her parents, and OF the
aunt who had superinteldedi her education ana
the idol Of her younger brothers and sisters, she
had gliled through the worldfor eighteen years,
sheltered from lis trials, with no wish ungrati-
fed, no fancy crossed. saitors had g1asherod
round; but she was still Sin maiden meditation,
Clancy tree" George Sidney, whose oherandre-
lection gave rise to the conversation with which
our tale begins, was the only one whose atten'