The Planters' banner. [volume] (Franklin, Attakapas Co., Lou.) 1849-1872, 1851-01-23

l
| had been married a year when she
gave me alittle daughter; it was borr
just before the commencement of the
season." as it is called, and as soon a:
the mother was able she rushed int
scenes of festiyity. now determined
by force to put an endforever to course
of conduct to which had so great an
objection. One day [ heard she was
going to a masquerade in the evening
sort of amusement to which l had a
particular dislike, and accordingly !
took the opportunity to announce the
determination | had come to, and as an
earnest of my sincerity, ] forbade her
positively to go to the masquerade
She redeemed with anger and said
"Though you are my husband, You
have no right to domineer over me. as
you do. You have never treated me
as wife, and will not submit to it."
Oh, Anne would that had then, as
ought to have done, taken her to my
heart, and said, "Let us begin anew in
mutual concession, and endeavor to
please each otherw But set her no
example, as belonged to my superior
years and understanding, as well as to
my situation in the superior relation,
and I sharply answered.
You shall submit-to this masquer-
ade you do not 60"
:" | WILL" she replied.
I reiterated, "But you shall not. |
will prevent you, even if it's necessa-
ry to lock you in your room'
She had before been red-she now
became white with rage; her eyes
flashed fire, and her whole frame trem-
bIed.
"Tyrantps she said, 9 unsay your
words, or shall make you repent
them!n
Il have said it, answered, and i'm
mediately left the room.
1t was the last time saw Cecilia as
my wife; she quilted me that after
noon!
Here Mr.. Bolton stopped His coun-
tenance was momentarily conrulsed !;
but with an evidently resolute exertion
of self-command, he resumed the thread
Of his narrative, speaking, however, in
the harsh, dissonant voice which Anne
discovered indicated a wish to conceal
his feelings.
Two days after her flight the child
was taken i'll. never left its crib for
thirty-six hours-it died in my arms,
and as witnessed its last feeble strug-
giles bitterness passed into my soul
which has never left it till now. be-
lieyed that the death of my babe was
owing to its desertiOn BY its mother.
My subsequent intercourse with
yourself and Frank. of whom at first
thought SO uncharitably, increased the
fervent love and admiration / enter
tanned fer you, while it gavesme new
views of life and duty. Then it was
that learned to suspect the worth of
those principles on which l had hither-
to acted, and by degrees was brought
to perceive the full extent of my guilt
towards the poor, lost Cecilia-lost
through my bitter severity, my culpa-
Bile neglect, and my selfish tyranny
Remorse now took possession of me,
and day by day it became more unbear-
able. Nothing gave me any relief but
the idea of finding her. and saving her
from the life of degradation and misery
to which doubted not she was now re-
duced. | was determined to discover
her, and would gladly have spent my
whole income IN the endeavor. I now
tried to trace her career and employed
agents in every likely quarter. At last
| obtained the desired information. She
had sought refuge IN an asylum, in
Brussels, for creatures such ass she had
become, and was said to be dying, and
in great suffering. This happened at
the time you were attending your uncle
in Lorlington. My conscience now
seemed imperatively to call upon me to
go to this wretched, guilty, forsaken,
suffering creature, and assist to bind up
the wounds had helped to infict. At
this time believed had made some
progress in your esteem occasionally,
even the possibility of being able to
create in your heart softer feeling,
would draw upon my hopes and yet
at this very crisis, duty called upoh No
to quit you. think you saw the vio-
lent struggle of which I was the SUBJ
Iect but the idea that if | stayed I
should be unworthy of you, helped to
make my decision easier, and | went
found her living, and was introduced
into the apartment, where she lay on
poor but clean bed She was fearfully
changed from the beautiful creature |
had last beheld her. Her face was
ghastly pale, her cheeks hollow, her
eyes sunken, yet wild, and her hair,
once so dark, and glossy, and beauti-
fully kept, was matted and prematurely
grey, and hung in disordered locks over
her countenance Her expression was
impatient, and hopeless; she
seemed in great bodily pain, and huge
drops of suffering rolled down her pal
lid face. And this was Cecilia, once so
beautiful, once so beloved, the wife of
my bosom, fallen thus, and through me!
Resolutely as ] had nerved myself, |
believe / uttered a slight exclamation
If horror. She had not looked at me till |
hen Suddenly, she sat up in her bed,
started at me in Wild alright and
h ~ okod-