New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1852-04-06

Clarica left the room, looking ss though she
were in high fever, and Bertha very adrotly
chF nged the conversation She said many Ell
| g nting things hut Ra vntonl seemed thought
fl and absent. and soon after took his leave;
NJ however, until Bertha made him promise to
call the next morning and walk to church with
| her
''Rnth, my child, / do not feel we'll enough to
leave the house fhis morning You will have
/ to go 20 church tthnut mo -f
| mad thought To 90 to oar old church this
| morning. dear mot ier | have not heen there
since we moved here, so far out Of the way
Is 1t not too great distance for you to
| walk my dear child p
ssI think not. dear mother. I'D ...r
! Ruth had dressed herself with uncem-pop
care that morning. although she would not have
! acknowledged even to herself the reason As
she neared the church, she felt as though she
| were almost guilty of some wrone--as thouoh
| she had deceived her kind, good mother in not
confessing her real motive fer not going to the
| place of worship they were Of late attending.
A soft blush stole over her sweet face as she
confessed to herself that there could he no harm
N Wishing to see him once more, just once more,
| 20 see If the last year and half had changed
| mis- looks any. @Fr n
The church was situated in the most fashion.
aoie part Of the city. and the most fashionable
people oil the city attended it, For in RELIGION
Or i's outward manifestation, as in all things
else, there Is the same spirit of exclusivenaes
atstrlves to edeor to the yule.r rn,se
| ana a4nlt only those who POSSESS the ynldan
! KEY to Its entrance. The MANY familiar f,oaa
winch she haa not seen until naw for ueerfv
a year, hlled Ruth's heart with sadness as she
softly stole up the side aisle, and quietly seated
herself in one of the wall news
| There, in the broad aisle. near the ru1n;. ,,oa
her own well-remembered pew now ocenn;ed
by strangers, and, near it, that Of her amt
Wlnslows, vevet-lined and veIvet-cushioned
No one was in it but Bertha and --neu the hot
blood poured from her heart and burned unon
| her pale cheeks when she saw once u,ore his
handsome face She averted her own instantly.
ana, Tor FEW moments, she thought she was
going to faint; but tears came into her eyes,
| and she turned herself to the wall and po,Ired
her heart out in bitter. silent tears.
She thought of the difference that no,c was
oetWeen them, and rnagnifed the difference un-
| tii u seemed to her that he must spurn her as
| the dust under his feet She had meyer felt nm
til now her position so degraded. nor her employ
meht 50 mean feeling of independence, and
tne strong desire to make her mother conlforta-
| Die, had hitherto supported her. But now she
| almost hated herself for having undertaken
anything that severed herself so utterly from
| the LIE to which she had been accustomed
ihen the strange, unnatural state of society,
and its self-imposed laws, rose to her mind A
panorama of her former numerous acauain-
tances, who had been hand in glove with her,
put VINO now, when she met them in the street
| either pretended not to see her, or unfeelinely
cut her, arose before her, until, to her dizzy
| mlnd, 1t seemed as though she were rcflly less
worthy OF esteem since she had undert; zen tha t
hateful employment. She thought of her weary.
toiling days, days of toll that often extended
deep into the night. and she felt that she and
her mother had better accepted the invitation of
boy1 1rn1n nh lorI i
she was now doing. Such loathinp for that
weary, weary toll, and its endless privations,
came over her. as made her heart sick and sink
within her .,a tFA
The services of the church went on, meantime,
and Ruth alone, and in her sorrow, seemed to
read the hearts Of those present. And very few
were there who were sincere in the prayers cir
lips uttered. The responses of most of those
gaily dressed worshipers Of Mammon were spo-
ken with ready lip, but with thoughtless
heart and wandering eye
| Ruth felt sickened to the very soul with the
thoughts that crowded through her mind: and
then that such thoughts, to the exclusion of
those more suited to the place and day, had
taken possession of her, filed her with the keen
J est remorse. With strong effort she banishel
: them from her mind, and with devout and
penitent heart, she followed the remainder OF
the service, not once daring to trust her ewes
L in the direction of her cousin and Lincoln Raw
mond. Dse4
l In the church-yard, just as she was going out
4 OF the gate, voice close behind her, that made
t her very soul stand STILL remarked
So Do you know, Miss Winslow that lust now
as we left the church-yard, caught a glimpse
of face so like Ruth Lees that it seemed tc
belong to her very self l have been looking
IN vain for the same face under every bonnet
around ever since
&c Resemblances are very common said the
, voice of her cousin Bertha. ss But it could not
| Of course, have been Ruth Lee, unless they have
/ carried balloon making in Iowa to greater
degree of perfection than they have with us
Ruth heard, in a dream, and glided on,
reaching her home at last, worn out both il,
mind and body
f 'sMy darling Ruth, what is it: You are as
pale as your own white dress, and you trelnble
like "a frightened bird. What has disturbed my
precious child p
Ruth threw herself on her mothers bosom
{; and gave way to her feelings in food of tears
0 She had restrained herself so long that now the
2 sympathizing voice of her mother unlocked the
tear-gates OF her heart
sob, mother, 1 know am weak and wrong
but, when | am able will tell you what trou
| bles me-
: ':My dear child,'' said Mrs. Lee when Ruth
had made clean breast, and told all that op-
pressed her heart, all she had thought and tel
that day. my dear child, have patience; al
will yet be right and we'll; evil may prosper to
Il time, but truth must prevail, goodness mus
meet its own reward. You can see what is th
j, design Of your cousin. Bertha, but she will out
: wit herself. 1t would be too great wrong tha
one so artful and truthless as she should be th
wife of one so pure and noble minded as Lincol
r Raymond
6 But, mother-'
It NOW your good heart is seeking to excus
! her. can read it in your face Well, it i
= better so. Charity comes from God and, o
all Gods precious gifts, it is the one least il
= use.''
e Day after day passed on, and Bertha Wins
low laid her snares more and more closel
: around her victim until, blinded by their arti
ID fetal glittcr he seemed ready to fall into thei
S. artful meshes. Her eyes were very bright, an,
II the most dazzling red burned upon her cheeks
her voice was very soft. and the touch of he
OF hand, as it met his, vibrated through every tibr
IS of his being so full of electricity was it for
L oh! she loved him with all the intensity AM
fire of her nature 1t might have been WE'LL
S might have been, if he would, by little and little
IL have influenced her naturally noble spirit bac
h to its original simplicity and truth; butt thoug
young in years, she had grown so old in ti
id ways of the world that she would have bee
E. more likely to influence him, through an unhol