The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-10-28

"DoOmedl" whispered instinctiyey draw
ing my arm closer around her neck, as if my
love could shield her from any evil; doomed,
Annie !"
eyes; seldom speak of it now, because it
troubles mamma but there is a tradition in the
family that water is fatal to us, and as quite a
number of the race have met their deaths by
drowning, and grandmamma herself had al
ready lost two little boys that way, it was very
natural, you know, for her to believe the old
saying"
"Yes, but what was the cause of the trad-
ton :"
The avarice and ambition of one of our
ancestors My fathers family are of Welsh
descent, and, some generations back, ELLIS will
| tell you Just how many, for she has been in
| the family ever since her birth, and is firm
believer in all these things y she said with
| smile, the family consisted of widow and
| two boys. They were but half brothers, for
the mother of the eldest had died at his birth.
| Edwin is said to have been weak, feeble child
from his birth; but Hepburn, the son of the
| second wife, was as strong and beautiful as a
young tiger, and quite rs fierce and ungovern-
able. They say that Hepburns mother was a
proud, hard-hearted woman that she never
loved poor Edwin, and after his fathers death
liked him still less, because most of the proper
| ty devolved upon him, and that Hepburn shared
in all her feelings. They 1attered themselves
he would not live to be a man /; but he did live,
and perhaps it was owing to the very unknd-
ness that drove him to spend the most of his
time in the open air. that when be was about
sixteen years old his health began to mend and
his eye to grow brighter and his cheek ruddy
like his brothers. Not far from the house was
"a rock-bound lake, upon which Edwin was
wont to spend most Of his hours in his boat.
One day. Hepburn appeared on the bank with
his gun, for he was great hunter, and called
to his brother to come and take him across the
lake. Edwin put about at once and taking
his brother in, they crossed to the opposite
shore together. This was the last that was ever
seen of poor Edwin. An old wood-cutter who was
at work in the forest on that side of the lake
had heard terrible cry as of some one in agony,
and, running to the cliffs, had seen nothing but
the boat of the poor boy half-flled with water,
near the rock where he must have landed his
brother.
"When Hepburn returned at nightfall, pale
and moody, and heard the old mans tale, he
grew terribly angry, and said it must have
been the cry of a bittern that the old dotard
had heard for he had heard nothing, and he
could not at that time, have been many rods
distant
"But Hepburn was seized with dreadful
fever that night and said such dreadful things
now raving about his brother, fancying he
stood on the rocks, and poor Edwin was stretch
ing out his arms to him, and crying for aid ;
now springng up and crying vehemently, that
he did not push him in he only tipped the
boat in fun as he sprung out; and muttering
that folks who could not swim should not go
in bOats-that his mother turned all the people
out of the room, and would allow no one to 60
in but herself and favorite servant But the
impression got abroad that Hepburn knew
more about his brothers death than he chose
to tell and when he recovered, the people all
looked codly upon him, and did not hesitate
to say that if Edwin had not been the heir, he
would not have died. So when Hepburn and
his youngest boy were drowned in that very
lake many years afterward, they looked upon
| it AS q judgment, and thence arose the tradi-
ton that water is our doom"
And do you believe this?" asked
"No - at least not always. But grand.
mamma believed it, and so does Ellis But pa
used to laugh at it, and call it an old woman 3
yarn and when grandmamma counted up how
many of our family had met their death by
water, he answered that they were most OF
them sailors, and died when sailors ought to
die, and as gravely pointed out how many OF
her own family, who were merchants, had died
in their beds. But since his death" she add
! cd, sadly, IL have thought more of it, and
mamma, who was wont to laugh at it. she too
has even come to believe it more firmly than
grandmamma did. And in consequence of
this, and some dream which she had about the
8. Io.k 1oc..
Shore and came here to live for she cannot
abide the sight of water"
"And does she really believe that you will
be drowned ~ | asked, with a wondering
glance to where Mrs. Morris stood, with her
great dark eyes fixed upon the rising moon.
81 fancy So but you need not look so grave"
she added more gaiy for don't know very
well how it can be- seeing there is no water about
here save yonder brook, which you call river,
and that is hardly deep enough to drown kit
ten; unless, indeed, should sometime have n
lover, and, fainting away at some scratch of a
needle, should be drowned in his tears as was
that unfortunate heroine of whom we read in
Blackwood the other day.
Gerald Rivers does not strike me as one of
the weeping sort, | answered, with mischiev-
Gus smile.
A deep blush, visible even by the moonlight,
witnessed the correctness of my aim, and rising
hastily, she said
Nonsense come, let us 20 in, and Ellis will
give us some Strawberries and milk, which
will be much better than these horrible old
tales
Gerald Rivers was the young gentleman who
had acted AZ Mrs. Morriss agent in arranging
matters about the house. He was q noble,
manly looking fellow, law student in the
neighboring city and he soon made his distant
cousinship pretext for quite frequent visits at
the old farmhouse. 1t was not long before ]
OWNED the real object of his visits, and, pleased
that my favorite should have such a stately
lover busted myself in making all sorts of "ar-
drawn pictures" Of their future. Mrs Morris
was less acute Buried in her own sorrowful
thoughts and memories. she did not seem to
notice the frequency of Gerald's visits nor the
attachment which every day deepened between
him and Annie, until the young mans earnest
and noble avowal of their love, and request that
she would sanction it by her approval, opened
her eyes.
He met with firm, almost stern, refusal
She assured him Of her respect OF her love
even, but said there were insuperable 0bjec-
tons to him as her daughters husband. But
no entreates could induce her to divulge these
reasons or change her decision and they at
last desisted, for the very mentioning OF the
subiect seemed torture to her, and all this while
that strange, mournfu look darkened her face,
until it became her habitual expression.
Thus |, who had hitherto lived in world of
dreams, found romance acting out under my
own eyes, in which was in some measure a
participant; for when Gerald returned TO his
studies, and this dark cloud shut down over
Anne's young life, had promised him to do
all could to tighten it for her, and afterwards
became the bearer of more than one message,
breathing of courage, tenderness, and hope,
from him to her--for Gerald Rivers was not
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