The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1853-01-01
From a Foreign Journal.
A & 4 VI BLER'S END,

"'" N"I VIZ cApldln the cOnlmOneSt incidents
OF our every day life? Yet as there is an
unearthly stiffness Immediately preceding the
furious rush of the hurricane, as momentarv
palsy, trightiul from its ndistinctivcncss, ap-
pears to peryadc nature on the eve of an
earthquake, so may the shadow of his uplittcd
arm be seen athwart the sky, ere the
Avengcr has dealt the blow which is to pros
trate us in the dust An icy chill crept over
me, dull toreboding of evil came upon me As
walked up the steps of IIillingdon's we'll
known residence, long before | discovered
that the shutters We're closed. and that the
house bcre that solemn mysterious air, which.
we cannot tell why, is in>eparablc from the.
abode of death. \ glance at the pale face
Of the servant who answered the door.a ha>tv
inquiry for Captain IIilIing,lons own man,
and staggered into chair in the hall with
the whole truth indelibly and uncrrinrly I'M
pressed on ms brain. 1t was necitess 10 cx-
plaIn-l required no hc>itating svmpathzcr
to break to me, forsooth. the gha>tlv reality
i knew 1t before | was IIilIin",lun
had shot himself that very morni... stranc,
as 1t may appear. it was more difficult to re-
alIze the truth of the awful tilnc>. when the
old and faithful servant himself bowed down
and PROSTATE with horror and conSternatiop.
Stammcred out the particulars into nv ear.
then in that first moment of consciousness.
when without the aid of any outward! voice |
knew the frightful truth There. in his own.
>Itting-rOom. his hat and gloves on the table.
the vcrr cigar case had given him. living
ready for use-t seemed impossible, Evrrv-
thin" hctokrncd life and lifn'S cniovmcnt> ;
the colorS were scarcely dry upon his easel :
and those very flowers which he had himself
disposed in their vase. with his womanly an
probation of evervthin" that was lovely, those
flowers were blooming fragrant as ever, and
could he, the master, be living upstairs with
cloth over his head, a mutilatcd corpse =
And such All ending. TO die bv his own
hand dared not pursue the train of nv
thoughts any further, aud it was almost re-
lct to sit and listen Ia the poor old dome>tic'S
broken narrative of the events which had led
/ to the fatal conclusion we could even now
scarcely bring ourselves to believe. One
thing remarked, and one thing only. which
might lead me TO suppose that change had
come over the habits of my friend Occupy
ing prominent situation in his sittng-room,
a portrait hung which ever since had known
him was carefully vcilcd bv black curtain.
Not one of his friends had ever seen the
painting, and the suppo,ition that it was a
likeness OF the unfortunate Austrian lady to
whom in early life he had been attached, WAS
sufficient to check all curious remarks or Ill
timed illusions, as regarded subject on which
he himself preserved an unbroken silence
The curtain was now removed. and as sat
opposite the picture, listening to the dreadful
details of her lovers death, could not keep
my eyes from dwelling on the gentle features
o. her who had exercised such baneful in
fiuence on my poor friend. She was por-
trayed as fair, high-born looking Girl, of
some nineteen summers, but what was most
striking IN the cOuntenancc was that caocr.
hI%h-souled, and yet suffering expression.
which gave such interest to poor IIilingdon's
own tea'ures-that unearthly look which
those who are doomed to an early death seem
to bear on their foreheadS, as the prcmonito-
ry seal OF the dcs'royer-a spirit beauty which
the spirit claims to wear here in consideration
otlts premature release, and this was as mani
fest on the lovely portrait of his youthful
bride as | knew it to be on that glorious coun-
tenance which was lying us-stairs fixed and
cold in death
Let me draw veil over the scene that fol-
lowed. over the servants lamentations and
my own unbearable grief. saw him-I saw
the well-hGoved face, the admired form-and
| shuddercl to think Of the state in which |
saw thcm' Days elapsed ere | could bring
myself to make the necessary arrangements
which, as his intimate friend. devoIyed unon
myself. and into the details of which it was
loathsome to see how Mammon crept, even
into the chamber of death. 1t is sufficient to
say that from the accounts of his servants.and
the examination Of his papers, which became
necessary, / gathered clearly that my poor
friend had been decidedly and undoubtedly
insane for some time previous to the fatal act
and this was all the consolation, since conSo-
latlon unquestlonably it was, for the loss of
the brightest, true't, kindlicst spirit that ever
chated withlnltS tenement of clay.
T And it was Play that had brought the en-
thusiaSt to his selt-selected grave. Play: first
the seductive pastime, then the invincible
habit, lastly, the dcspotic intatuation, from
which there is no escape. Deeper and deep
er had Hillingdon been drawn into the whirI-