Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1853-12-01
Wine.
(COncluded.).

: act OF brutality" cried Wargravt
4 rousing himself 81 have a faint re
membrance Of knee ling aud implor
: ing, and offering the sacrifice of m,
life in atonement for such ingrati
. tude. But l have a very strong on
of the patient immobility which
from that moment, poor Mary as
spmed in my presen ce. She jestet
no more; she never laughed again. :
What worlds would | have given haC
she remonstrated-d defended hersel
resented the injury! But no! from
that fatal night, like the enchanted
princess in the sto ry, she became
converted into mari lie whenever hel
husband approached her. fancied
-so conscious ar the guilty
that she son netimes betrayed an ap.
prehension Of leaving our child in
the room alone wit b me. Perhaps
she thought me mad! She was right.
The brief insanity Inspired by wine
/ had alone caused me to raise my
hand against her.
! ''I knew the secret had been
kept from her brothers; for, if not,
fine manly fellows as they we're
nothing would induce them again
to sit at my board. But there was a
person whose interference between
me and my wife, dreaded more than
theirs-a brother of Sophy Caven-
dish, who had loved Mary from her
childhood, and wooed her, and been
dismissed shortly after her acquain-
tance with myself. That fellow, |
never could endure! Horace Caven-
dish was the reverse Nof his sister
grave, even to detection; cold and
digDifed in his demeapor; senten-
ti0us, taciturn and repulsive. Mary
had great opinion of him, although
she had preferred the vivacity of my
manner, and the impetuosity of my
character. But now that these quail
ties had been turned against herself,
might not a revulsion of feeling
cause her to regret her cousin? She
must have felt that Horace Caven-
dish would have invited an execu-
toner to hack his arm of, rather
than raise it against a woman! No
vocation would have caused him
to address her in those terms of in
suit in which, on more than one oc-
casion, | had INDUCED. | began to
hate him, for felt little in his pres
ence. l saw that be was my supe-
rior in temper and breeding: that
he would have made a happier wo-
man of my wife. Yet had no pre-
text for dismissing him from my
house. 9Ie could not but have seen
that he was odious to me; yet he
had not the delicacy to withdraw
from our society. Perhaps he
thought I was not TO be trusted with
the deposit of her happiness?"
"But surely" said I, "after what
had already occurred, you were care
full to refrain from the stimulants
which had betrayed you into an un-
worthy action?''
| fright; l was careful. Ny tenn
perance was that of an anchorite.-
On the pretext of health, l refrained
for many mepths from tasting wine.
became myself again. My broth
er- -in-law called me milksop! l cared
not what they called me. The cur
rent of my blood ran cool and free.
| wanted to conquer back the conf
dence of my wife,
"But perhaps this total abstinence
rendered the ordeal still more criti-
cal, when you were compel He'd occa-
sionally to resume your former hab-
its?"
fright again | was storing a
magazine against myself! There
occurred a family festival from which
| could not absent myself-tH He we'd
ding ofSophy Cavendish. EV en- my
wife relaxed in her babitual cdldness
towards me. and requested me to
join the party. We met; a party OF
some thirty--giggling, noisy, brain
le$s-to jest and be merry: 1t was
settled that | must drink the bride s
health; and Mrs. Wargrave e extend-
ed her glass towards mine, as If to
make it a pledge Of reconciliat ton
How eagerly | quaffed II! The
champagne warmed my hear 7. VI
my free will l took another glass
Tie bridegroom was to be toasted;