The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1853-05-24
SOUTHERN THE ATHEIST.
Form Adventures Of a Student.
TcoNcLUDED.1 1

Love him, and prepare tn meet the eternal
wrath that will follow on the deep sin he tempts
you to. Oh. my child. my child! my one only
darling: let us fec from this place. from :he
circle Of his fiend's enchantment: he does not
love you, Cheeny he hates you, feels contempt
for you ho will ruin you, girl and theu spurn
you ont into the world a wretched and degra-
ded beingp
In tho excited strain. of which the above is
but a faint and meager example. did the widow
daily and nightly endeavor to turn her daugh-
ter from her mad cffection. Nor were her ef-
forts always urattendea with at least the ap-
pearance of success More than once she got
her to confess she believed he wanted TO ruin
her; and to promce to- forget. to avoid him;
even to leave the place. and seek an asylum for
her virtue far away from Westwater.
Such confessions and promises she would,
make weeping upon her fond parents bosom.
On one such occasion-
Yes. mother she said. 'it is that dark eve Of
his that undoes me. but | feel him drinking my
very soul. / CT mot resist il. You are right
he is an evil spirit he tells me the Bible is q
lie. mother, (the old woman shnddered) and
persuades me there is no such thing as sin or
cvilr
oh nv child! exclaimed the mother, let us
give thanks to Him. who has at length opened
your eyes to the Tophet on whose brink you
stood!
And the two women knelt together, joining
thoir voices in thanksgiving. But is tho hour
drew near when she was wont to meet her low
er. another change came over her spi: IL: she
became anxious and restless. sighed often,
moved about from ono part of the house TO
another, and ut last springing up threw her
arms about her mothers neck and kissed her.
flew out of the house and away to the grove,
| 4 e.
his breast. gave away to wild fit Of hystcrical
laughter and weeping.
But now he began 10 think the charm nearly
wound up, and resolved to remove her from
Westwater to the large city; for even he had
feeling enough left to wish to keep the affair
apart from the eyes of the work people.
= One evening. when the summer was now
'wcarirg over. he broke the proposal 10 her
that she should leave her mothers house and
become altogether his
As might he expected. the infatuated girl
consented, and promised TO meet him next
night n, particular place. where he was TO bo
in waiting with his gig, TO convey her forever
from Westwatcr. All next day poor Chcny
tried hard TO conceal from her mother her pur.
pose; but towards night she could no longer
accomplish l.. md, casped her to her bosom
badc her farewell FOR ever
'Wbat-my childr screamed the widow;
where are you gong:
TO Southern
TO be married TO himi Tho atheis,-the
flend.'
No, mother-nof married
A scene cnsued, which feel myself alto
gcthe- nnablc TO describe The widow became
perfectly frantic: she prayed her daughter to
rcmain she commanded, implorcd even struck
her. but all i'm vain: the dcudcd girl would 90
and struggled to be away. There was come
thing fearful in it, and the neghbors trembled
rs they listened outside the door. AT last, when
she found she could not longer restrain her, she
| appeared to yield.
Il will let You 90 to him-I will but first
answered me this question. adjure you by
| (hcre she used an expression too awful to be
repeated here. tell me the truth. Are you still
pure as you was before this devil possessed
YOU? Have you sinned as yet in thought on
| ", and not in decd?
Jane dropped her beautiful head, avowed
herself guilty of no sin greater than loving
him.
well then goI'
She went and as she stepped over tho TIRES
hold. her mother knclt down upon it, and
screamed after her a course of a most wild and
awful sound aud meaning-an imprecation
such os none but mother, and a mother i'm
|
| in its strange fanatcal blaspheny something
at once terrible and sublime. and contained
prayer that the almighty would smite her with
some sudden and dreadful evil before she could
accomplish her purpose.
| Her daughter. as she heard il. drew herself
together rs ifa stone had struck her, and hur-
ried swiftly away.
| As the widow lost her in the darkness she
turned into the house. and shutting it up, and
putting out the lights, began moaning and
waing aloud. in manner that drew tears from
| the wives and daughters Of the neighbors. as
they listened with fear and wonder around it.
Jane reached the place appointed, and found
him waiting.
Are you minc love? he said, in an exulting
| tone.
u am. Southern--body and soul'
| He lifted her into the gig, and off they flew
| along the dark road. with great swiftness.- -
| She went much, and he was endeavoring 10
soothc her with his fondcst Establishments,
when they rapidly approached an abrupt turn
| in tho road ABOUT mile from Wcstwatcr. just
then one of the large wagons belonging 10 the
company was slowly toiIing its way to he facto.
tory, loaded with an immense pile of raw cot
| ton. They were on il ere they were aware;
and in an instant, one of their wheels struck
the forc-whecl. and they were discharged from
| their sea is TO the ground.
Southern sprang to HE feet. unhurt: but.
ere he had done So, The heavy hind wheel IF
the pendurous machine had gone crushing o.
yer the left knee of fair Jane Granton, and she
lay mingled and scnseless in tho road
The asionislcd woegoners lifted her from
the ground and by his direction, put her along
with the fragments of the gig. upon their
wagon. and urged their horscs q'ickly towards
Wcstwatcr; while he, catching his own animal
and disencumhering it of its disordcred furni-
tnre. mounted !, and dashed furionsly away to
the city, there TO drown thought in mad do
bauch. firfi
Bot who could imagine or describe the moth.
or, when tho wagon stopped before her door,
and its conductors bore into the dwelling the
broken and bleeding body Of her only child
A, fret she stood struck with wild smazemenf: