The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1854-03-29

and too lovely to have qucnchod ali
the fires of a woman's hcatt, in that
throbbing bosom Of thine"
"Scrvius Tullius," said the Vestal
stcrnly, "you are fully aware, not only
ofthe great impropricty, but the great
danger fintruding, upon my privacy.
Should you be discovered here, your
fate is inevitable. Unworthy suspi-
cions might fix themselves upon my
character. am Il Vestal, and as such
may not hold secret converse with any
name. Away sir, nor longer cnd:.n
ger my fame or your own safety by
delay"
Cold, cruel, unimpassioncd maiden.
Is it not so-that you will not dcign
to bestow one kind word or look, upon
the companion of your infancy"
"Scrvius, It's you that are inconsid-
crate and cruel | voluntarily and
ctlcerfully assumed, The duties and
took the vows of n Vestal. You did
our good Pontiiex Maximus great
injustice in charging, that his mandate
unwillingly changed my destiny
Yale"
Stay, fair pricstcss. One moment
longer hear me. Think you, that were
you not bound to the shrine Of Vesta,
Survius Tullius might hope for favor?'
"This is worse than madness-'tis
folly. lam bolnd-lct that suffice. !"
Gone word, Of hope or Despair"
cried Tullius passiona,cly. It matters
not what is possible or impossible =
answer me. We may never meet
again-yct answer me. Might | have
hoped, did not Ncsta intcrposc be-
tween us?''
"lou were my fathers choice. My
consent should not have been wanting
to confirm it. Farewell She turned
to leave him.
Tullius seized TIC Testal's reluctant
hand, and imprinted upon it burning
kiss. Roman ladies had hands to be
kissed as well rs the moderns. y
"Bear witness then,'' cried he, "bear
witness, father Of the gods. Servius
Tullius swcars to. win his Vcstal bride
or to perish in the glorious attempt"
For days the vcstal appeared lost in
overpowcring thought. She knew not
what made the warm blood course
with such thrilling violence through
her veins. She knew not what pro.
duced that paintnl-aching pleas
urablc- throbbing Of the heart. One
idea alone filled her mind and she
could not Danish it. Scrvius Tullius
was i'll everything she saw-hcard-
spoke or thought. The subtle poison
was working. The pure and noble
minded girl knew not, woman rs she
was, that she either did or could love.
Her waking and her sleeping dreams
turned upon one pivot. If perchance
she thought Of love, she rejected the
intruding idea with horror. No lit
was impossible. She the vowed pri.
cstcss of Ncsta, could not, did not,
must not love mortal man; but this
sclfdcception could not last always
The truth was, cre-long forced upon
her, and she awolc to the horrors OF
her helpless and hopeless destiny.
Among the busy multitude that
thronged i'll mighty Rome, were very
many of broken fortunes and ambi-
tious minds. Men who were as ready
to hcw out with the sword an amend
Eient of their condition, in domestic
broil, rs in foreign quarrel. The
seeds Of that turbulent and f,ctious
spirit which subsequently enabled the
soldicrly TO set up crown itself for
sale, We're already sown in Rome
The good Ancus Martinus with little
nataral disposition for war, could not
find employment suitable to their rank,
for all who chose to live by the sword
y conspiracy was already formed to
dcthronc the peaceful monarch, and
bestow the crown upon one of the con-
spirators. But Rome was not so utter.
" corrupt as it subsequently became,
and Ancus had sufficient notice of the
movements of tho conspirators to cna.
ble him to bring them to justice when
ever their plot reached maturity.
Scrvius Tullius, an approved soldier
had often been solicited to take q part
in the purposcd rebellion, and though
lie did not entirely discountenance
orpcrcmptorily reject the solicitations
and offers of the traitors, he had studi
ously kept himself aoof from their
cabals and was in no way committed
to their party. But under the influ.
encc of his new born passion for the
Vcstal, he was ready to join them,
heart and hand, upon the sole condition
that she should be his reward, spite of
her VOWS and official station. This
demand was readily concealed by the
embryo Monarch of tho conspirutors,
who only wondered that the influential
soldier could bo SO infatuated, MS to
join their ranks without further stipu.
lation. Scrvius neither asked nor
wanted more. The crown itself, with.
out Rhca Sylvia, would have been
worthless. But this -acriGoo Of honor
and loyalty was calculated to benefit
him, even less than he anticipatcd
fhpuub bo e,b,nll f,;l :, ~. ~.