Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1854-08-16
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CHAPTER l.


And it were not the lady's pride
thousand knights from far and near
Rode at the lady's side"
And she with her bright eve seemed to be
The star Of the goodly companie."
A few weeks and my little girl shall
have n mother !
The scene was the portico of a fair south
crn mansion, and the speaker was proud,
noble-looking man Of about thirty-fve. l
would have you now, atthis starting point;
impress the place upon your memory
Willow-Bale was an aristocratic southern
dwelling. It would have been called a
manor-house in merrie England: 1t took
its name from its romantic and beautiful
situation. It stood in a pleasant valley.
High mountains hemmed it on either side,
and in front, intorsected by the carriage
drive, stretched sunny and beautiful pleas
ure grounds, level, for the most part, but
here and there swelling into mounds, and
gently sloping hills. The fairest flowers
Of the south bloomed here. There were
groves Of orange trees, and graceful mag
nolias with rich, odorous blossoms. Then
there were camelia's and jasamines, and
little tufts of mignonnette, and nice, bright
eyed, honcst-looking English violets. In
the rear Of the mansion glided by q pleas
ant river, on whose broad, fair bosom, sun.
beams and moon-beams loved to linger, and
: where the water-nymphs sang merrily as
they moored their shallops of lotus-fowers
or glided onward with their singing, toward
the wild and wonderful sea. On both banks
of this pleasant river grew fringe oi
dropping willows, bending low, and dipping
their long, plume-hke leaves in the silver
waves. 1t so happened that the fringe Of
willows only bordered that part of the river
which formed the rear boundary to the i'm
mense estate Of the proud De Wiltons, anC
it was from this circumstance that The
plantation took the name of Willow Dale
Harold De Wilton, the present proprie
tor, was the richest man in all Georgia
and he bore his honors with the lofty, un
bending Indifference of Spanish cavalier
1t was by his marriage that he had ac
quired nearly half of his possessions. Early
in life he had led to the altar, the beauti
full Alice Carlyle, whose broad lands Lay
contiguous to his own. Alice was, ikt
himself, an only child, and her estates
we're nearly equal in value to those of VIII
low Dale. There were not wanting busy
tongues who said that it was this circum
stance alone which led to the marriage; >
but surely never was there fairer brid
than the lady Alice, in her gentle, woman
ly loveliness, and never was there true
or fonder heart than the one she surrel
dered in meek, unquestioning devotion
her stately husband.
Five years after their marriage their fir
child was born; but the same hour tn
gave Aymee DE Wilton to her fathers arm
the pure soul of the young wife went for
from her couch Of suffering to the bett
and more enduring rest of heaven. The
were gossips at Willow Dale as well as
Ryeheld; and the gossips said that Haro
De Wilton grieved far less over his me
wife's death, than at the failure of mG
heir to his estates. The conditions i
posed upon him at his marriage were su
that whether he or his wife should be t
- first to die, the survivor would inherit t
whole Of both estates, which would inalie
ably descend in regular succession to tht
child or children thus, unless one or
other Of them should die childless, effect
ally debarriug the issue of q second M
riage from any portion, either in the esta
of Willow Dale, or the contiguous lands
Mont Mary. Therefore it was that
birth Of Aymee De Wilton seemed to ]
proud father an occasion of regret ratl
than rejoicing, for he had wished a son
his might live and die upon his broad Ian
and transmit his name to his descendar
He was walking back and forth in
parlor when the nurse entered with b
in her arms. Your daughter, Mr.
Wilton, she said, as she approached h
For an instant his brow was dark wit
frown, and then, recollecting himself,
said, half earelessly-'and Mrs. De Wilt
how is SheP
Deadly sick, sir was the reply, {
we hope she may get up little by and
very we'll, tell her | will be with
shortly, and take this queer little th
back now, or she'll get cold'
The nurse vanished, and the neH-m
father continued his slow and moody w
His reflections were clearly not of an ag
able nature, and his promise to his
was apparently forgotten, when once n
the nurse entered the room this time
sadder face and hesitatihg step.
sir she exclaimed for heavens s
hasten quickly. Your wife wants to
you, and she is dyingP
The now startled man rushed from
room, upstairs, and was at his wife's
side, before the last words had died on
nurses white lips.
Alice, poor child, how do you
yourself p he said gently, bending
her bedside, but there was no answer, tn
her white hands CROPPED after the
clothes, and her brow was not yet cl
with the damp of death
Alice-my wife, he said, gently
sing her, don't you know me--youl
husband, darlihgp
Seldom in all their married life ha
spoken to her so affectionately, ant
words and the kiss seemed spell to
back her wandering soul; for she O
her blue eyes, and said very family
Is it you, dearest Harold? c
sec you viii you please to lift my
one little moment upon your breast
will love our baby, wont you, Harold