Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1854-04-13

ior more than two years | had no reason
10 form a different opinion | buried
myself among law books, and musty doe
uhents, IN the vain nope of forgetting
you, till some seven or eight months ago
when happening to go into a hotel in oul
town, | was assailed by torrent of de
nunciation and abuse, from Gabriel Haly
fellow student in college, who is a ma
tive Of the place and who had in former
years been the means of leading me into
temptation and disgrace He was near
~ beside himself with liquor, and accused
me or trying to supplant him in your af
fectIons, Miss Aston; when [ did not
even know that you were acquainted with
him"
1--WE acere somewhat acquainted, as he
boarded for a time where [ did, when
away at school," said Mary, blushing
but for some reason 1 did not care to
! continue the acquaintance
THAT, then, accounts for his conduct.
| He said that he had taken care that l
should not succeed, if any one else did !;
and then boasted that he had bribed a
certain clerk in the post Office to intercept
all the letters [ mailed for YOU | in
stantly saw through the whole plot and
leaving the drunken wretch without a
word, L sought out the dishonest clerk
whom [ knew-and by dnt of threat
| enIngs, and promises not to expose him,
/ succeeded IN making him confess the whole
affair. Can you believe my word in this,
/ Miss Aston On or shall show YOU his
written confession 2"
/ "Oh [ can believe YOU" said Mary
trustingly "and | never, from the first,
should have questioned your word, if it
had been given for it was very painful
/ to me, to be obliged to believe, however
unwlillngly, such reports of one to whom
| owed SO deep debt of gratitude. But
tell me, Mr. Dana, how you came to be
q lecturer 2n
What | suffered while under the do
mlnion of intemperance led me to think
much on the subject and desire to do
something for its extirpation and the
4 present popular movement having called
i out others | thought 10 better qualified
than myself successfully; | at last ven
/ tured TO make the trial: and the success
| | met induced me to persevere, and sug-
gested the idea of this southern tour
| through the States. in which | confess.
/ hoped to meet with you"
And do you know that did listen to
one of your stirring appeals? 2"
NO indeed | looked vainly for your
encouraging face among the crowd, In Bal
! timore, but never saw it."
| Il was there, nevertheless, sitting in
! the shadow, listening to you with the
deepest interest and wondering at the
overrpiing power that had snatched you
from the brink Of ruin u
You had indeed reason to think [ had
fallen very low, Miss Aston; and | had
when we first met; | was on the brink of
irretrievable ruin, and your influence,
alone. prevented me from plunging into
its hidden depths. Yes, the deep and
fervent love for you, Miss Aston, that
has filed my heart from the day of our
first meeting-the admiration excited by
Your just, truthful, and energetic charac-
ter, and the restraining influence of our
correspondence, fixed my own wavering
principles upon frmer foundation. and
drew me, by the strong power of love and
hope. away from tbs power Of temptation.
and the second nature of bad habits SO
that, when your influence was Withdrawn.
the power Of resisting the evil remained.
and enabled me to stand, alone and un-
supported except for fond mothers
love, with a sufficient degree of firmness
and selfreijauce But l have yet to learn
whether those fond hopes were ever re-
ciprocated whether the friendship you
once professcd for me had any other foun-
dation than gratitude for some slight ser
vices, and whether in all the gloomy days
of enlargement, some one more highly
! favored by fortune has not succeeded In
obtaining the love | so ardently covet
Will you not tell me. Miss Aston, and
terminate the painful suspense under
which | have so long labored ?" said be,
taking her hand, aud looking earnestly
upon her blushing cheek, and downcast
eyes.
IF it will terminate it to know that
no one else has ever obtained so large
share of my love as yourself, then | do
confess it :" said Mary, frankly ''all |
have to bestow, Is. and has long been
yours: but if it had not been bestowed
before | went South. fear | should have
brought but little back to you )" said she,
smiling and blushing
well [ will try and be content with
what you have brought back, if you will,
at some future time, promise to bestow
the rich gift of yourself upon me also"
said Dana pressing the hand he held to
his lips.
The sun had set in golden radiance, and
the reflection of his beams had ceased to
gid the glittering waves, before Dana
and Mary remembered that Mr. Filing
ton had forgotten his charge or that
they had forgotten the world around them;
but when they descended to the cabin Mr.
/ Ellington smilingly remarked that be
had twice been on deck, to seek her but
finding her too deeply engaged to notice
him, he had concluded to resign his guar
dianship to MIR. Dana
| The winds and waves were very favor
able, and they had pleasant homeward
passage. and many were the hours spent
BY the lovers upon the deck, during the
voyage, in mutual explanations of the
past, and in building airy castles for the
/ future. while the sun or moon shed their
! ,,,;II ,,roo tIao> Ia