Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1854-09-21

If this shadow upon her spirit dim I'll
d light of her life.
1t Her father felt the change, br
IS hoped that it would prove but a
h April cloud, soon to pass away. An
: when as months elapsed, and tn
shadow only 4darkened, he sought i
o vain to dissipate it. She would ac
: knowledge no ailment and there wa
: no point on which to hang a furthe
: question. Their was no duty neg
! lected, no signing. and no tears
| But there was a want Of earnestnes
! lin all her intercourse with the world
r as if it we're all unreal and fading
from her grusp
The year passed round; the white.
, robed winter had given place to the
the many-hued spring, and the buds
were again bursting into flowers; buI
to Ellen, light aud JOY came not back
with the glad sunshine and baimy all
Of May. Her hopes had faded like
I the roses in autumn, but no return
ing summer renewed their bloom. =
The fathers proud spirit began to
soften. He would have resisted any
violation Of his authority even to the
sacrifice of the life dearest to him;
but this speechless sorrow was to him
eloquent with a rebuke which he
could not resent. He determined,
at last, to probe the heart Of his
| daughter, and ascertain beyond a
doubt the cause of her malady.
Ellen, said be, as she was passing
the door OF his library, with her hat
and light shawl in, her hand, as if
for walk in the park; i shall stop
your truant ramblings one of these
days, and make clerk of you. 1t
is just year to-day since Charles
left, aud l must acknow hedge, as my
rents become due, | miss him sadly
lie spoke half-playfully, but
watched her countenance keenly.-H
She Iiste med with mose of interest
than she had shown liff months, and
replied low, sweet tone
'Fath4 4r, why did he leave us?'
Did | not tell you that he went
away to better his fortune?'
But why did he leave SO suddenly?
You never gave US reason for that.
Ellen, my child he replied Ten
DERBY, taking a paper frcm his dra wer,
here is his own explanation; perhaps
it is best for both that you should
read it.. +
She took the letter in her tremb-
ling hand, and hasteEed from the
house. She half suspected its con-
teuts,and as she could not read it be-
Meath her fathers watching eye.
she sought out her favorite seat in
the lodge, and opened the sheet
She had before been persuaded of
Charles s love for her, and she now
fully realized the nobieness of the
heart which had been sacrificed 20 her
fathers pride She wept not-her
eyes were unused to such refreshing
moisture; but, oh! how her heart .
yearned to comfort the sufferer whose
life, like her own. had been SO sadly t
clouded.
Her father, rs she left the library,
bowed his head upon his desk, and /
bitterly reviewed the course he had I
formerly pursued. What profit, he
asked himself, could he expect to
gain by further opposition to his
daughters happiness, unless he was
fully prepared to sacrifice it on the
altar of his pride? Ellen must be
married some day, and what did ne
desire 10 a son-in-law? Was it mon
ey? Had he not seen that happiness
did uot increase with gold? Where
should he find another spirit alike
noble and self-sacrifcing? He could
not doubt but what the young
man still felt the same attachment he
had first avowed. Nay, in this he}
was not left to conjecture. On his
last visit to the city, only a few days
before, he had seen Charles, now a
book keeper in large mercantile es-
tablishment, who had more than in
timated to him that his heart was
unchanged, although he would not
even ask for word of sympathy or
hope. As these thoughts passed
through his mind, his heart melted.
Why should be. without reason, meas
ure another's happiness by bis own
will? He yearned to carry comfort
to his daughter, but he feared to fol-
low h er too closely, lest she shogld
shrink from the sight Of one whose
pride had caused her 50 much pain.- /