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

III 70 MS room. Until near mldnlgt
ID he paced to and fro with restle:
ID steps. undecided, and struggling wit
lie his own heart. At last his juds
ment gained the victory, and he 81
a down to his little table and wrote
d his employer, announcing his deci;
t. ion. He reminded him of his pos
l. ton in the family, isolated from ott
e er society and permitted nnrestraine
4 intimacy with his daughters; an
asked him how it was possible, il
n such a situation that admiration 70
0 the fair Ellen should not have ri
Pened into love. And yet, he sol
] dmnly declared that be had neye
r spoken to her of his attachment; nay
i that he had not known the true char
r ilcter Of his own feelings, until they
had been detected by the occurrence.
, Eof that day. Now that his heart
t was laid bare to himself, he could not
wear a mask; to stay longer in the
family, would place him in an unnat-
ural position, crushing all manliness
and independence, or else lead him
ITO betray fathers confidence. He
was not hypocrite enough for the first,
nor sufficiently hardened for the last.
He had therefore resolved to go,
while the door of escape was still
open. He begged Mr.. Carpenter to
explain his sudden departure tc his
family in such way that his charac-
ter should not suffer in their eyes
Having finished his letter, he threw
himself upon his bed, but not to sleep.
Thoughts Of the inevitable sorrow be
was to suffer in the future, kept his
temples throbbing and his eyes un-
closed. Soon as the first gray of the
dawn shone in at the window, he
arose, and hastily packing bis few
things in a trunk, he added para
graph TO what be had written, re-
tIluesting ,!lat they might be sen to the
,iiddress given, and leaving the letter
in the hbraryyhe silently quilted the
mansion which had been his home
for so many happy months, and stood
fonce more upon the green lawn. He
turned his eyes toward the lattice
which enclosed the chamber where
the dear one lay sleeping,and fingered
for a moment, as if expecting a
waving adieu. But he knew it was
lin vain, and steeling his heart to the
agony Of a final separation, he bent
his stepsFto the nearest landing, and
took the first steamboat for New
York. AS he landed upon the pier
lin this great city, with 10 welcoming
face ih the crowd to greet him, he |
felt sense of loneliness such as be
had never known before. But life
was stirring around him, and be-
aroused himself to take his place
amid the busy tirong.
How was his absence felt by the
gentle Ellen? At first she hardly
believed in the reality of the separa-
ton. 1t seemed as if he must come
again. She almost involuntarily
turned TO look for him as she passed
the haunts where they had been ac-
.customed to saunter together. But
as the truth Of the conviction forced
itself upon her mind, she felt daily |
more and more desoate. 1t seemed
to her as if the brightness Was fadln 8
from the world like the dying CLEAN |
Of an exhausted taper. She llad
more strength of character, than a |
casual observer would suspect from a
glance at her smooth round neck,
and the pensive arch of her brow II
There was a more than common pow |
er of endurance in that form viii Oh |
seemed so fragile; and when S he !
opened her full dark eye, there was a
depth Of soul revealed in its earnest
brightness, which changed the whole
expression Of her face, and betrayed
a struggle " hich had no other out
ward symbol. She made no COM
plant, not even to herself She did
not ask why the hours, formerly so
swift-wingel. now dragged away so
heavily. There was no visible pas
sion in her sorrow; it showed itself
more by an indescribable calmness, as
if all motives to enjoyment, or even
to life itself, were taken away. Her.
cheek lost little of its fullness; she
showed no signs Of bodily illness, and
vet it was evident that chill was
upon her heart. AS the clouding /
breath upon the polished mirror wells
the reflected image beneath, So did