The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1852-1855, 1854-02-23

l.
ing forms. aud evil 10 thousand shapes,ysi
she bad fept the hesvealy sunshine OF hef
soul pure and HneIonGed through il ALL
She had never taken money as q Pin, nor a
bribe. She had assisted from her little siSre
many child Of misfortune, still humbl,r
than herself. and with fsiih. truth, and ouri.
ty--an angel guarded around her--bg the
light Of her ow innocent smiles, she eIided
Ike star through the gathering clouds un I.
harmed, uBstained, nDshadowsd. In the
words Of our beautiful post
"Peace charmed the street beneath her feet.
And honor charmed the air."
and music--tha musie Of her oun swee,
hear, and silver voice, went AMY with her
through the wsrid.
Il was on the evening preceding that on
which the annual BALL. u the school taok
place. The youug ladies' were discussing .
roaHd The scbool-room fFe The dresses thar
lhey were TO wear. Virginia, little apart,
listened to them, aod half wished she had a
fairy mothers, Ike Cinderalla's, TO deck her
for the festival Pearls, dimonds, jabonicss,
sltins, laces. veveis! She. alas, had none
OF these She had oGly the plain white
dress in which she had been crowned Queen
OF May the spring preceding. Il was so
very plain, net even bit Of trimming a.
round the throat
And what are yon going to wear, Miss
LlndenP said one Of the sristoerats of the
school, tcrnng with what she fanci.d to be
an imperial air, towards the young stran-
ger.
Virginia blnshed, and said simply "my
white mtislin."
"And what ornaments!"
Virginia smiled. "Oh, can find some
bright autumn leaves for wreath"
Imogene Gray would have given her dia-
mond necklace for such blush and smile,
Tor her own sallow cheek was never illumi-
mated; but she sneered nevertheless at the
white muslin and garlands Of leaves, and
delgned no further question.
Nirgina's delicate and sensitive spirit
felt the sneer intensely, and she LEFT the
room with swelling heart and fearful eyes,
Once safe, however, in the asylum of her
own tile chamber, peace descended like a
dove, into her soul, and after undressing she
knelt in her night robe by the side Of her
bed, and said her prayer, and sang her child.
ish hymn:
'llknow no fear when dangers near,
I'm safe on sea or land,
For I've in Heaven a Father dear,
And he will hold my hand.
Doubt and danger and sin were nearer
than she thought, bat her little hand was
held by One who ieould not let her fall. As
she rose from her devotions, she saw, for the
first time, box on the table by the bed. 1t
was addressed on the cover, simply "Vir
ginia." She opened it wondering, and found
set Of exquisite pearl ornaments for the
arms neck and head.
Her little heart beat with girlish delight
She hurried to the glass and wound around
her hair chain of snow white gems, less
fair and pure than the innocent brow be-
meath. Next she barred her graceful arm,
and placed bracelet there How exquis-
itely the delicate ornaments became her
childish lovelinessl She thought she had
never looked so pretty-and even when
she used to deck her hair with wild flowers
by the clear pool in the woods, and she
could wear them to the BALL But who could
have sent them! Again she looked at the
box, md this time she saw lote peeping
beneath the cotton wool on which the gems
had rested. Virgnia's fair cheek flushed as
she read
"Let innocence accept the gift Of love-"
HARRY GREY"
Had the bracelet been serpent with its
deadly sting in her arm, Virginia could
scarcely have uncIasped it with more fear
ful haste. The chain was snatched from
her head, and both with the note replaced
in the box; and then the fair child threw
herself again on her knees and buried her
face in her hands. After silence of some
minutes, broken cnly by the faint sobs, she
sung once more in low tremulous tones, the
hymn which seemed to her talisman for ali
evil, and then calmly laying her head on the
pillow, and murmGring the name which was
music to her soul, sunk into the soft and
deep siumber of innocence and youth.
For nearly year had the young libertlne
Harry Grey pursued her with his unhnllow-
ed passion, aided as he vainly imagined, BY
his costly and tasteful gifts; but there seem
ed magic halo around the young Virginia
through which no shadow of evil could pen
citrate. Besides the native delicacy and
purity OF her mind, there were two other in
fluences at work In the beautiful web of her
destiny to prevent any course ofdark thread
miHging in its tissue one was her spiritual
Communication with her mother, and the
other the affectionate remembrance Of Rus
sci HartIey--the only being in whose eyes
she had ever read the sympathy for which
her lonely and loving heart yearned always
II was evening again. The young ladies'
had assembled, dressed for the ball, in the
drawing room-all but Virginia. "Whtre
is the sweet child" asked an invalid teach
er, to whom she had endeared herselfby her
prace ful and nfTectionate attentions
"She was so long Helping me and sister
Dress" said a little shy looking girl, "that
she has been beated."
81 will 60 and assist her, said the princ-
pal Of the school, pleased with this proof OF
tender heartedness on the part of her pupil.
She softly opened the DOOR Of Virginia's
room aud almost started at the charmiDs
picture which met her eye. ROBBED in white,
with her singularly beautiful hair falling in
fair, soft curls about her face, which was
lighted up by smile of almost raptdrous
hope and joy, the young girl stood in an at
titude Of enchanting grace, raising in both
hands, to adjust amid the braids behind, a
half wreath Of glowing and richly tinted au-
tumn leaves. 81. tys-
"Let me nrrgage it for you my child,
said the lady, approaching, and Virginia
bent her fair head modestly TO her bidding,
and then, hand in hand. they descended to-
the drawing room Many of the company
had errived--the doors that led to their room
had been thrown open, and Virginia was al
most dazzled BY the spiendor Of the scene
into which she was thus suddenly ushered.
She blushed beneath the eyes that were riv-
eted upon her as she passed.