New Orleans daily crescent., 1854-12-25
EIe @asgsT's s@ife.


OF formality and decorous obseryances, Many,
very many, good and noble hearts have lain hid
den beneath the increased broadcloth and dove
colored silk Of Friends, and many singular
things have come to my knowledge What / am
now going To tell, though it must be regarded
as deviation from the ordinary state Of things
in Quaker families, will, trust be regarded
in this lght--that there is no rule or set state
Of things, but there is an exception. My ex-
ception to the usual frigidity and formahty of
young female Friend, was q young girl Of that
sect whom came to know, named Martha Cliff
ton How I came into possession OF some strange
passages in her life it is not essential to tell
nor for my readers to know suffice it that what
relate are facts, and having outliyed the dear
sweet lady who is the subject Of my story, as !
think it interesting. mean to relate it. Among
the many beautiful girlsI have seen in my time,
In never saw. any one who surpassed Martha
Clifton Somehow the rigid Quaker dress only
lent added charms to her noble simplicity Of
beauty You might as soon have thought of
decking out one Of those young Roman women
fwhom q Little Mary z reads about sometimes
in her history books,) in furbelows and ribbons,
as to wish Martha's dress any thing but just
what it was. Sooth to say, our young friend
knew well enough how to attire herself, and to-
oontrive that the tasteless form Of her dress
should be 50 disposed asto enhance her exquisite
face and figure. Her parents occupied large
and sad looking mansion opposite our house, so
that had frequent opportunities Of studying
the s Quaker Beauty as our pert needle
woman would call her, and observed that her
thick silks and satins, nay, even sober camlets,
we're always Of the NEST becoming colors-dove,
silver graysrich brown, or, on festive occasions
spotless maiden white. She was but eighteen
when / first began to observe her, though she
looked grave and Eedate enough for forty-but
the SHOWS of Etna covered fire Inclined by her
natural taste to love intensely The ideal and
beautiful, she was restrained from such indul-
gencies BY the cold and frigid habits Of her So
oiety !, still her imagination was sometimes gra-
titled by the composition of poems, which were
of no mean order.
Such mind, you may be sure, stagnated
amid the formal and joyless life Of Quakerism
She knew herself to be fair; she could scarcely
help it when every passer-by confirmed the
knowledge with his admiration, and even the
cool and sober 6 Friends Wed with each other
In the endeayor to gain her love; but Martha
Clifton was hard To please where love was con-
cerned, and believed her heart to be insensible
to the passion, yet the fire was but shoulder
ing, to burst forth with increased intensity when
fairly kindled. She believed it could not be
possible for her to love one of her own sect.
Quakers, she used to remark, were SO fond Of
personal comfort, that she feared their selfish
ness was too great ever to allow them to love
any but themselves She was mistaken, though,
as many Of US are when we attempt to decide
on our future course. Scarcely had she known
Evefard Wilson one week, when she knew that
her destiny had arrived He was young and
very handsome Quaker, who had gone in HIS
boyhood to Philadelphia, from whence he had
not long returned. Like Martha, his eager and
intelligent mind SCARED far beyond the marrow
limits OF the society, but he dared to go further
than the rrd mad read worldly
books extensively, tt was only necessary for
Martha and himself to have an opportunity Of
conyersing, unheard by their elders, to discover
that they were indeed kindred souls. That dis
covery soon led TO another, namely, that their
hearts also were indissolubly united and the
course Of their love, the depth Of which was
known truly but to themselves, ran smooth
enough.
Martha was the only child Of very wealthy
house Eyerard Of o family high in the com
mercial world. When they were united, nothing
that luxury, though clothed in the forms Of
the severest simplicity, could give was want
ing, and Martha was radiant with happiness ;
and in her plain garb ofspure white silk, with
no trimming or ornament, which she wore on
her wedding day, T think d loyelier creature
could not have been found in Queen Charlotte's
own court. s ~ Sa@3
Yes! the fair Quakeress married, went to her
new home, and for long time neither saw nor
heard any thing of her, save such old scraps as
Christian Marcourt CLEANED now and then from
Ruth Clifton, Martha grave aud quiet mother,
| (my forewoman went there now and then with
some of the Brussels net, which the female
Friends of the wealthier classes used as kerr
chiefs and aprons. and that were little enough
Whenever I thought Of my former beautiful
neighbor, it was to imagine her in the enjoy
ment OF cloudless happiness but / reckoned too
fast. Five months after Martha wedding day
as I sat at the window one day at work, plain
coach drew up to Friend Clifton's door, and
from it, received by her mother, came forth Mrs.
Martha Wilson, oh, SO changed, SO wan-thin
even to meagerness, SO it was with difficulty I
| satisfied myself that this was the beautiful giil
whom ! had seen so from her fathers house,
even as @ bride. Still her altered appearance
and her quantity Of luggage convinced ME that
| there was something wrong in that Quaker
naenage; for allowing Martha plentitude Of
flial affection, still, from all heard, knew the
formality and want Of genial feeling in her pm
| ternal home to be ll-suited to her taste.
! IL was o long time after that found out the
truth OF my surmises, and the events which,
| having, after 9 few months Of married life
caused separation and return Of the youn 9
wife to her parents roof, made some commotioa
among the Friends, connections of both parties
i Martha Wilson had scarcely been settled in her
own handsome and comfortable residence thar
i she discovered that her husband was absen
many hours from his home, when business sh,
well knew had no claims ON his time Grea
absence of manner, too, marked his conduct
still Martha was long ere she suspected that hei
husband s affections we're no longer hers. Their
was not on his part less kindness, when pres
Il ent; but this grew . thing Of such rare-occuI
renee, that not merely her days but her even
i ings were solitary Still her mind was una
wakened TO Jealousy, till an anonymous letter.
Il one of those deadly frebrands in domesti
4 estrangements- arrived one day, and informet
Martha that her husband was daily in the habi
i Of visiting young female in an obscure street
that he was even in the habit of accompanyin.
H this woman to places Of public entertainment
and more especially the Opera House, wher
he might be seen in a certain box, dressed i,
the garb Of sho world, and listening to the di
vino strains OF Belleroni and Staffonini
lt Was Marthaas misfortune that instead 0
| taking this precious epistle to her husband, sh
! chose rather to muse and brood over the infor
/ nation il contained, till her brain became fer
mented end her reason warped She unbesi
| tatingly believed the calumny This belief wa
confirmed by finding in her husbands linen
drawer o pair of soiled white gleges-things Ger
tainly not worn BY any Of the Society Of Friends
10 her janndiced eye this as sufficient proof
The young wife assumed q coldness equal t
what she felt to be her injuries. Avid though
took possession of her brain she pondered on il
= sacame more and more tangible; what wa
| Y. s. ahy, that she, too, would don gay clothes
Vis1e ing house of sin, and with her own eye
1 nehola u ths husband Of her choice was thert
II DartaklnR with har "a ,,Fssi III x,l thoea ,vopl /,