The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-06-15
VOL. VIII.

Scmething-i know not what-but some
thing in his early experience had come TO give
strength and depth to those doubts that sooner
or later beset such earnest, inquiring natures
es his, and he had taken refuge in a refined
species of materialism. This Knowledge was
an Inference drawn from a series Of incidental
remarks, rather than from any open statement
of his own for he was no vulgar asserter of
his creed, no Jesui.ical proselyter, bent upon
bringing every enc to his views
To Walter AyntoD, pain and illness had been
the angel with which he had wrestled, like ia
cob Of old, until he had obtained tie blessing,
the unspeakable blessing, of perfect faith and
trust In God. Thus it was, in sll our CONVEX
cations On life and life's ends, that all that
seemed DARK and intricate and contradictory,
Walter trusted TO God, certain that in the life
beyond it would all be made clear in the
brightness of the everlasting lightn But
could read no corresponding faith in the dark
eyes of Vannosee--no glow &C hope lit up the
calm, stern features of his ndlyehiseled face
One glorious day, as we sat beneath the
shade trees on the lawn, Adrian read, in soft,
deep tones, that most musical most melancholy,
because most hopeless Of all Tepnyson's poems
the Lotus Eaters" and IS he closed he re-
peated, more to himself than us, and as if in
answer to some query Of his own mind
There is confusion worse than death;
Trouble trouble, pain pain,
Long labor unto aged bresth-
Sore task to hearts worn out with many wars,
And eyes grown dim with gazing the pilot stars"
Then added, slowly "And this is the sum Of
Ife!u
There was something so sad, so inexpressibly
hopeless, in his voice. that for brief moment
it did seem that this were indeed all-then
bright glow lit up Walters pale cheek, and he
said:
/" Not 50, deer Yannesse Old Ulysses teaches
higher, better doctrine than that, heather
though he bel"
And, taking the book from Abrams hand
he read the noble poem that bears the name
of the sage Of Ithaca-that poem so replete
With kingly dignity solf-conscious power, mel
| ancholy fortitude, aud manly selfreliance, soft
ened and beautifed by the memory Of joys and
trials long since " lived down" but which have
made him
"Strong to will,
To strive, to seek, 10 find, and not to yield"
Vannesse did not reply for some moments;
and Walter perchance mietaking the cause Of
his silence, said, reaching out q thin hand, that
wss instantly folded in that of his friend
Forgive me, Adrian. ] have lived fewer
years than you, in number; but suffering,
though bitter, is q rare teacher; and it seems
TO me uncommonly cowardly, SO to speak, to
doubt the existence CT tho goodness Of Gcd."
81 do not doubt the existence of Fret
CAuse-Proyidence Creator, Colby what
ever name you choose to designate it" began
Vannesso slowly. . He must be an idiot who
does that. But what is this speck Of {. world
to 50 Infinite Being such az we conceive him I!
What are we, that be should steep to interfere
with oCr affairs or take note CT cur triyalities
Your old Syriac Job felt this keenly when he
exclaimed, What is man, that thou shouldst
magnify him that thou shouldst set thy heart
upon him; inst thou shouldst visit him morn
ing and evening, and try him, every mo-
ment And, as TO ms goodness and beneyo-
leDce, look yonder and, by glance, he d.
rec.ed US to where the slight figure of Bertha
| Davenport was slowly toiiing up from the
| beach" there is al argument to the point
| What has that young girl done, to be thus
cursed from her birth? Endowed, if her face
does not belie her. with ell woman's restless
| yoarning for anicnship-love-ard yet
shut eff, by that organic curse tom sill but
| woman's sorroWs Think you her unbiased
verdict would say much for His goodness Z"
| For moment Walters face was troubled !;
the3, as he caught the love lighted glance
| which the girl lifted toward the window where
| her mother sat, and saw the spiritual express
sion of the small, sweet face, his own lighted
up and rising and laying his hand on Adrian's
shoulder, ne said, earnestly
| Indeed, | do think so, my friend. Once,
this same thing would have troubled me but,
noto knotc, Adrian for,
! knowledge by suffering entsreth,
| And life is perfected by DEATH"
| Chance, as he would coll it, gave AdTisn Van
nesee al opportunity to ask these questions
himself in the course Of few days as the in
| oident an about to relate will chow.
! 1t was toward the last Of August, when, af-
| ter several weeks Of extreme heat, there Gaze
| one of those intensely hot days when the earth
| is like enc great kiln, and the very atmosphere
! like molten lead. The sea lay fiat, motionless,
! pulseless-prostrated benesth the fierceness Of
the SUMS raya-the sedges were crisped and
/ dry and husky, Us if fire had passed over
them.
There was no comfort anywhere-towards
night tho sir, Instead Of growing cooler, SEEM
ed to be stiler, sultrier, moro sitting, if posi-
ble than before, and, leaving Walter on e
sofa, Adrian Vannesse and walked down to
tie beach. We did not gain much, for the
sand scorcbed our eyes and our feet; besides,
it was dead low water" and the great bare
muddy flats lay rocking and steamng 10 the
sun, in all their unsig htliness; for, whatever
! may be true of the great ocean, | am certain
that everything cast into the sea near shore
! does not
| Suffer change
Into something rich and strange"
| However, we walked On, until we left the
hamlet behind u.s. and reached a dilapidated
| fisn-house, which served to shelter the man
| who acted as Charon in all our sailing and
fishing expeditions. Once or twice, had pene-
trated into the hidden mysteries of the place,
for the cake of seeing the mans bed-ridden
! r,othar-a great ga,1ut skeleton Of woman,
half palsied, who sat up in her bunk, sick or
/ we'll, and net seine.
The man himself was @ specimen, both IN a
physical and psychological view, not
| LEAN and lank and brown,
| As is the ribbed sea sand,
| like the ancient mariner, but sturdy, and, Gs
Vulcan himself, with a complexion like the red
earth. of which he was formed; neither had
he the long "white beard and gli.tering eye"
which wrought such spell upon the luckless
wedding guest, but a beard short, and stiff,
and grizz,ed, like widowed stubble-feld, and
light gray eye, overhung by massy, shaggy
eyebrows. But, Ike to old Chaucer's "Shop-
man."
"0f nice conscience no great care he kept;
nor over his temper either, judging from the
many stories we heard Of his fierce, ungovern-
able rage-bursss of passion, that proved him
more fit for the msd-house than elsewhere
vet bis neighbors had not failed to take advan.
tage of this infeu1ity, and had involved him in
lawsuit after lawsuit, and given him one
/ roonth,s residence in the county Jail after an
other. until he had been reduced from the
ownership and rnastership Of pretty sohoon-
er TO one or two pet sail boats, and had ex.
changed a comfortable home for this miserable
shelter. in which, with his old mother and bis
onlv euaininr child, bright eyed boy OF ten