Plymouth banner. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1852-1855, 1854-07-20

wellr"
"Farewell!' sighed the fearful girl in
accents soft and broken as the diving mur-
mur OF the distant cascade with which
they mingled in the cir. An instant, and
Ashley stood in the road below giving the
last lingering look of parting-anothe
and he had disappeared from the sight of
his sorrowful companiOn. who slowly
and pensiveIy pursued her lonely way
back to her now. more than ever. dreary
and joyless home. ct The cottage we
have alre ady described.
The owner Of this cottage. as the read
er is already apprised, was Mr. Martin,
years before. the first permanent settle
ment in the valley. They had purchased
of one C0lvin resident of the village,
to which allusion has before been made.
situated some six or eight miles below, in
the southerl y corner OF what had now be-
come an organized town. embracing the
greatest partof this settlement within its
boundaries. This man had formerly ac-
ted as agent to liarwood, the original pro.
pre,or of the whole valley, in disposing
Of the sai-e lands 10 others which he sub
sesuentlv sold TO Martin and his compan.
ion as principal. the first occupants be-
coming sick of their bargains or proving
too poo- and thriitless to pay for their
farms. having abandoned and tel: them,
before receiving any but e.easible titles.
with their few scanty Improvements to
more able and enterplising successors =
About the time of The deserlion Of the first
settlers. or rather squatiers, perhaps the V
might be termed. Colvin made journey
to the sea port i'll New Hampshire where
llarwood resided, and returned with the
story that he had bought out the original
proprietor. and was now sole owner O the
valley. He then Immediately set TO work
in searching for purchasers; and by his
unwearied exerlions in this respect, and
the induce ments held out by the firmness
of his now reducing prices, he soon sue
ceeded in finding purchasers for all the
valley thought capable Of Improvement,
This he had no sooner effected than he
suddenly left that part Of the country and
was heard Of no more. From this time
the valley made apid progress in improve
ment; and many of the families there
now permanently located, among which
was that of Martin. were at the period Of
our tale In comparatively easy and com
Portable circumstances. Martin and his
wife having no children Of their own had
taken May. the heroine of our story. when
young, and adopted her as a daughte:
OF the girls paren!age little or nothing
had ever been ascerlained. Her mother.
1t appeared, had been taken i'll on the road
IN ncighbOrhood on the borders of New
Hampshire. and gained admittamce into q
private family to remain during her con-
hnement. Ths man who attended her
was not her husband, but, rs he stated, a
person employed 10 convey her TO her
iIlendS in Vermont. And pretending to
give her name and residence, and lea aving
sum of money with the family amply
sufficient: fox the present support Of the
mother and her expected infant, he i'm
mediately returned, for tho purpose as he
avowed. of apprising the young woman's
husband OF her approaching illness. for in
few hours she gave birth to daughter;
not however withou: the cost of her life;
for she was soon seized with fever and
delerium. which in TWO or three DAYS put
a period TO her existence. The infant
was handed over to nurse to married
daughter Of the family who resided with
them, who kindly received the little stran
ger TO share with her own child the nour-
ishment Of which it had been deprived by
the untimely death of its mother. Af-
ter few weeks had elapsed, no one in
tho meantime appearing to claim the child
letter was sent to the address of the
supposed father. but without bringi ng
from any one visit or an answer. Re-
course was then had to the Postmaster Of
the town which had been given as the
residence Of the husband; and in conse-
quence, information was soon received
that no person or family of that descrip-
tion had resided there. And as no other
intelligence was ever after received on
the subject, and neither any remarks OF
the deceased mother during the few hours
of he. rationality after her arrival. nor any
thing found among her effects. affording
the least clue for unravelling the mystery,
the transaction was very naturally con.
clu3ed to be one of those frauds often
9racticed. to palm of as respectable. some
frail fair one, and her illegi,imatc. on
strangers. The littio innocent subject to
these suspicious, thus left unknown and
unowned among entire strangers. was not
however. on that account neglecled. -
Having been first whmsically termed the
May flower, and finally May, from the
circumstances Of her having been born on
the first day of the month of that name,
she received the kindest attention from
The family till near two years of nge.
when becoming pretty and promising
child, she was taken by Martin. who theo,
and for Some years afterwards, resided
lii that neighborhood. from whence lie .e-
moved to his present residence in the val
ley.
During the first year of Mays adop-
tion, and till the removal of Martin to
Vermont. she was allowed summer and
winter. the advantages Of an excellent
comm on school, in which she was distin-
guished for uncommon proficiency for her
age. And the taste for reading. which
she here thus early acquired. was ever af-
ter maintained and improved by means of