Eastern times., 1855-10-18

as TO be able toAcon;inue my journey, | found
the desire to do so had vanished my only
wish. now, was to be near the object of my
love, to see her, and to hear the sweet tones
of her voice.
! Mr. W lived in small village about
and as my intended tour had been given up for
the present, thither | went to reside. As
possessed some skill in the art of house-paint-
ing, and as it was a growing place, soon
found plenty of work. But now | was in a
dilemma Clara did not know. that I loved
her, and how should | make her acquainted
with the fact1 If had not been one of the
difident kind, perhaps the task would not have
seemed so difficult but this being the case,
il was with great effort that | summoned cour-
age sufficient to reveal TO her my true feelings.
burst not trust myself TO inform her of the
fact verbally, but sent her a letter. Her reply
contained all that could have expected, and
showed the consciousness of woman in love af-
fairs. She mentioned that in our limited ac-
. fH"ih'uuSS1 hothihS huu oOCH HOliCCu w HCl
which had led her to form an opinion of me
otherwise than favorable. "a more intimate
acquaintance with vou,' said she, i should
like to form; although by this | do not wish
to have you understand that am giving you
any encouragement 10 expect anything farther
of me, unless time, and such an acquaintance,
shoald serve to strengthen the feelings of af-
lection which | now have for you. You must
excuse my, perhaps, seeming coldness, for
feel myself comparatively stranger to you !;
aBd of course cannot feel the same towards
you as towards a tried friend ! am far, how
ever, from having feelings of coldnees or re-
serve towards you, for trust and believe that
you are Christian and in those whom be-
lieve to be such, can more readily feel conf
dence than in those who are not for | know
that there is something purer, hoier, and more
enduring in their love- She concluded by
saying that if it was my wish she would be
happy to receive call from me-mentioning
the time. OF course the invitation was ac-
cepted with great pleasure and TO our joy, at
the close of the interview, we found that our.
mutual love and esteem had been greatly in
creased.
| now became regular visitor at the house
of Mr.. W; and in the society OF my dear
est friend, the gentle Clara, found that bliss
for which so m1ny sigh in vain--reciprocal
love. Our tastes and inclinations were very
similar; and our sentiments and opinions were
alike, especially those of a religious character,
and in the mutual exchange Of our thoughts
and feelings, we found such happiness as we
had never before experienced. She, too, loved
the sublime and beautiful in nature, and many
a pleasant walk and ride did we take together,
over the hills and mountains, and through the
lovely valleys of that beautiful region of the
country and many a time did our voices
blend lovingly together in sweet old
song, for | was singer.
But this happy period of my life was des-
tined to be of short duration. Claras school
was now closed, and she returned TO her home,
which was in a neighboring town, several
miles distant. haG hot yet seen her parents,
OF any of the family, and being an entire
stranger, and as | have said before, rather DIFF
ident, was naturally somewhat anxious about
the reception they would give me on my pay
ing them visit. went; and was received
with even more cordiality than had dared 10
expect.
The family Of Mr.. E, of which Clara
was the youngest, was large; but most Of the
children were married, and settled within
mile Two OF the old homestead, that only
two, beside Clara, remained at home-a broth
er aud sister. Mr. E was a farmer, and
somew what wealthy he owned a beautiful farm,
which was pleasantly situated upon gently
sopng hillside; his house substantial
and thorough-built dwelling, and placed upon
an e1nnence which commanded wide and ex-
tensve view towards the southeast, "a view
of orchards, meadows, farms, houses, forests,
and in the distance, the blue sparkling waters
of lake
When l saw the farm of Mr.. E.. for the
first time, thought that my eyes never behcld
a more beautiful place, bot it was Cara's home,
and the fact, perhaps to me, made its charms
more apparent. The children of Mr.. F.
were well educated, and thought themselves as
good and smart as anybody III wn,-and per-
haps they were:
My visit was pleasant one, and / returned
home, happier than ever. Three weeks passed
away before saw Clara again. She met me
at the door, as at my first visit, but saw, in
stantly, that there was change in her manner
towards me. The cause of the change of
course l could not divine, but the expression of
her countenance, and the way she returned my
salutation, told me as plain as words could do
that something was wrong.
There was no one at home but her parents,
who received me with the same cordiality as
they did at my previous visit. The evening
passed away pleasantly, and there was nothing
to mar my happiness except that the change,
which have mentioned, was. still visible in
Clara's countenance and demeanor. As soon
as we were alone, asked her if she had re-
ceived the letter which had sert,-informing
her when | should come,-thinking if she had
~. kn1,