The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1855-02-21
The Bride of the Wreck.

had enough, as my old mate yondcl
can tell you. broke his head twice
nnd his arm once, in fits oft; but he
has always seemed to love me all the
better, aud he clings to inc now very
much as two pieces of the same CHR
cling together when drifting at sea-
We are the sole survivors of thou.
sand wrecks. and Of the gallant com.
pany that sailed with us two years
ago, no other one is left anoat. | had
been sailor from boyhood, and when
| was twenty-five, | may safely say no
man was more fit to command YES.
sci among the mariners of England
And at this lime my uncle died and
left me his fortune. had never seen
him, and hardly knew of his existence;
but had now speaking evidence of
the fact that he had existed, and equ-
ally good proof that he existed no Ion
ger.
was very young, strong in liub,
and think stout in heart, and was
possessed of rental of some thou.
sands per annum. What bar was
there to my enjoyment OF the goods
OF life! No bar, indeed, but felt
soreIy the lack of means Of enjoyment.
| was sailor i'll every sense. My
education was toIcrable, and had
read some books, but my tastes were
nautical, and | pin, d on shore. You
will easily understand, then, why it
was that built yacht and spent
most of my time on her. She was a
line craft, suited to my taste in every
respect, and remember with a sigh,
now, the happy days have spent in
the Foam" | used to read considera.
bic in my cabin, and occasionally, in.
deed weekly, invited parties of gen.
tlcmcn to cruise with me. But The
foot Of lady had rcvcr been on the
deck of my boat, and began to have
an old bachelors pride in that fact =
Yet, | confess t" you Il secret longing
for some sort Of affection different
ir m any had heretofore known, and
o rcstlcssness when men talked of
beautiful women in my presence.
"O"c Summer evening |. wis at the
old hall IN which my uncle had died,
and was entirely alone Towards sun.
set was surprised while looking over
my books, by the entrance of Il gentle.
men hastily announced. aud giving in
dications Of no little excitement.
Your pardon. sir, for my unccre.
moni"us entrance. Ny horses have
run away with my carriage. and dash.
"a it to pieces near your park gate
My father was badly injured, aud my
sister is now watching him. have
taken the liberty to ask your pcrmis.
sion t" bring him to your residence. :"
"Ot course, my consent was instant.
IS given, and my own c,:riugc dis.
patched t" the park gate.
mir. Sinclair WAS gentleman Of
fortune. residing about forty miles
from me, and his father, an invalid.
fifty years or more of age, was on his
way. IN company with his son, to that
sons house there to die and be buried
They were strangers to me, but made
them welc"ne to my house as if il
were their own, and insisted on their
using it.
Miss Sinclair was the first woman
who had crossed my door->tnne since
| had been the possessor of the hail.
A"d we'll might she have been loved
by better men than ]. She was very
small and very bcautifnl-of the size
OF Venus, which all men worship rs
the perfection of womanly beauty, but
having a soft blue eye, strangely sEad.
ed by jet black brows. Her face pre-.
scnled the contrast of purity of white.
ness in the complexion, set off by raw.
en- hair. and yet that hair hanging in
clustering curls, unbound by comb or
lillet, and the whole face lit up with an
expression OF gentle trust and com.
pletc confidence, either in all around
her or else in her own indomitnble
determ nation. For Mary Sinclair
had mind Of her own, and far.scc
ing one too. She was nineteen then.
"ller father died in my house and
attended the solemn procession that
bore his remains over hill and valley,
to the old church in which his anccs.
tors we're laid. Once after that call.
ed Oh the family, and then avoided
them. ! cannot tell you what was the
cause of the aversion ! had to entering
that house, or approaching the nnu.
ence of that matchlcss girl. believe
that feared the magic of her beau.
ty and was impressed with my own
nnworthness to love her or to be be.
loved by her. ] knew her associates
were OF the noble, the educated, tn .
refined, and that was none of these.
What, then, could expect but misery,
it yielded to The charm of that ex.
qu's'te beauty, or graces, which knew
were in her soul?
"A year passed, and was a very
boy in my continued thoughts Of her;
persuaded myself a thousand times
that did not love her, and thousand
times determined to prove it by ell.
terIng her presence. At length
'llre,w4myseif into The vortex Of Lon.