Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1855-11-07


Oh with them all, when blest thou art.
Deal gently with the strangers heart"
Walking tho beaten path Of life, how very
much might be learned Of the human heart,
which for want of observation is overlooked,
or, il seen, is not understood.
How many wise men have attempted to
explain the nature Of the human heart, its
impulses, hidden and revealed, vet how lit
tie have they learned Of its secret springs Of
action.
Every heart has somc folded page, some
secret leaf, thoughts and sentiments buried
forever from the eyes of the world. Some
closely guarded secret Of wild worship or
wasted love; some high purpose for want of
sym pathy forever unrevea!ed; some sweet
dream Of fame crushed back upon the heart.
Yes, very many such pages seen alone by
the eyes Of the Omnisciens One, arc folded
proudly in tho heart. nor known nor dreamed
Of by the unsympathizing world. Then deal
we gently with each others hearts, least 10y
a light, unthinking word, We Jar painfully
upon some buried dream, or call into exis-
tence some banished hope. Yes, the human
heart is an unsolyel enigma,-this very life's
q mystery
"Darkly VIC move, VIC press upon the brink,
Happily Of viowless worlds, and know il not"
A legend Of the heart, | tell to you my
reader friends, and expose be ore your gaze
n few leaves Of what has ever been a beauti-
full enigma, an interesting study, a woman's
heart.
Perhaps somewhere in my wandcrings
through life | may have met actors in some
such scenes rs | propose to describe to you,
or have been permitted to read some such
heart history. OF that you may not know
But truth is sometimes far stranger than
fiction" and this story may &c true.
Not often along life's daily walks is it ours
TO meet Us fair q girl rs EUGENIA MELBURNE.
Her parents belonged to the class Of wealthy
planters Of the south, and she was their only
child and heiress To all their vast estates.-
At the age Of fifteen years. size was sent to a
distinguished seminary If the north, to at
quiro an elegant education, that she might
adorn the station in life she was destined to
fill. Even at that early age, when the deep
err feelings Of the woman are blended with
the Wild mirthfulness Of childhood, Eugenia
Melburne was very beautiful.
Hers was what we might call n " picture
face" and surely painting or engraving could
scarce add n charm to lovelIncss so rare
Her features were east in the exquisite mould
Of Grecian beauty and no sculptor ever
moulded a statue of more f~aultless proper
LNOHb kiAAl "ho Aib hiit wv VI vi
southern heiress. Her broad smooth fore
head gave q look Of intellectually to her face
while glossy curls Of soft black hair, fell from
her pure brow to the white shoulders, ma
king fairer the delicate white skin, so seldom
aeen with dark hair. Soft, clear black eyes
shone with q sweet, playful light, and tn,
dark lashes touched the soft tinted chez
beneath. A Arm expression Of pride, whicI
sometimes deepened into scorn, LINGERIE
around her exquisitely curved mouth. Yet
twas not always there, for sunny smiles frt
duently played around the crimson lips, an
sometimes one so tender, so womanly in il
expression, could linger around that lovel
mouth, as would tell OF a gentle loving hear
1t was only in moments of petulance, tia
that %scornful curve deepened around h
mouth, and one forgot, in looking upon HI
a~ueenly form and noble brow, the only Eau
which marred her almost perfect beauty.
We have said that ut the age of fiiteC
years, Eugenia left her home in Georgia, f
a seminary in one of the beautiful tow
which are scattered everywhere over Ne
England. At school she won all hearts, n
alone by her great beauty, but by her int,
~lectual capacities, and her frank, and inc
pendent spirit, which would never stoop
meanness, and would seorn it in others.
Herself q general ~favoritr, she was by
means uniform in bestowing her affection
She looked almost in vain over the crowd
rooms Of the institute, and could only 81
and stand proudly aloof, when she saw
perfectly congeuial spirit, in all that GIRL
band.
An orphan and alone, in that happy bar
was Lucy DeLacy. Sensitive and shrink
in disposition, she sought and found but f
friends, and yet she was very lovely. /
her loneliness consisted in the quiet bear
Of the spirit, which is apt to be overlooked
Clear, transparent skin, soft blue eyes
brow meek, almost ~infantile in expression
slight, but elegant form, and | have not /
drawn her portrait, for upon her face and
her clear, blue eye, shone the light of t
spiritual beauty which no artist can cat
and no narrator describe. With that stral
preference of the heart Which ever leads
to love our opposites, did the proud, gif
Eugenia, love the timid Lucy. And Ne
that it was returned with all the ~fprvenr,
a heart which has but few things to love,
therefore loves them the more intensely
They were in appearance and character c
plete oppOsites. Very unlike were the M
sweet face, sunny hair, slight form, and
ct serious smile Of Lucy, to the raven GU
stately form, and dark eyes of Eugeni;
Not more unlike was Lucy's yielding
timid disposition, to Eugenia's self cont
and digni6ed selfreliance. Daily conn
ions for three years, interrupted by their
cations alone, a true friendship of the \
perfect character grew up between thcr
love which no sisters could surpass upon
part Of Eugcnia, while Lucy returned it
all the ~fervency her gentle nature was C
BILE Of. We will pass over the three y
thus spent together within the classic W
nor speak Of their mutual progress in I
studies. lis said that, sympathy Of
is pleasing attraction, but congenialit
sentiment is the cement Of souls" TIL
was with Lucy and Eugenia, n perfect
pathy of taste, and sentiment. Bosom
panions, is it a wonder that one lovely
Lucy in quiet whispers, while q deeper C
son stole over her cheek, poured into E
MAS ear the story Of her love Spoil
her noble cousin, her nearest living rela
who had entwined himself around her
life, and love for whom had made her a
ing woman, before scarce sixteen sum-
had smiled in beauty over her path Of Iii
We shall not stop to dwell upon I
things, the sequel will reveal them all.
hnal examination Of the third Academic
was over, and pre-eminent among the OF
ating class shone our beautiful friends,
genia and Lucy. With light hearts
left the institution, Lucy by permiss;
her guardian accompanying her friel
her SPLENDID home, and whittier we will
low them.
CHAPTER II.