Delaware weekly Republican. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1841-188?, 1856-11-13
VENGEANCE Is MINE

4
| eer'n uhd heaven rocked under the concussion.
| that N No'sA OA' i''
The Nittany, will be lCod," said the Ia ndor
@ or Was boarding, for the summer, at a mountai
INN we shall hear Of damage by morning.
ne mad hardly spoken when the deor opene,
ana the gust driving In almost aared out tho cal
ae. helgnbor entered, horror and alarm on ey
ey Iealure' so that, even before he spoke, we kne
ne came on some fearful errand. Both the lander
ana l sprang instinctiyely to our feet.
Mary Ennis----" he began.
what z gasped the landlord, interruptiag hin
one hasn't ade away with hersele?n
"dod knows !" was the answer sShe disApea
Cd from the house, just as the storm came, and W,
met frantic like, going down the mountain. Ill
p p9or oia tather is most distracted. l am goin
WIN Jem Wright and some others, to look Il
turn out 2"
had been long enough in the village to be fl
miilar with the story of Mary Ennis. she was th
olly cmid oil her parent q venerable old ma
whom all Teverenced and loved for his single. mind
edpiety Two years before, she. had been the pride
ahke OF him and Of the neighsorhood.
VI rare and delicate syle of beauty, amiablo and
unassuming, she had won all hearts.
Her own, however, was given to young gentle>
man, the heir Of an estate mile below the village
who had just returned from college, and who "fell
In ioVe," as the phrase gees, Sat frat sight, He
was one OF those eager natures whose selfish desire
10 have their own way at once, and at every cost is
oiten mistaken for energy: and the ardent man.
ner, therefore, in which he urged his suit, passed
with Mary as 1t passed with many Others for proof
OF his excessive love- This characteristic he exhib
tied in reference to an engagement Her father
| objected, in vain, to it, saying that Mary was too
young, that both might change their mint DIS; but
George Barlow, for that was the lovers name,
would not hear ofpostponement; she loved Mary"
| he said, sand he should always love herr he was
willing 70 wait till she was nineteen, as Mr.. Ennis
wished but he should always lear to lose her, un.
less she was plighted to him !" and his inhexible,
| persistent selfshness carried tho day.
La Mary's eyes. she was from that hour virtually
MS wife. Her every thought she held sacred to
him she consulted all his tastes; an she even
found secret pleasure as gentle souls like hers
DO. In sacrificing her will to his. He was ex-
acting impeIous wilful and often harsh but she
did not see t for her affection transformed everyN
thing Love was necessity 70 her, and now that she
mad liked her affections, and that custom warranted
her 10 giving free course to them, she grow to tair
y worship him. Her love became part of her
existence. 1t was her very life
| A year passed. George often went to the city
always on pretence of business, but really from love
OF change. During one of these visits he became
enamoured of celebrated BELLE the very opposite
| IN everything, of Mary. 1t was not strange, thi
sudden passion. Novelty was everything TO thi
selfish man His reputation for a good estate Sc
| cured him a welcome with the fashionable rival
aud her coquctry which ought to have opened hi
| eyes, only liked his admiration, by alarming hi,
sense Of security. He forgot his VOWS to Mary lin
sered ia the metropolis until he secured his mel
4
ms bride and break off his engagement with Ma
| ry.
Selfish as he was, however he began to doubt a
he approached the village, whether he had not act
| cd the rascal. Everything he saw reminded him o
Mary. Here was the little pond where they haC
gathered water lilies; there were the wood walk
they had treaded often; and yOnder the old tree
at whose roots they had found the first vioiets o
the season. But he soon succeeded in persuaiing
himself, ns men bent such crimes always do
that he was the niuredparty rather than the wrong
doer. "She has lost my afec tions," he said Gc
himself, "beoause she is too tame for me- If mar,
ry her it will only make both of us unhappy; nay
it will make Emily unhappy tOo.n Anl this s1>
phistry satisfied him
Il is notmy purpose to narrate, at large the cru.
el interview that followed The announcement of
her lovers treachery fell on Mary wholly unexpect-
cd. In her guieess faith, she had never even sus
pected him; and the blow shattered at once
her hopes, der affections and her trust in tru th
The world and everything in it seemed to her
chaos. She heard his labored argument by which
he sought to defend his conduct but it made im.
preston on her sense; buzzing was in her ears
she looked at him yacantly: and then fell to the
floor crazed, as if bolt of lightning had crashed
her BRAIN,
In country towns tragedy like this is in every
| ones mouth; and the condemnation OF Barlow was
| almost universal lie had the hardihood, however
to brave ii out. 0na day, in the yery inn where
was now boarding, he had turned on his accuser
with bravery, which, in a bet cause woul have
| been grand
''What business is it of yours ;" he said frown-
ing at their ringleader, 81 don't abuse Miss Ennis;
| only say she isn't suited to me and take it
ought to know best whether sho is or not. always
supposed till n0w," he continued, with a sneer
!that il was impertiuent to interfere in those pr
vate affairs the whole truth of which is known on
| ly to the two parties most interested. don't tel
| my neighbors whom they shall marry or whom not
| and won'tpermit any man or men, to dictate me
| in the same question"
| He remained, for an instant, after he had finish
TAD Innlrs data lNY L..k.
to make personal alteration of it, he was not
answered; and finally slapping his boot contemp t
uously with his whip he turned on his heel ant
left.
"He ought to have found out whether he liket
Mary Ennis we'll enough to marry her, before h
was engaged" said an honest old farmer, wit
stra ght forward logic. ~ am told he was brut
enough to say, yesterday, that she was too wea
Minded & anss ssr gong % ern1y was proof Of it. #
heavy whip. "I'd have beat t him within an inch q
his life, But neghbor Ennis is old, and an eide
of the church, and was always mild man an,
way.
For many weeks Mary remained entirely insane
But kiud and judicious treatment at last mtigatet
her disease, though it did not lead to perfect re,
cOvery. Her mind still wandered at times, and OF
certain subjects The physicians held out hopes
however, that she would finally regain all her ole
sanity and the sure, though slow, improvement
that was obserable in her, during the winter ant
spring confirmed these views. But, in an evil houl
fallen on an old newspaper, which contained The
announcement Of her lovers marriage This mar
riage, which had happened the preceeding autumn,
ha been carefully concealed from her, and no one
knew how she became possessed of the newspaper
Her father returning at dusk, just the storm
up, found the paper lying on the floor, by her work
table, as if she had dropped it hurriedly, and aar-
med at this as we'll as at her absence, had rushed
out to see If any one had met her. This last in
telligence was impaired to us as the Landlord aud
were getting ready, the narrator saying in eonclu
sion:
81 shouldn't wonder if some person has sent the
paper on purpose At any rate she was seen going
down the mountain; and the notion is that She
bound to George Barl0w's 1t will take all the mel
we can get to search for her and there's no tint
to be lost; for the Niltany must be in a flood now
and she'd not have the sense may be to know tina
she can't ford it,"
The sky seemed actually on fire with ligh thing a
we left the house. The rain poured The thunde
beloved. Hurrying through the village We 500
overlook tho party which had preceded us. At il
head was the distracted father hislong white locks
that escaped from beneath his hat exposed to tn
wind and rain We turned into the forest, in tn
direction of the NittaDy, huge blazing pine knot
lightning rway, in the intermission OF the light
ming, Before we reached the stream, We heard owe
the rushing rain and driving guests, its roarin
sound as it foamed onward between tho rock
banks. bridge at that point spanned the waite
and there half OF our party crossed, including ih