The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1856-01-30

this bereavement. The m ipister came
and muttered few hollow praises in his
ear, aud few neighbors, impelled by
curiosity to see the interior of his dwell.
ing, came TO the funeral. With a proud
and lofty look, the son stood above the
dust and the dead, in the midst Of the
land Of hypocritical mourners, with q
pang at his heart, but serenity upon his
brow. He thanked his friends for their
kindness, acknowledged their courtesy,
aud then strobe away from the grave, to
bury his grief in the privacy Of the desert
ed dwelling.
lie found, at last, the solitude Of the
mansion almost insupportahle, and he
paced the ebony floor from morning till
night, in all the agony Of WOO and desc.
lstion, vainly impor,uning heaven for re.
lie. 1t came to him in the guise Of po-
etic inspiration. He wrote with won der.
ful ease and power. Page after page
came from his prolific pen, almost with
out an effort, and there was time when
he dreamed vain !ooD Of Immortality
Some Of his productions came before the
world. They were praised and circula,.
ed; and inquiries set on foot in the hope
Of discovering the author. He, wrapped
in tho veil Of obssurity, listened to tho
voice Of applause. the more delicious be.
cause it WAS obtained by stealth. From
the obscurity Of yonder lone mansion, and
fro u this region 10 send lays tha. aston
ished tho world, was indeed = triumph to
the visionary bard.
His thirst for fame had been graft.
fed, and as now began to yearn fer the
companionship Of some sweet being OF
the softer sex, to share with him the lau-
rels be had won, and to whisper consola.
tion in his ear in the moments of d>spon.
dency, and to supply the void which the
death ola father had occasioned. He
would picture to himself the felicity Of a
refined intercourse with highly intel
lectual and beautiful woman, and as lie
had chosen for his motto, Whatever has
been done may be done, he did not de-
spair Of succcss.
In this viIage lived three sisters; all
beautiful aud accomplished. Their names
were Mary, Adelaide and Madeline.
am far enough past the age Of enthusiasm,
but mover can ! forget the beauty Of those
three young girls. Mary was the young.
est, and . fairer-haired, moro laughing
dsm,el, never danced upon the green
Adelaide. who was few years older, was
dark-ha aud psnsive but Of the three
Madeline, the Oldest, possessed the most
fire. spirit, cultivation and intellectually.
Their father, man 0! taste aud educa.
ton, and being somewhat above the vu-
gar prtiudices, permitted the visits Of the
hero Of my story. Still he did not en-
courage tn, affection he found springing
up between Mary and the poet. When,
however, he found that her affections were
engaged, he did not withhold bis consent
from their marriage, and the rec'use bore
to the mansion the young bride Of his af.
fections. Oh, sir, the house assumed a
new appearance within and without.
Roses bloomed in the garden Jes.
ssmines peeped through the lattice, and
the fields about It sniied with the effects
Of more careful cultivation. Lights were
seen in she pa,lor in the evening; and
many time would the passer.by pause
a, the garden gate to listen TO strains Of
the sweetest music, breathed by choral
voices from the cottage. II ,he mys.eri.
Gus student and bis wifs had been neg
lected by the nsighbors, what cared they
Their endaring mutual affection made
their home little Paradise. But death
came to Ellen. Mary suddenly fell sick
and ater few hours illness, died in the
arps Of her husband and her sister Made
line. This was the students second heavy
affection.
"Dsys, months rolled on, and the sol.
ace Of the bercaved was to sit with the
.i.tey Of the deceased and talk of the Loaf
one. To Adelaide he offered bis widow.
ed heart. The bridal WAS not one of Eev-
elry and mir.h. Yet they lived happi.
ly, and the rose again blossomed in the
gssdep. But il seemed as il fatality pur.
sued this singulas man. When the rosa
withsrsd, and the leaf fell, in the mellow
autumn Of the year, Adelaide too siuken.
Cd and died like her sister, in the srms Of
her husband and Madeline.
Perhaps you will think ID strange,
ysspa man, that sisx oil, the wvsscA<d