Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1856-02-23
NEW SERIES, VOL. 8, NO. 4s. SUNBURY,

| "a formal call at her house was my next
business but she was not at home. The
next week she was in the wood again, and
without her guardian. 1t was not at the first,
the second, nor the third interview that be-
gan to love her. cannot tell when it was.
| thought her at first, too far above human
nature to be loved by man, and at length
l found myself worshipping her. use the
old words Of lovers. ] can find no Others
| did do reverence to her. was boy be-
fore her. She was my whole life, my idol, in
every sense of the word l did not know or
care that there was God above us both-I
worshpped but her.
"'rhat picture is not hattering. She was
just such a person as you see her there
young, and exquisitely beautiful. and FL TO be
| queen.
"She thought she loved me. Yes, I know
she did. She had not seen the world, had not
been in company, had had no attentions from
men, had been with her father shut up from
childhood, and she doubtless believed that
she loved me truly, faithfully.
II can not tell you all that history Of our
| love, Of the long days in the deep forest, un-
der the shadowy oaks aud somhre pines; of
the evenings on the piazza, hidden from her
| fathers eye 10y the thick woodbine of the
close clasps of hands, the soft pressure of
cheek to cheek. the thrilling touch Of her
head to my shoulder, the long embraces. the
long kisses.
IL asked her once il she had ever dreamed
Of love before. l did not ask her if she had
loved she had told me often that she never
had.
"She answered frankly that she had once
thought she loved, but that was childish af-
fair, long past. 1t was boy schoomate,
who had been educated in her fathers family
before her father was rch and who had
grown up with her. lie was but nineteen
when she saw him last and she but fourteen,
and she had forgotten him till asked the
question.
"There was no hesitancy, no blushing. no
concealment. She told me that he had kissed
her often--on her cheek, and forehead, and
lips-and she had kissed him perhaps as often.
l confess that WINGED little but her eyes
looked down any distrust-those splendid
eyes.
"She described George Gray. He was
good. gentle boy, with some life and much
gaiety, and keen, quick, active mind
Mischievous at times, but always kind. She
seemed to like to talk about him, and l let
her talk.
"Weeks-months- year passed by, and
our love grew daily. 1t was arranged that
she was to pass year with her fathers sis
ter, a fashionable lady in the city, before our
marriage. Such was her fathers peremptory
desire, and we yielded.
II could not see her often while there, and
when did see her it was in fall room, sell
dom alone, never where / could hold her in
my arms, never where | could hear her say Il
| love you !! A few stolen Kisses which she
! feared more than /, might be seer by some
one. were all the tokens Of love we exchanged.
And yet | never doubted her for an instant.
/ would rather have doubted the sky, the
stars. any of the immutable objects around
US, than her love, which believed had grown
| to be mountain.
"Let me hasten to the end. We were
marred--in all the sp!endor of wealth.
Crowds of friends congratulated us, and
among the crowd that were at the wedding
was George Gray. He was the friend of her
aunt. and had been frequent visitor at her
house. In fact he had lived there for three
months before the marriage. l knew this
afterward, not then.
"Her aunt was q woman Of fashion, a gay,
soulless woman, one of the detestabe class
who live FOR the enjoyment Of to-day, forget
ting that there is tomorrow. The effect of
this companionship for year had changed
her whole character. | did not perceive it at
| uTst, uuJ IL was eOUu Hldue InauleSt. CHe
loved gay assemblies, and did not care whetb-
er / accompanied her. So within six months
after our marriage my dream of love was
over. We lived separately, not to the worlds
eye, but in fact. We occupied separate
rooms, seldom met in the house or in society,
never sat together, never folded each other
in our arms as of old, never pressed our lips
TO each others cheeks or lips. never looked
kindly in each others eyes. 1t was all over.
all our young glad dreams all our Joyous
hopes, all our brilliant fancies. ! sat long
nights alone in my library when she though.
l was reading. but when | vas struggling
with the agony of my lle Still trusted
her, still believed her mine and only mine,
still she was magniticeutly beautiful.
"One evening she was to go to large
party. Her carriage was Mt the door. | met
her in the entry. How splendidy she looked.
l paused in Involuntary admiration of her,
and she saw it and smiled. spranc forward
and took her hand IN mine She half with-
drew il. and then looked at me soarchinaly.
She turned her face away. ! raised my lips
to hers. She gave me her cheek, and trem-
bled as kissed 1t. | saw her, and relttcm-
bered alterward. The next moment she
kissed me once on my lips and was gone.
81 was to go that evening 10 see o friend
ten miles in the country, and, though it was
nine o'clock, started, and drove my horses
there within an hour. | was returning at one
O'Clock, the horses were lettering along. A
heavy cloud was in the west, and storm was
at hand, so gathered up the rens and drove
on rapidly. l had not gone thus half mile
when i heard a carriage coming furiously
down the road before me, and, as it dashed
by, flash Of lightning made every thing as
visible as daylight. / saw the hound that was
never away from my wife's carriage following
this one. 1t startled me. knew the dog
so well that the fact of his being there was
evidence beyond question that his mistress
was there also. Like the fash that had re-
vealed SO much. another fash in my soul re-
vealed thousand fold more turned my
horses instantly, and put them 20 their
speed. There were no such animals in the
county.
"They few over the road. The storm was
coming, and We were going TO meet it. The
lightning flashes were more and more fire.
quent, and ! saw the other carriage just
ahead. overlook it, and could hear some
one shout to the driver of it, and he put on
his lash furiously. He used the road adroit.
ly, keeping me constantly behind him. II
was tremendous pace, but / had my horses
we'll in hand, and l knew the road well
enough to know that mile ahead it crossed
a broad, desolate common, where ] could
have wide track upon which he could moi
keen ahead of me.