The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1856-07-24
THE rAITMLEss DAUGurEH.
nY rLoRENcE LE roNrlNE.

flowers OF every hue, HCaTk-eyed maiden sat
in the recess of deep bay window her Mt
titude was very graceful. IA she leaned ler
head upon her fair white hand, while a black
curl or two, falling upon il, conttasted sweet
ly with its whiteness nothing could compare
With the glossy softness Of those tresses, or
the blackness of their hue, as thep partially
concealed her face and bosom, ike a veil,
having escaped in their W ntonness frcm n
comb which kept them in their place. She
appeared to be gazing upon The azure aky, as
one by one the g ars came out in their glorious
light; bat her thoughts were not there. Just
then the silence was disturbed by the sound
of an inyslid's voice from the rdjoning
room.
Pauline. my daughter p z
The maiden arose. and going to the bed
side. the sick mother bade her be seated, and
in deep converse was two lours passed
away.
Mrs. P, tersou had been a widow for mfny
years, and an invalid. Pauline was her tn'y
child, consequently all her affections were
centered upon her; yst. with all the petu-
lnce habitual to coLiirmed invalid, she
desired that all her daughters care and un
divided attention should be bestowed " on
her; fhe was the owner ofa large esta'e,
which, However. was involved in difficulty J;
and her main desie was to rid the Inherit
ance Of the incumbrancc by the marriage Of
her daughter with her cousins son, TO whom
the e, tate was mortgaged but the marriage
was not to take place until after her death
should Pauline make an arrange mcnt cen
trary to the will of her mo'her, she, on this
evening, informed her that she would incur
The p'nalty Of being penuiless ard home
less.
When we take into consideration that The
sick mother was feeble, fretful, weak, irrelig
ious and narrow minded, we will ct wonder
at this unfeeling demand Pauline had great
reverence for the command, honor Thy
father and the MOTHER S" she promised TO
do all her parent rt qured, even though her
lifetime should be embitttred by thus do
ing yet size was bound by the most sacred
ties of friendship and love to one whom the
mother had never seen; doubtless report of
the daughters intimacy was the reason Oftl e
conversation on that night
Having adjusted the pillows and read
awhile to the invalid, Pauline kissed her and
b,de her "good night" it wa. the last
goodnight, but neither knew it.
AT eleven o'clock, that same night notes
had been exchanged. All was quiet at the
mansion, when a slight fymae figure issued
forth she was nearly enveoped in gray
mantle. AS the cool night air fell upon the
excited brow Of the girl, sh ceased her steps,
and turning, pushed back the long thick curls,
with both hands pressed to her temples as if
to still their throbbing, and took a long look
up to the dmly lighted room of her mother.
She seemed to hesitate in the step she was
about to take her firmness was faltering,
when three touches upon guitar, lot very
distant. minded her of the future she com
mand.d her conscience to be still, and il
ceased to reproach her.
She quickened her pace, and soon reached
q shall summer house near the bottom of the
garden one moment more, ard a manly
arm supported her; all trembling was over
all was decided she would give up al'-5e-
come his wfe-his fortune should suffice for
both they would find home in the far
West, leaving forever the home of her child
hood the home where, two hours before,
she had made VOW to the mother just upon
the brink of eternity.
She stepped into the carriage that Henry
ostander had provided, and which was in
waiting at short distance. Speedily troll
ed away and, just as the sun was rising
they breathed the vows at the alter of vii
lage church which made them man and
wife.
Two years had elapsed since that hurried
bridal occurred in the village of r, and
those two years had borne with them myr-
lad Of strange circumstances-just as strange
rs that daughters broken promise. The au
tumn leaves were falling, and the beauties Of
Indian Summer were fast approaching, when
a lady, with one child and a servant, arrived |
in the village of F.. They ordered a
carriage and drove twelve miles out of the
city. where they took rooms at a hotel the
lady was dressed in widows habiliments,
and when the heavy veil was occasionally re-
moyed, her face, though very youthful,
showed evidences of deep suffering.
It was evening when they arrived at the
place but the lady, whom | recognized as
Pauline Ostander, bade the driver wait -
after going to her apartment, and issuing
some orders, she descended to The carriage
alone, and was driven to the home of her .
childhood but it was a home-not hers,
now. The churchb had tolled the funeral
knell for the inVali mother, as for the hus-
bsnl of her choice the property had all
passed into the hands of the unrelenting
cou 10, who did not now choose to know the
molherless and the widow.
Late as was the hour, Pauline visited the .
the Vault where lay the remains of the moth
ef she had forsook for another for an idol
she had forsaken her dying mother far a de-
sire of her own eyes, and device of her own .
heart and the device Of her heart and the .
idol of her eyes had been taken from her
The punishment for the sin Of disobeying
parent had fallen, and she, who had left that .
parent alone in the world, 10 sink into the
grave in the arms of strangers, was now left .
alone in the world, stripped of her dreams,
Of her hopes, of her affections, like wreck .
abandoned by its crew, and tossed about at