The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1857-10-21
ASHLAND, ASHLAND COUNTY, OHIO, WEDNESDAY NORM

Adrienne," said Mrs. Hartsteir
els related to my husband very slightly
and in consequence she often comes Ter
visiting. 1 know not if you would lik
her, Mr.. Halferston; she is strang
sort of creature. The charms of ou
Rembrandt girls have entirely failed il
inducing you to give up those Greek ant
Latin tones which you are so much il
love with It's really too bad, Mr.
Halferston !"
Mrs. Hartstein was evidently littlt
piqued, that lad paid so little atten
tion to the destinations of her fair towns
women, and smiled as said: l." Yor
would not have me forget my calling anC
play the firt, surely, Mrs. Hartstein?"
"Play the airt? Assuredly not but
my dear sir-beggipg your pardon 70,
the freedom-if you would only marry
1 think it would increase your happiness
| as well as usefulness. A minister s
wife has great-almost unbounded-
| sphere OI
every true" said, indifferently, aud
the conversation dropped.
Toward the autumn of my first year
in Rembi andt, as L was walking along
the principal street of the village
whittier had been attracted by the un-
usual splendor of moonlit night
met upon the narrow sidewalk two ladies,
one of whom recognized at glance
was Mrs. Harstein, the other was a
stranger.
She was clad in plain black silk, and
heavy velvet mantle of the same SOM
bre hue, yelled her shoulders. Mrs
Harstein stopped, and held out her
hand.
"Ah, I am pleased to see you ! Rev,
Cranfeld Halferston, my dear Adrienne
Miss Marshall, Mr.. Halferston," pre-
senting me to the lady. On the impulse
of the moment extended my hand to
the stately Miss Marshall, but with out
noticing the movement, she turned to-
ward me and bowed cold1y, icily.
My eyes were rivetcd upon her face.
The white rays of the moon fell full up
on her brow, which was broad and regal,
aud folded about with bands of hair
which cleaned in the light like threads
of spun jet The features we're fault
less as the carved thought of a sculptor;
but her eyes, alone, drew my attention.
Deep, dark, and passionless when they
rested on my face, but as she turned
partially away to allow Mrs. Harstein a
moments conversation with me regard
ing church matters, saw that lifting
them to the eternal blue of the heavens,
lit up by the spaugles of golden stars,
they elowed and dilated until it seemed
the boundless fields Of azure had not the
wherewith to satisfy the wild, fathom-
less yearning of their gaze!
The reader will pardon me if I seem
enthusiastic, but in that fifteen minutes
interview in the cold moonlight of Sep
tember, my whole being, heart, life, aud
soul, went forth and made the election
of its everlasting love, and the chosen
was Adrienne Marshall.
had reached tie mature age of six
and twenty, and, strange to say, 1 had
never loved. In my youth 1 had no
little girl cousins to claim my boyish
love, and in the earlier years of my
manhood, l had been too much absorbed
in studying the divine inspiration which
1 was to pour out upon the needy world,
to heed the attractions of the fair beings
who fitted around me- But the time
that comes once in the life of every ma
ture person, came to me when my eyes
looked into the face of Adrienue Mar
shall. With my whole strength [ re-
sisted, but my will, hitherto invulnerable
in the conquest of self, availed naught.
saw Miss Marshall the following
evening at the house of Mrs. Harstein,
but we made no progress toward ac-
quaintan eeship. She was politely dis
tant, and wrapping myself in the i'm
penetrable armor of that reserve which
has ever been the stumbling block of my
life, 1 directed my conversation to any
but Miss Marshall.
She went away, and l saw her no more
for ton months, and then under what
draa Ifrl ouu,otopcac
The summer of 1S-was unusually
hot and dry, and by the close of July a
terrible drought withercd and burnt up
the earth. Rain fell not, and vegeta-
tion dropped down and died. The un-
state of the weather brought on
much sickness in many places, and Rem
brandt was visited with malignant fe-
yer which swept scores into the grave.
Families took their leave of each mem
ber when they retired at night to their
for may be the light of morn
ng would find some one of their num-
Der struggling in the grasp of the fatal
destroyer.
AS my office dem anded, I went about
lmong my horror stricken people, striv-
ng to administer consolation to break
ng hearts, and infuse hope into despair
ug souls. Even though danger threat
ned me, I could not leave my flock in
,J.,o 5;.,,aza .nd ol,o- 81, |