True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1857-09-23
THE BAN1sHED STEP DAUGHTER
A TALE OF DOMESTIC LIFE.
CONTINUED FROM LAST wEEK.)
CHAPTER II. .

The paper which Robert had presented
me from Mr.. Atherton, proved to be
cheque for fifty pounds, and small as was
the sum, l felt deeply grateful for it. 1t
would at least enable me to make some
additions to my scanty wardaobe.
Placing i: carefully in my porte.mon-
naie, I continued in state of trepidation
till the arrival of The carriage at the station.
Totally unaccustomed to travelling alone,
it seemed an almostdesperate undertaking
to purchase my ticket and find my way
to the train unassisted; but what one
anaSt do is always practicable. Fortuna
tely,'i had no baggage to attend to, so at
the first step Of my journey of exile, l
could say with the Arab" Blessed be
nothing"
But another difficulty lay before me-
According to my calculations should
arrive at s. some time ih~ tie night
How, in such case, was | to find my
friend? and, if / succeeded, what impress
sion should 4 make, coming thus anan,
nounced and so unseasopably upon her
The idea Of going alone, at night, to a
strange hotel, 1 could not for a moment
entertain, Fos few moments I looked
back regretfully upon the house l had left,
and as impossibiities thickencd upon me.
I said to myself
"Oh, foolish heart !-oh, headstrong
will thus to have sacrificed ease, com.
fort, wealth, station. everything, for silly
whim. prejudice, baseless, perhaps, as
the vision of night. Why could you
not stiae, as others have done, as thous-
ands do daily, those natural intuetions,
which, in conventional life, do so annoy
you See at what cost you are assert
ing your vaunted independence !"
81 see," answered back the heart, be-
ginning to grow strong since its fetters
were cast off. 81 can calmly count over
the fearful cost"
And SO, with growing 'self-reliance
and increasing sense of the sweetness OF
liberty mingling with all my doubts, and
fears, and anxieties, Travelled on.
At last, overcome with fatigue and ex-
element, I fell asleep. When awoke
it was far in the night my fellow pas.
sengers were sleeping unquietly the
halfled oil lamps burned dimly in the
fetied. unwholesome atmosphere, and
longed to escape from the uncomfortable
place to freer air and less confined quar-
ters.
"Are we near S-W I asked the
guard as he passed. ..
"We left it behind us an hour ago."
The words fell with the weight of lead
upon my heart. What should do =!
Without any word of chiding for my
carelessness. the guard gave me pass
ticket to take me back by the morning
train to S.. AT midnight found
myself comfortably seated in a neatly
furnished ladies' parlor, under the care
of good humored, respectable looking
station master.
think always had a happy faculty ol
looking upon the bright side Of affairs
know, a. least, that sitting alone in thai
strange place, at midnight, notwiIhstand
ing all the doubt and uncertainty tha
hung around my future, was still more
cheerful than had been for many weeks
I was free, and that to one who hat
known all the bitterness of dependence
was an expressible blessing. Thus fal
every difficulty had but raised me up 9
friend; why should rnot be powerful
for the future
''Take courage hear, !" said. "The
world is all before the where to chose
be true TO thyself and fear nothing ant
try if self-reliance be not the truest hap.
piness.
It was in this mood that l stepped ou
upon the platform Of the station, Just a
the sun was rising. It was a beautiful
scene, and II inhaled fresh and, glowing
inspiration with every breath of the swee
morning air. In the Background was
range Of bold, wooded hills, at whose fee
rested qniet little village, from the chin
ncys Of which columns Of blue smok,
were curling thinly upward in the clea
atmosphere. The fore round was .fillet
by broad and beautil Hriver, the rusl
Of whose waters camS 4p through tn
tall pines and chedtnuts Which skirted it
bank, scftened by the dtKance to mur
muring song which pIe ntly stirred tn
atill air, H
"This is a pretty plscS y I said to my
self ~ should like to Stay here"
"What is to hinder r., said voic
within. "If you goto your aunt you vo
UNFAIRLY resign this freedom which plea,
es You so well you become again a de-
pendent; for, let you work as you may
you will yet be under obligations to he
for q home. Besides she will doubles
subject you to rigid cross s.questionin
as 10 the causes Of Nour banishment
which will be far frorB agreeable, TO sa.
the least' "a ygE yaa. .
/ had nothing to ahSner to this reason
ineat presant, and, with half define