Weekly hawk-eye and telegraph. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1855-1857, 1857-05-27

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Mary left the room, and Adeleye sat her
self down before the shrine which held her
idol--The face Of the image looked angry
and perplexed; and the Pearl was very sor-
rosfuI. for she remembered the time when
she had forgotten all she had loved and
known in her selfish jog at being taken from
her home beneath the waters"
CHAPTER ii.
The Shell paused, for whenever it spoke
of the sea its voice was mournfnl, and sound
cd like the moaning Of the waves after
storm had vexei them. In a few moments il
continued -
"Adeiere was aow twenty-one. She had
passed the last three years in the pursuit Of
pleasure, and a more ferrent devotion to her
idol Her beauty had gained her many adj
mirers, but the Pearl (who like myself, had
the powerof understanding human thoughts}
had seen how her vanity and frivolty had
| made her an object OF ridicule. She was.
however, TO be married to one as vain and
| frivolous as herself, and whom she only val
| ued for his wealth and position in society.
| She thought that his riches would give her
| more opportunities for display, and that she
| would be enyicd for the grandeur of her
/ house and the splendor of her equipages.
| She knew that he was proud Of her beauty,
and would deny her nothing that could set it
| OF TO the greatest advantage; and for this
| she had consented to pass her life as the COM
panion Of foolish coxcomb
| ''Her wedding was to be the grandest Of
| the season, and numbers were invited to see
| how splendidly she was to be attired, and
| how beautiful she wonid look Her cousin
| had been married a year before, TO the GU
| rate, (whose name was Merton also, of
| small parish III the country, and it was with
! some difficulty that Achieve could be per
| suadcd by her mother to invite Mary to be
present at her marriage, fearing that the sim
| pIicity of her early friend and her husband
| might detract from the splendors of the
scene-lt was we'll for Adeleve that she did
'grhe church was crowded with persons 10
| witness the ceremony, and not few gratlt-
ed the vanity of Achieve by their exc1ama-
tons Mt the beauty both of her person and
her bridal dress Her happiness, however,
was to experience some alloy (as even at the
altar her vanity had sought to crafty itself)
for the church dignitary who was to have
read the mar, iage service, was taken sudden
ly ill., and the poor country curate, Marys
HUSBAND. fi.ti W OiHCftIt III ottdu.
"The wedding party returned from the
church to a sumptuous breakfast, at which
were present hundred people who cared
nothing for Achieve and for whom she cared
as little The only persoas, besides her moth
err who felt any concern for the future wei
fare of the bride, were Mary and her nus
band But Achieve treated them with mark
ed neglect as though she were ashamed to
own relationship with two such homely peo-
pie; but they felt no resentment at such con-
duet for their own goodness made them rea
dy to excuse any forgetfuness Of themselves,
and they returned to their own quiet village
without envy of the splendor they had seen,
or anger at the vain and selfish girl who had
forgotten what was due to the only friend OF
her hayward youth.
"The pearl too, had received her need of
praise on that day, for she had heard the
thoughts of many upon her beauty; and, in
her gratitude to the mistress who had obtain
ed for her such an opportunity to be admir-
ed, she needed not the seltlshness and vanity
which she saw in the mind of Achieve. She
felt how ashamed she should have been had
an unsightiy oyster claimed kindred with
her, when a hundred tongues were lavish in
the praises of her loveliness. Poor silly
Pearl! She knew not what was in store for
her.
"And Achieves image seemed in its crys-
tai shrine as though it could never again own
vexed or angry look Alas it was deceit
full idol
"Timc passed on, and with it Adelevc's
welded life Her home had no charms for
her, except when it afforded her the opportu
mites of displaying her wealth and beauty
before people who she thought envied and ad-
mired her. As she grew older she became
more greedy of lattery, and those interested
in pleasing her paid her the most fulsomc
compliments, which her vanity made her be-
lieve were the honest expressions Of their
thoughts When there were none to flatter
she was petuant with all about her. and, as
her husband was very frequently exposed to
her bad temper she soon grew distasteiu to
him, and he avoided her society as much as
possible. For this she cared but little, as he
had long ceased to administer to her vanity,
excepting by allowing her the means to dress
oxtravagantly and give Grand entertainments
When she was not employed with these
lrivolties she was very miserable, for she had
| not provided her mind with any other re
| sources OF pleasure, Or cultivated her dispo-
| sition to find delight in acts of kindness and
| benevolence, whereby her leisure and her
| wealth might have been made a blessing to
herself and others. She felt that no one re-
ally loved her for as she had lived for her
self alone, all her friends repaid her selfish
ness and Indifference. When this feeling
was strongest in her mind she would some
times weep very bitterly, not with sorrow at
her past folly i'll neglecting the opportunities
she had had, but with vexution at her want
of influence over others At those times she
seldom visited her idol, but when she did she
saw the image with red swollen eyes, and its
dark eyebrows contracted together. makit
its palid checks look more sorrowtul. Then
would she turn away from it in haste and
| laugh disdaiutulv, as though she thought to
| deceive herself into the belief that her an
noyance was not real. The poor Pearl, who
knew the truth, was doomed to suffer great.
ly; for though she did not love her mistress
she could not witness these exhibitions OF
human weakness without desire to escape
from them, and she often sighed, how vain
ly for her peaceful home far beneath the
waters"
Again the she'll paused, for it was thinking
Of the sea which it loved so we'll
"Ade!cve had been married about four
years when two events occurred which ma
terialv affected her One was nothing less
than the appearance ola new beauty, called,
Laura.
MY name!'' cried the listening girl.
'There are many that are so called con
timed the Shell THE Laura Of whom
now speak was not only as lovely as Achieve
but she was, by some years, her junior. Her
beauty, howeye: was her least claim to add
mir,tion
"Her least claim exclaimed the surprs-
ed listener
AT present you will not believe me, said
the Shell nevertheless, speak truly when
| say that her beauty was her least claim to
| the admiration Of those who knew her. She
had been trained by good and wise parents,
who had sought to store her mind with the
knowledge of good and truth--and well had
she repaid their care. Gentle to all she was
obeyed with an alacrity that proved it was
pleasure to consult the least of her wishes
Mindful of the duty she owed to those beneath
her. the poor had reason hourly to bless her
care of them Grateful for the love which
was shown towards her, she sought to evince
| her own afiectoaate regard for all those who