The Westerly echo, & Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1854-1858, 1857-03-12
WHOLE NUMBER 298


: about to perpetrate any mischievous
trick, it seemed as III gentle hand was
laid on bis arm, and soft, persuasive
voice said, Arthur, l wouldn't do it,"
and he could not do it. The consequence
was, his young companions soon began
to wonder bow it had happened that
Arthur bad so suddenly abandoned all
his late tricks, and become 80 agreeable
companion. But no one, not even
Ellen, guessed the cause. She was too
modest to think of attributing an energy
so potent to the few words she had spok-
en- in the nursery.
Six years passed away, and Ellen
Hastings was no longer child, for she
had bloomed into womanbood, having
reached the golden age of the novelist.
sweet sixteen. But during this winged
years, which in fight had borne her
so rapidly to this point, she had never
forgotten her beloved sister Clara or her
parting counsel. To be good and TO do
good had been her constant and noble
aim. Such an aim could not fail to give
a moral elevation and dignity to her
whole character, which greatly enhanced
those natural charms with which she had
been endowed in no stinted measure.
When Ellen was sixteen, It 80 chanc-
ed that she spent lev days With
friend who resided in city where was
located fourishng college One eve-
ming, during this visit, she was introduo.
ed to small and select circle of init.
mate friends among whom we're two or
three Of the college students. One Of
these was no other than her old playmate
at Mr.. Herbert's, Arthur Dunning. But
Ellen did not recognize him. They had
not met since that time, and as that
meeting bad not made no particular i'm
preston upon her mind, it was almost
forgotten. When introduced to Mr..
DuDning, no suspicion of ever having
met him before crossed her mind.
Not so, however, with Arthur Dun.
ming. The impression made upon his
mind hao been far deeper, and therefore
not go easily effaced by the lapse of years.
As soon as Ellen was introduced to bin,
As Miss Hastings, he was struck With
something familiar in the glance which
met his, and in the tones of the voice
which fell on his ear. They seemed to
have a strange connection with some
scene of the past, though all was dim
md indistinct. He could not recall ,cAsre
&c had met that glance and heard those
ones.
For half an hour after this introduc.
ion Arthur Dunning puzzled and wear
ed himself by chasing this phantom Of
The past Sometimes it would almost
assume tangible shape, and he would
think he was about to seize it, when it
would elude his mental grasp, seeming
as airy and intangible as ever.
At length one of the party with whom
Miss Hastings was on terms Of familiar
intimacy, addressed her as Ellen, my
dear" In moment the misty veil
was removed from the mind of Arthur
Dunuing, and he mentally exclaimed,
II have it, have it now it i, FL.
en- Hastings" and internally the whole
Gene in the nursery at Mr.. Herbert's
anne up before him. at is the very
ame. l was sure that her countenauce
nd the tones of her voice were strange
y familiar, and equally sure that they
Vere connected with some cherished
ecollecfion of the past. Ah that fort
light at MIR. Herbert's-how we'll do
ecollect it j! ELLEN Hastings was my
,ood angel then"
Towards the close of the evening,
Arthur contrived to get by the side of
ellen, and also to draw her into free
md animated conversation. He was
about to recall to her mind their former
when the attention ofboth
we're arrested by the conversation of tho
,ther meu,bers of the little group.
Certain college regulations which
we're regarded by many Of the students
IS very unreasonable, onerous and arbi-
rary, had occasioned dissatisfaction 80
,eneral, that plan was forming and be.
ng openly discussed, to resist them.--
rbe disafected students imagined they