Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1857-12-02
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of my Improbable life Il is a history so
dark that always shrink from it. There
are but tive sslnspots ID al its dark. gloomy
pages. One Of i anothers smiles that /
sometimes dream Of vet. and Of 3 faithful
hearted nurse thai used Is wander with me
among sweet flowers and siiusr sonos 10 me
such asI loved to hear :
Thy little history, friend Ella, moves
me to compassion thy inward trials. I
cannot think Of suffering thee to 90 away
and battle with tue unfriiendlv sfiirit Of th9
wicked world. NV, We sEe main people.
given tosimplicit1 III sll things. net If thou
feels wiling 81 lI,x bart f.
tls thou sLs,. .sIs s.elson,e 8 ','' d, !, n,
things and ever will strive to bring
thy oppressor to a sense of justice that what
Is lawfully thine may be awarded unto thee"
Nay, it is not meet for one of thy ten
der age to be elfprotector; for the ways
OF the world are very sinful and it is easv
to fall into transgression," said Mrs. Col
bert, plain woman with calm, benevo-
lent face.
And two little girls, with eyes as gentle
and blue as the wavelets of some woodland
lake, looked up into Elias face and begged
her to stay with them and be a dear, dear
sister for them to love.
Il feel" said Ella, ''under ten thousand
obligations to you already, and | cannot
think of remaining here burthen on your
charity. Somehow feel that it would be
wrong for me to impose myself upon you,
1t may be selfpride or seIf-depen-
dence that urges me on in this belief. vet
cannot resist it and turn it back"
That, dear young FRIEND" said Mr.. Col
BERT rs an improper spirit, spirit of the
world and the flesh that influences thee in
thy opinions. Now, we are commanded to
strive against the workings Of all such evil
spirits and | am constrained to believe
from the testimonies within, that the evil
one IS tempting thee to 90 forth into the
world, leaning on the frail arm of thine own
confidence, that the tempter may sit in thy
path and the more readily lead thy young
spirit into the forbidden paths of sin and
folly, and in the end secure thy ruin
Hearken, | beseech thee, my friend, un-
to the counsels of one that wishest thv pres
ent and eternal well doing. Thou hast
been led by thy guardian spirit to the place
where thou art safe from all the snares and
temptations that have heretofore beset thee:
and my soul is moved to deep compassion
IN thy behalf and | am constrained by the
hidden workings. within to be thy protec-
tor, even father unto thee"
Tears started from the ewes of poor Ella
at the good counsele an4lr eat;anata-uu4r4la-
Self-dependence held prominent position
in her nature And we are forced to say
that, pure as her guileless heart was, the
arch enemy-the captor of souls, had found
the door of her heart unguarded and had
entered in =
"Shall | cast myself burthen and de-
pendent upon the kindness and charities o.
these good people, and live in their sim
plicity and humility, and soul-sick with the
curse Of my own poverty while life lasts, OF
shall | bid adieu to the path of virtue anC
religion and sell my soul in this world anc
the next for price to buy the scarlet rob'
of shame and dishonor? Shall | cast of
my robe Of purity and innocence to threaC
the road Of the vile and abandoned, to trace
the path of the siren, along which ar
f hung flowers of tempting hues and allurin
] fragrance, fruits of delicious flavor, equipag
r Of gaudy flame, but whose gates are he'll
and haunted by the spectral ghosts ofmul
4 dered Conscience, piercing with their fer
stings the guilty soul that is ever tren
/" bling ever writhing under the bitter per
atty of remorse-forever dying, yet eve
# living under the burning affiiction Of retr
d butiye misery"
p The appeals presented to her by tt
IS Friend and his family were too strong an
too truthful for her to resist, and at lengt
h she consented to remain with Mr.. Colber
e. on condition that he grant her the priv
# lege of instructing the two little girls in Il
first rudiments of their education, addir
70 that unless some employment was given h
,e she should go and seek her bread elsewhel
n as she could not bear the idea of beir
w solely dependent on his generous bount
Il Her conditions were Immediately col
w piled with by Mr. Colbert, he engaging h
- as an instructress and giving her at t
''o+ same time handsome remuneration.
wv He soon found that Elias qualifcatio
and abilities were of,no ordinary charact
+s and it was but q short time until she
ar, came the pet of the household and its Vi
er tors; and light, bright, sunny and cheeri
m like the blessed sunbeams, began to sh
ne in and make happy again the heart Il
nv had SO long been in gloom.
of Let me say again, that man was 2
n. lanthropist