Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1858-07-09

, society. He courted the daughter of a
neighboring gentleman, and was accepted.
She was intelligent and beautiful, and he
loved her with all the ardor of his romantic
nature all bis hopes--all his aspirations
had reference to her happiness which he
would have secured at the sacrafce Of life
itself. The wedding day was ixed--the
hour had almost arrived, when he received
the cruel intelligence, that the bridal ring
would be placed upon her finger by
another's hand. The shock was too great
for his powers of endurance, and he sunk
under it, the cureless victim of disappoint-
ed Affection moral, intellectual aud
physical wreck"
The earnestness with which he spoke,
and the strong feeling expressed by his
countenance, whilst relating this incident
did not escape Helen's notice, and she
trembled at the recollection of its easy
application to recent occurrences in her
own history. This was the second time he
had spoken as if in allusion to herself;
and but for the respect-nay, even tender
ness Of his manner towards her, in other
respects, she would almost have felt justi-
fed in taking his remarks as PERSONAL
But, under the circumstances, she was
forced to hold him blsmeless; and though
suffering acutely under the indirect inflic-
ton, she assumed an air of indifference,
and carelessly asked if the lady had really
married another.
eyes" he replied; "she married another
"a man as she believes, of great wealth,
but who is, to my knowledge, bankrupt.
The day of repentance, therefore, is not
distant; and she will live to mourn over
the wreck of her own happiness, and feel
many guilty pang for the fate of the man
whose ruin was achieved by reposing con-
fdence in one so false and unfeeling"
"And richly does she deserve to suffer"
said Mr.. Berne, with unusual warmth,
''for her cruelty to that young man whose
prospects in life have been blasted by her
treachery. 1t has always seemed strange
to me that any woman can be so devoid Of
feeling as to trihe with the happiness of
man who has given her the strongest proof
of confidence and devotion, by placing at
her disposal everything he holds dearest on
earth--honor, happiness and fortune"
GET tu Brute!" Helen might have ex-
claimed, on hearing her fathers stern
sentence, which proved too much for her
nerves; and she hastily left the room that
she might give vent, in secret, to feelings
she could no longer control Mr.. Lee also
left soon after; for Helen's absence was,
to him, like extinguishing the lights, and
next to being in her company, he preferred
being alone; so pleading the lateness of
the hour, and much fatigue, he retired re-
Aecting, as he went, upon Helen's embar-
rassment at the supper-table, and her sud
den departure from the room, evidently
under an excitement for which there was
no apparant cause.
On entering her own apartment, Helen
threw herself upon the bed and wept.--
How different, this from the pleasures she
had so eagerly anticipated Her joyous
and ringing laugh was exchanged for tears;
and instead of preparing for new conquests,
her greatest solicitude was to conceal those
already made, and most signally abused.
A mighty change had been wrought in
sentiment, as we'll as feeling. Cupid's
magic wand had thrilled her heart with
new sensation and aroused her better feel
ings, as from lethargic sleep, and presen-
ted to her the first distinct view of the
grave error into which she had fallen
Though alone and unseen, her cheeks
burned with shame, and she trembled at
the thought of the deprecated attitude
she must occupy in the estimation of her
father and Mr.. Lee whenever they might
learn how richly she merited the censure
they had just bestowed upon another.
With no female friend to whom she
could relate the story of her suffering, and
shrinking from the thought of making
such revelation to her father, Helen ex-
perienced feeling of loneliness-almost
Of alienation from her species, that made
her long to return home, where she could
bid in its retirement, the sorrows which
she knew could neither escape the scrutiny
nor enlist the sympathy of the crowd that
surrounded her Thus humblcd, she
shrunk from entering the circle in which
she had hoped to shine, for she felt as if
every oye could read upon her countenance,
the story of her errors and her penitence.
i After hours of mental torture, Helen