Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1858-05-26
9aAiss' 9tpartmtnt.
Written for the Spirit Of the Age.
ELLA EN-
A TALE OF THE QLDEN TIME.
nv 6LtN oLNEY.

llOAIEh dlllOIA AhA b0AN dIu L
howled moirntully along the hills, | sat
with amery group ofboys and girls around
a large hickory fire in their grand-sire's old
fashioned parlor, and heard them crack
their jokes and spin their yarns, until good
old grandmother seemed to forget her
knitting and grandfather took off his spec
tacles and laid aside the heavy old bible, to
listen to the merry prattle.
After all the ghost stories and fairy tales
were exhausted, and conversation was be-
ginning to flag, we turned to grandmother
with a request that she would tell us a story.
"Well, my children, what kind of a story
shall it be 7" was her reply.
"A love story {! A love story said
half n dozen voices.
"Well, then, let it be Above story, and it
shall be a tale Of real life too"
Then grandmother laying aside her knit
ting and drawing her large rocking chair
nearer the fire, with a face lit up by kindly
feeling and old remembrances, began =
"Long years have passed away since |
last stood upon the huge stone steps and
%7 = ~ S1en / look back
through the dim vista of departed years
and think of the many happy hours have
spent within its time-honored walls, imagi-
nation paints the scenes Of my school days
in such vivid colors, that ! almost forget
that I am your old, childish, wrinkled grand
mother. | am young again. The old
school house, with its deep windows and
great archcd door-ways, rises up before me.
Light forms fit around me-. | am once
more a gay, romping, light-bearted school
girl. There is the same quaint old desk,
with It's grotesquc carvings and great curved
legs, from behind which was wont to peer
the dignifcd countenance of our worthy
principal; under whose fatherly sway, we
laughed and skipped and spent the happi-
est Of our days. Here under the shade Of
a spreading oak is the old swing. Far
away through the grove, on the other side
Of the village, looms up the sombre walls
Of the male Academy. But to my story.
"When | first became an inmate of the
Academy, | had just entered my sixteenth
year. was a gay, laughing, light-hearted
girl. | knew nothing Of the trials and
sorrows of life. Care had not yet furrow-
ed my brow, nor time left its mark upon
my cheek. ! looked out upon the broad
sea Of life with a painting heart and longed
TO be upon It's mild, beautiful bosom. |
never thought that far away upon its shi-
ming surface, might be nursing the storm
cloud and whirlwind, to toss on high my
frail bark and perhaps shatter it to atoms.
All was bright and beautiful before me.
NV roommate was n young girl near
my own agc-Miss Ella Nane. 4 fairy in
form of slight proportions, with hair OF
midnight darkness twined about her head
in graceful bands and falling in waving
ringlcts upon her shoulders of alabasteI
whiteness she seemed more like some
sylph, or tabled naiad, than the kind, open
hearted school girl which she was. Ella
was indeed a beautiful girl. Her complex.
ion was of the purest white, with a slight
tinge of red mantling each cheek and be-
meath her high arched eyebrows were eyes
of the deepest, heavenly blue. An air Of
gentle dignity and sad sweetness sat upon
every feature, and grace shone forth in al
her movements. She was polite and OBJ
liginr in her manners, and graceful and
q)ueenIy in her bearing. No wonder We
all loved Ella Nane. | was one Of hel
most intimate friends. Often we woulC
wander out in the grove, and with the pale
moon-beams streaming down upon us
would seat ourselves at tho foot of some
tall oak and watch the stars sail through
the silvery-cdged clouds till the solemn
notes ofthe old bell called us to retire.
My cousin, Frank Marbury, was then a
inmate of the Male Academy of P.
saw him often. He was a noble, generous
fine looking fellow but he was wild an
full of m;schief. Three years of hard stud
had not been sufficient to sober him. II
was as untamed then, as he was three yea
before, when his fond mother bid him GOO
bye under the vinc-wreathed portico of tt
old homestead, and told him to go and
a better boy only he had grown muC
taller and a great deal more handsome
lie was all | could wish for a cousin. /
was gay and lively, and what was mo-
exceedingly fond of the company of the CIR
Frank paid very frequent visits to t
Academy and | often thought and often
told him that the good looks and brig
eyes of its fair inmates had more to do W
his coming, than merely to chat with
cousin.
But he would never admit this char
to be true. Sometimes he would laus
ingly say :-"You know very we'll, cou
Helen, that nothing could ever tempt
TO leave my cool retreat over on the oil
side of the village, and plod through
dusty streets to come here, if it were
to hear one of your delightful songs and
sec you. Why, cousin, you sing like
nightengale." But l knew Frank.
One day when Frank and l were sea
in the parlor, talking of home and vacati
Ella Vane suddenly entered, not know
that he and | were there. Bowling
litely, and hastily begging an excuse
her intrusion, she fitted gracefully fl
the room and left Frank enraptured,
zing Mt the vacant doorway"
"What's the matter, Frank 2" was
first exclamation, aftorsheh had left the ro
"Oh, nothing, but wasn't she a charms
he said, pressing his hands to his face.
ayes, she is perfectly sweet" said l, g
you look like you had seen a vision"
81 haze seen a vision, and a bright
too; !" he said with emphasis. ibid
drop down from heaven, like other ang
beings ?"