Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1858-02-05


Brown had proceeded her but few mo
ments, and who instantly detected these
signs of emotion. ra 4. f.Ha 'f
a"What is the matter, Ida2" She asked,
in tone of anxiety,
! "Nothing very serious, Bell" was the
answer, accompanied with a smile, and a
brushing away of the tear.
"Nay, do not attempt to deceive me, Ida.
saw you in earnest conversation with
your father, and the tear in your eye, and
the flush onyour cheek tell different tale
from that spoken by your lips"
Perhaps | ought not to explain, Bell
but the truth is, l have just been under
the painful necessity of rejecting lover
"One that you love, and to whom your
father objects?" Asked Bell, in a hurried
tone
"No One whom l do not love, but
grieve to distress" ....
"And may not learn his name?" Bell
again asked-her voice sufficiently treme-
lous to attract the attention of Ida, who
replied, with significance of manner not
to be mistaken. .. ...
"His name is Maj. Dade; and pardon
me for saying dear Bella, that whilst i'm
parting my secret, l have learned yours"
Bells face alternately flushed and paled
and her lips refused to utter the denial
which wounded pride suggested Ida saw
and pitied her embarrassment, and, throw
ing her arm around her neck, said, sooth-
ingly: "Do not be grieved, dear Bell,
at this discovery of your cherished secret
it is safe with me, and am glad have
learned it, because it explains much that
was mysterious in your conduct and now
our intercourse can be as free and unre-
served as it has sometimes been embarrass-
ed"
"But, Ida, what must you think of one
not only capable of loving unwisely, but
too weak to conceal her misplaced affect
| ions!'
81 must think of you as you are, Bell
"a woman, with heart to love, and that
'oW love without taking counsel of your
head. Why, yours is no uncommon case!
Thousands have loved as you love, and
thousands will yet do likewise Women
may talk about not loving, until solicited
but it is all moonshne and I would not
give fig for heart that can not feel un =
til sure of sympathy. l know, too, that
some would-bc philosopers teach that love
is only friendship pressed to enthusiasm.
and must, therefore, have its origin in an
intimate knowledge ofthe character of the
object loved. That this may be true OF
isolated cases, l will not deny but the
experience of the world teaches different
lesson, A knowledge of character is rarely
a condition precedent of love; on the con-
trary, the study of character is, in maori-
ty of cases, postponed until love has been
followed by marriage. And there are two
reasons why this must be SO. First, love
is blind, aye, even to grievous faults and
secondly Love is imaginative, and often
lavishes its warmest emotions upon char
acter of its own creation, and bearing no
resemblance to that of the object of its
choice. And l may add here, third rea
son, which is, that love is involuntary, and
often carries the heart by storm before the
head has had time to prepare for the de-
fence of that impulsive and unreasOnine
organ that so often rebels against the
throne of reason. And now, Bell, having
talked to give you time to compose your.
SELF insit that we retire, without another
word from you; in the morning, we car
resume the subject more calmly"