The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1858-06-16

gotber OIL their phantom steeds, ride Cas-
tor and Pollux, who approved themselves
such friends on earth that they were
thought worthy to be translated /; and their
names are written side by side in the FIR
mament Nowadays, in this unclassical
age, male friendship generally consists in
mutual agreement to do in company what
each party would be ashamed to do alone
so as to double the excitement and divide
the shame of excess, and have each others
countenanccs in youthful wickedness."
d" do not know the nature of your
friendships. 1t must be very difficult for
gentlemen to be really and at all times
friends since they are forced to be rivals
so often. We are capable Of friendship
in which there can be no jealousy You
know that woman seems born to be SYM
pathizing with something or somebody In
deed, although it is not aattering to believe
it, 1 am sure that some men seek our 30.
ciety merely for the sake Of the repose
they find in our companionship. There is no
trial of strength of different minds permit
ted among US, and there is boundless
power of appreciation which We delight in
exercising, for it is our instinct to find out
and take to heart whatever is excellent.
Beside all this, We do not let q friendship
languish-because we do not happen to be
in the mood"
Across the fields which skirted the fading
d stance came the breathings of the night
wind ever and anon heavily tossing back
the waving hair which lay, damp with the
dew, upon her temples.
Still with her sweet voice and cbild-like
manner she pleaded for the beauty and holi.
ness ofa friendship between the sexes. She
spoke of the olevating influence of woman;
an influence which 1 could not help con-
ccding, although resolved not to be the OBJ
ject of its particular exercise, She SEEM
ed to think that it worked the miracle
which we see it performing throughout the
world, by indirect means, and that man-
kind did not become any better for it, be.
cause each individual man was more or
less, in love with some one woman, but
because every man grew accustomed to
respect ali women. / had the strength Of
mind to insist that the respect which we
pretend for the whole sex is merely, the
kindly effect Of our vanity our conviction
that by taking little pains, We can in
spire any one of them with consuming
affection. We lool benevolently upon
these gentle creatures who are liable at
word to become victims of hopeless pas
sion for us we strive to make their lives
pleasant to them ere they are blighted for.
ever We are tender of our worshipers as
as we are of flowers for the sake of the
incense which they send up before the lord
of the creation the numberless graces
which they lay at his feet.
THE teachings of La Rouchefoucalt
have ruined you. perceive" she answer
ed laughing merrily,
They told Inc that you were odd and
cynical, and were hurrying to become
misanthrope in your youth. But you shall
not spoil the whole race of men, because
one man has good opinion of himself and
bad opinion of the rest of his fellow
creatures. Yet l am sure you have not
q bad heart"
And her bright eyes, fixed on ME, shone
into my soul lighting up the dark reces.
ses there in which had put away the
good in me, because it was commonplace
and casting into shadow my worse nature,
which generally made prominent. Twas
seized with wild impulse to throw my
self on her mercy and beg her to be my
friend, my councillor, and beacon of my
life, pure, steadfast, and high as the north.
ern star above us. A sudden recollection
of the fate Of that elderly gentleman, which
she had by good fortune described in the
early part of our interview, benumed my
soul. The moonlight kissed her hands,
which were clasped together, and wrapping
each arm in its shining folds, crept with
a warmer gleam under the wide oriental
sleeve. The same cold light glittered in
her eyes. Its spectral brightness aud
black shadow gave her form an indistinct
unearthly look.
"Will you grant me favor ?" l whis-
pered in spite of myself: have no sister.
There is no woman in the world upon
whose sympathies l have the slightest
claim. / have not friend whom would
trust with single strong feeling Let
the kindness of your heart, and the faith
which you must have in my sincerity and
~, ,aanaot g. x,o,, La 1-.