Spirit of the age., 1858-07-21

a mischievous twinkle cleaning in her dark
eyes, when she introduced to her friend
handsome young man of perhaps tw1nty-tWo
as her cousin Ralph Graham.
Before Flora had spent an hour in his COM
pany, she felt the fascinating influence of his
master mind. His unaffected manners; his
noble bearing; and the strange interest with
which he seemed to regard her, attracted her
admiration. The intelligence which lit up
his fine countenance; the tenderness which
shone from his dark eyes; ; and the air OF deep
melancholy which sat upon his high, ciassi-
cal brow, won her heart. She loved him.
That evening when Flora was returning
home, she asked Fanny, who had accompan-
led her part of the way how it was that she
had never before heard her speak OF her cou-
sin Ralph.
"Oh!" said Fanny, without answering her
enquiry, 44You have become interested IN him,
have ycuY'
ssI must confess have seen in him much
that is commendable; she answered, with
perhaps more sincerity than she would have
wished Fanny to have noticed.
''Perhaps he is not so near related to me
after all as you may suppose and you may
have me jealous of you if you are not upon
your guard" returned Fanny, playfully.-
"But," she continued ''if you wish to know
from whence he came,' you will have to ask
i him, for owing to some foolish whim of his,
; he has made me promise not to tell you. But
: am sure you have heard me speak of him
:, before. lie is going to spend month or two
J on the island. You will have an opportunity
of seeing him again"
, After that Flora saw Ralph Graham often.
n AS a cousin of Fanny he was received vel
d come guest at the mansion of Mrs. Beaumont.
Flora could not help seeing the interest with
n which she was regarded by him, nor could
- She restrain the wild beatings of her heart
= when he looked into her face so tenderly, and
" with gIances so full of affection. She had
q 5earned to listen to the rich flow of his voice
|, and to hear the low and earnest pleadings of
III love from his lips with delight. Yes she
to had learned to love him with all the fcrvor of
Is her heart. Now she knew what it was to
or love, and felt how wretched she would be, if
&C she should love in vain Now she felt the
- blood burn in her veins with all the heat of
III passion. Now the strange sensation which
nj gathered round her heart almost drove her
I'd. to madness with its half delightful half pain
ed full thrill
,rs Sometimes she doubted whether she had
ns the right to allow her affections to reposc on
- any one She might be the wife of another
Eugene might have been snatched from the
g" Jaws of death in many ways. When she
ah thought of this she was unhappy +; but she
OF could not restrain her feelings. She loved
n him blindly, and was only happy when b.
yer his side He in turn loved her with all the
- strength of his soul. She was his idol-hi
;no God And with an eastern devotion he knel
;S at the shrine of his idolatry.
'"5 One evening he sat beside her in the sam
oft' vine wreathed old portico, and with the sam
nelt silver moon looking down upon her. as whe
and she had sat by Eugene long years ago, an
he heard from his lips the tale of his boyish low
ned Yes! the place was the same But to her IN
rbt moon shone more brightly and the ligi
danced upon the water with richer tints tina
ever before It was not the boy lover WI
lOla knelt at her feet in the days of her girlhoo
h&a that now was at her side. She had behe
azed the dark waves of the Atlantic sweep hi
dan from her view. But it was he who, by b
OWN aobleness Of soul and beauty of manhood h;
ta WON her heart, that now adored her at Il
sbo yently to his heart, said, Flora my oN
e' 'e beautiful Flora you know | have loved yo
race but you never knew how truly You nev
the can know the emotions that fill this bosom
She Words can neoer tell Twill not ask you
the tell me again that my love is returned I fl
cath. it! know it! One thing alone can ma
un- me happy. You only can make the pathw
;aon of my life pleasant, All my hopes, all 4
I'll happiness lie centered upon you. VIII y
"Ho Ir be my bride? Will you make me the ha
lie piest of mortals ~
here She leaned her beautiful head upon his |
hold SOFA and wept convulsivelv For long til
time his arms encircled her in loves fond embra
AT length she said, II love you deeply
and truly-madly [ cannot consent to
rinrs your bride till haow | am not the wife
,arce- n"1T ''lou ~ Ie"o0 W ioF0 -
: roc, es which fate has thrown around me- hs
fol JvOJ oil hot How hat I
pv;na pv;;,~ long ago to Eugene Then | knew not wi
! las3 it was to love. When know that he
~ perished, then will be yours. might h;
mont thought of this before Something OIL
ndoad seems to tell me he yet lives"
Sho Then he unloosed her from his embra
,r;oro and gazing long and tenderly upon her be
bor tiful face said, 'If it must be so, farewell
e bor may not meet you again l shall love J
. Al. till | die Grant me one kiss ere we pal
ond Then kissing and embracing her again q
nou, again, he tore himself from her, and dis
II bo. peared among the shadows of the grove.
.otino Flora in her agony cried out, "Come b;
;tndo Ralph! come back! you will not kill
rt,s, ,.uue, thus ?"
- '"'0 But the sound of her voice reached not
.u:o,- ears. She was left alone The murmur
40 the waves alone broke the silence Of the mig
.s'9 Could it be that he had left her? Could
- - -" on whom she had poured out the dear
warmest affections of her soul so cruelty lie
= @n~s' e. her? Why did he appear so calm and
: - y :" concerned when she told him her determ
ughts lie ,,nor1 1a,D ~,
20 s'AAo conscious. She could only murmur in
~ ken accents, she has forsaken me! Oh
80 - - loved him, and he has left forever p
iio iioren Next day she was calm, but in her pale
7 any of tha dooroe+ ar;af
1mal Gma, Another twilight came reddening the '
: w: NIo tern horizon with its ruddy glow. Again
i0i i'S sat in the same seat where Ralph and she
,rho parted on the evening before She was
\ ~ ~ sively gazing out upon the mirror-like
,ttorn p face of the Sound, rejecting from its bo
od Ia each ray of golden light and musing upon
'0N 'A0 sad memory of the past, when, scarcely
|, o,,od served, Ralph Graham had seated himself
yoS her side. A golden locket hung upon
> w;th breast. On it she saw her name engrs
# we1i M with the initials of Eugene beneath.
49, looked into his face a moment and then r.
a;.dp ed into his arms.
Fanny In, s;,s,,Ito.,.,L- oG.st lronl
to dis nthon 4La,s .to 1sa1ph Urahan wa