Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-06-21
The Unparnodable Sin.
BY NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE.
TCONCLUDED.1

These three worthless pressed forward, and
greeted Ethan Brand each after his own fash
ion, earnestly inviting him to partake of the
contents of n certain black bottle, in which.
as they averred, he would find something far
better worth seeking for than the Unpardon-
able Sim No mind which has wrought it.
self by intense and solitary meditation, into
a high state of enthusiasm, can endure this
kind of contact with low and vulgar modes
of thought and feeling to which Ethan Brand
was now subjected. 1t made him doubt, and
strange to say, il was painful doubt. whether
he had indeed found the objectionable Sin,
and found it within himself. The whole ques-
ton on which he had exhausted life, and
more than life, looked like delusiOn.
"I.eave me- he said. bitterly, eye brute
beasts, that have made yourselves so, shrivel-
ling up your souls with fiery liquors! l have
done with you. Years aud years ago |
proped into your hearts and found nothing
there for my purpose. Get We gone"
"Why, YOU uncivil scoundrel," cried the
fierce doctor lis that the way you respond to
the kindness of your best frendsy Then let
me tell You the truth.-Iou have no more
found the objectionable Sin than yonder boy
Joe has You are but crazy fellow. told
Won so twenty years ago: neither better nor
worse than a crazy fellow, and the fit COM
panion of old Humphrey here"
He pointed to an old man, stability dressed,
with long white hair, thin visage and I'M
steady eve. For some years past this aged
person had been wandering about among the
hills. inauiring Of all travellers whom he met
for his daughter. The girl, it seemed,
gone off with company OF circus perform
ers, and occasionally tidings of her came to
the village, and fine stories were told OF her
glittering appearance as she rode on horse
back in the ring or performed marvellous feats
on the tight-rope.
The white-haired father now approached
Ethan Brand, and gazed unsteadly into his
face.
..They tell me you have been all over The
earth" said he, wringing his hands with
earnestness. "You must have seen my daugh-
ter, for she makes great figure in the world,
and everybody goes to see her Did she send
any word tn her old father, or say when she
il coming back!'
Ethan Brand eye quailed beneath the old
mans. That daughter, from whom he so
earnestly desired word of greeting, Ethan
Brand had made the subject OF psycholog-
ical experiment, and wasted, and perhaps
annihilated her soul in the process.
s.Yes,'' murmured he, turning away from
the hoary wanderor, lit is no delusion. There
is an unpardonble sin!"
While these things were passing, merry
scene was going forward in the area of the
CufefIul liEIi, RSHthC bhAS sNHA DNASAN
the floor of the hut
A number OF the youth of the village,
Young men aud girls, had hurried up the hill
side. impelled by curiosity To see Ethan
Brand. thu hero of so manS legend familiar
TO their childhood. Finding nothing, how
ever. very remark able in his aspcct-nothing
but sunburnt wayfarer in plain garb, aud
dusty shoes, who sat looking into the fire, as
he fancied pictures among the Goals. those
ttr.aH Of him A.
n happened there was another amusement at
hand. An old German Jew. travelling with
a diorama on his back, was passing down the
mountain road toward the village just the
marty turned aside from 10: and in the hopes
of eking out the profits OF the day, the show
man had kept them company to the lime
kiln"
..Come. old Dutchman, cried one of the
Young men, "let us see your pictures, II you
can swear they are worth looking al"
e..Oh. yes captain" answered the Jew
whether as IA matter OF courtesy or Gran, be
stylcd every body eaptain-''l shall show you
indeed, some very superb pictures J"
So, placing the box at proper position, he
Invited the young men and girls TO look
through the glass orifices of the machine, aud
procaeslse to sxhibit series Of the most outra-
seous scratchings aud daubings, as specimens
al the fine arts that ever an itinerant show
man had the face 10 impose upon his circle of
spectators The pictures were worn out,
moreover tattcred, full OF cracks aud wrin-
kles dingy with tobacco smoke. and othcrwise
ia q most pitiable condition Some purPortgd
10 be the cities, public ediices aud ruined
castles ia Enrope; others represented Napole-
on : battles aud Nelson's sea ishts; aud ia the
midst OF thsse might be seen ag1gantic, brown
hairy hand. which might have been mistaken
for the hand Of destiny, though in truth II was
only the Snowman pointing his forehnger TO
the various scenes OF the coafiict. while It's
owner gave historical illustrations. When,
with much merrims nt At IL abominable dea-
cheney of merit, the oxidation was concluded
the German bade little Joe put his head into
the box. Viewed through the ia "a fylng