Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1858-03-10
MARCH 10, 1868.
Ckoite gittraturt.
THE EBONY cAsKET.
BY ELLEN LOUISE CHANDLER,
AUTHOR OF "THIs, THAT, AND THE OTHER. J"
IConcEuded FROM our last.

it was the beauty of mature womanhood.
Those two years of suffering had oblitera-
ted every trace of girlishness. | went
somewhat into society, chaperoned by
the gentle wife Of my kind guardian. He
seemed SO devoted to my interests, SO sin
cerely anxious for my happiness, inat was
willing to give him the satisfaction Of fan
cying that he prompted it. He had never
known Of my engagement to Reginald
Percy, and knowing that he was my cousin,
he often mentioned him. One cold winter
morning, just after my nineteenth birthday,
he and Mrs. Hamilton were my guests at
beakfast The Doctor looked over the
morning paper and handed it carelessly to
me. My eye chanced to glance down the
column headed Fashionable Intelligence"
and this paragraph met ny eye: "There
is, we believe, better foundation than ru-
mors generally can boast, for the report we
mentioned yesterday of the engagement of
Sir Riginal Percy of Percy Hall, to the
belle of the past year, the beautiful Miss
Illsley."
By long practice had acquired great
self-control, but it required strong effort
to speak in my usual tone | put down
the paper, and remarked very calmly" So
Grisi sings tonight? 2"
EYES, and you will 90 at last, l hope"
and Mrs. Hamilton glanced inquiringly up
from her toast and coffee
"Yes, Isa" added the Doctor, "you
surely ought, for your cousin Reginald will
be there of course with his new ,fancee.
We have the use of certain nobIeman's
private box just now, and as it happens to
command a good view of General Illsley's,
you can see and not be seen, if that's any
inducement for you" ~
"Thank you," l said, with forced smile,
"I believe that even |, hermit as you call
me, have spice of such womanly weak
ness as curiosity, so [ will prove it by ac-
cepting your invitation" =
That afternoon, when Barbara had fas-
tened my dress, sent her downstairs.
wished to look we'll for the sake of nv kind
guardian, and resolved to wear some o.
my mothers jewels. l had unlocked the
+ eDony CaSfcU tss.d -,.~---I~al:aes- -apar tbe
ornaments, when my eye chauced to fal
on the paper containing the notice Of Reg
inald's engagement-my a.nds tremblec
and the casket fell to the floor. The Jew
els rolled out upon the carpet, and as
raised the casket, perceived that the jal
had loosened secret spring. which l should
have noticed long before had [ examined
it as carefully as my father evidently ex
! pected 1t revealed a false bottom, beneath
which were some folded papers. The frs
| opened was a certificate Of marriage be
tween Greenville Hutchinson and Inc
Gaspare. 1 sank upon my knees, and m,
cheeks were bathed in the first happy tear
had shed since the fearful day on whicl
my father died. "Thank God, than
God'' was the burden of my cry-"ThanI
God that she was innocent, my sweet, beau
tiful motherw
An hour had passed before could con
mand myself sufficiently to examine tn
remaining papers. The first read was
:. long letter from my mother. The han
was peculiarly graceful, she had evidentl
been educated with great care. 1t SCENE
that my father had doubted her truth, an
l relentlessly cast her from him. She hs
full proofs of the falsity of his suspicion
> but she was too proud, in her injured inn
cence, to adduce them. She wrote tt
; letter from time to time, during lingeriI
!, illness, to be sent to him after her deaf
with her child two years old. 1t, was We
% sweet and touching. She spoke as gent
as possible of 4he story of her wrongs, al
= Z then she said" have told you all th
. nv husband, that when [ AM dead you MI
j" stand over my grave with a loving hear
~ 10 calf hn Ne
my own true wife, and that looking in t
,f deep eyes of your baby you may take b
- - trustingly to your heart, and love her
, the sake of your poor Inez." There "
no word of reproach in it. She quite Z
quilted him of blame, and loved him to
- last Perhaps this was the very reason
= blamed himself with such unsparing rig
The remaining paper was a letter to
- from that beloved father. It was eviden
~ ~ written but few days before he COMIC
~ the casket to my charge. The charact
% were so hurried as to be almost illegil
and it was blotted here and there W
- tears. He told me that my mother '
" the daughter of a noble family !; that
had seen her in her fresh beauty and
~ girlish innocence, and learned to love
- IS few ever love. His passion was Teturl
~ with all the warmth of Southern tenn
~ ament. They were married secretly,
~ -, lawfully, and not single cloud obscu
~ ~ the first two years of their welded life
- - When | was year old, however he
- led by the ingenious contrivances Of
- arch-fend to doubt her truth. He left
nf without even seeking an explanation, wi
he saw no possibility of her being able
give. He loved her too fondly even t
~n to take her child from. her. He pictr
~ in few vivid sentences the agony of
- last time he looked upon her living fac
~ He came home AMI stole into her re
IN In for farewell look. She lay there sl
.ol ~I inc. with her child's head upon her brt
For one moment he was tempted to bel
her innocent, but the proofs Of her
seemed too positive. He bent over her
irs' pressed bis lips madly, passionately |
% O. her brow. She turned over with S
to smile, and whispered his name, wit
The waking @Hypocrite, even in sleep,
muttered, and sitting down at her