The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-07-08

- SSualnouoer-ln-cnlef OF the American army
Herman, also, had his secret day.dresms, il
when love- patriotism, and glory, figured large
W tnough it remains to be seen how far the,
could be made to coincide with hers. God i,
the only common end towards which all mer
ana women can press forward, side by side, ani
over nearer to one another, in harmonious, con
centric, cenverging lines; most other object,
90 Dnt lead them asunder, or make them cros,
one another's paths continually.
On the night before that of the ball. Herman
mao signaiized his coming of age by making
IN an informal public meeting, professedly oper
to men Of all parties, his maiden speech. AI
sorts OF opinions were expressed about it, o.
course according to the notions previousl,
hxed in the minds of the hearers. The radical,
present stigmatized it as time-serving; the sol
ossdnfs conservatives as seditious; but all the
judges OF oratory, who did not happen to be toe
angry to exercise their Judgment, were agreed
shss, Aough rather too good for the occasion
NJ eioquence. scholarly faish, and statesman.
IKE information, It would not have been IN.
worthy of William Pitt at the age of the speak
er. Furthermore, DR.. Lovel, certain dear old
divine, Who CHANGED to be among the hearers,
and whose very heart was sore with the denun.
CITATIONS of one party, and the sordid cotton
talk OF the other, stayed day the longer away
nom his rural parsonage, to drop in on Clara,
with whom he always ate bis Sunday beef when
he preached in town, and enchant her with the
assurance that, If Herman could but indoctrinste
the other youth of the country with his spirit of
enlightened and self sacrificing patriotism, he
would do as great a work as Washineton's, free
the slaves and masters at the same time, and
cement the Union more indissolubly than ever
with universal peace and good will. Clara sent
out to Whitneys Immediately for worsteds and
canvas to work two pair of beautiful slippers,
one for the praised and one for the praiser.
But Constance! Was not she enchanted. too ?
She was furious-I beg her pardon, Indignant
and the little scene at the ball was the result.
But, then, to do her justice, the news first
reached her through one of the partisan news.
licensed false witnesses apa;nst
their neighbors land it walled its usual diree.
cat'like in its monotony, over the Union, and
rang its knell with bell with Herman's tongue
in it.
All through the next day-most unlucky of
Fridsys-he had not once been near her-for
very good reason. He was correcting and re-
writing his speech, from the copious notes which
. very rapid reporter had taken of it, that it
might as soon as possible be laid fairly, and in
fair type, before the public, in the place of the
incoherent or garbled and spiteful extracts and
which the public was now strainipg
its spectacles and venting it's wrath over. The
very FIRST printed copy he destined to be laid
before his lady, as the FIRST of many laurels
With which he hoped to crown her. She might
disagree with his discourse at FIRST upon some
minor points-he knew and admired her indie.
pendent spirit-but she was candid and gener.
ous, and could not fail to be pleased at finding
SO hearty zeal for the promotion
Of the highest welfare of the whole country !;
and then, if his perform ance was as eloquent
and brilliant as some of his other acquaintance
told him, how very proud and happy The
would be. And how very eloquent and bri'.
liant it was, he for the first time perceived, as
be read for, as he spoke, the mighty spirit of
oratory had leaped upon him, casting up the
riches of his whole being from it's depths, and
carrying eway his selfconsciouness as with a
whirlwind.
And this man, 30 full of promise, noble in
beauty, loyalty, enterprise. courage, and hero.
ism in the best sense of the word, who loved
her as no other ever had, or would or could
love, Constance was in the mean time preparing
to do her best, or worst, to dishearten, agonize,
and ALLEVIATE, for what l call a girlish whim,
were it not that might thereby seem so disre.
spectful as to cast an intentional slur on some
of the 60 esteemed most sagaeious men among
her contemporaries. Her hot temper prevail.
ing more and more, hour by hour, over the
warm heart which might have pleaded for him,
she condemned him in his absence and for his
absence, which seemed to her to add contempt
And contumacy to ingratitude and treason
and her hastily formed purpose, to discard him
at once and forever, grew and grew, like the
mammoth snow balls which she saw the little
schoolboys making in the gray storm before
the dismal wind ows Of the Revere House, BY
much revolving.
At twilight, Herman's task released him
He tossed the last scrawled sheet to the print
er's familiar, dressed with particular care, tied
in his most faultless knot his prettiest cravat o
Clara's selection, swallowed cup of tea, and
strobe up and down from one end of the draw
ipg.rooms to the other, until at last his siste
appeared, in her blue evening cloak and RICO
lette, with the flowers in her hair peeping on
between its strings of tiny pearllike balls, as
through boar frost; and the tardy coachmal
pulled the door-b bell with hard jerk, to max
believe it was not the first time he had rung il
and whirled them off to Mrs. Mydass's.
There Herman had placed himself near tn
hostess, watching the door of entrance, an
came forward to meet Constance, as she ar
peared in it, with such an expression of 10!
affection, and hope, just dashed with modes
doubt, as should have made her thank be
God, and humble herself before Him in th
presence of her great happiness; when sh
for the first time treated him as if he had bee
q poor and awkward student. e., like do
Then, following that strange blind instinct
our nature, which makes us, when evil threa
ems, greedy of the worst-which makesthe your
wife look up into the face of the messenger WI
has come to tell her that she is widow, ar
CRY, Don't tell me he is sickl say he is dead
though she dies of the news-Herman, lii
Samson, had bowed himself, and pulled his ia
down instantly upon his own grand head, n
shorn though crushed. He had offered her b
- "a co. tha Grot t;rno IN vopdc al ~