The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-02-03

larlZed herself WIFI IL uurlng all tnat dark year,
when her soul was so completely alone, ghostly
walk for the recurring shadows of her morbid
imagination. She had revolved it, and pondered
over it day after day, as day after day dragged
slowly by, and the Eastern Sun, the MONDAY
Sun, the Western Sun, sent their slow reminders
of times dragging march into the stately Hall,
painting light and shade on wall, and CELL and
soft-carpeted floor, and proud woman's wan
face, a face that was dial that needed not to be
| Illuminated to tell its own bitter story Month
| followed month, craving care lines deeper in her
face, and correspondingly craving that hdeous
dark thought deeper into her heart. She had
yielded not, and she knew he would not yield.
In dreams she had seen him, stern-b rowed, de-
faint, like very Prometheus, scorning all ada
mantine bolts and letters, writhing not at any
tearing yulture, nor listening to any seofing
Hermes of them all. And now that she had
yielded and acknowledged her error in all hu,
mility, trying to remedy it, the same thought
frankensteln's demon. "'He must not come
back, for my punishment is not yet complete !"
1t was crushing woe, indeed.
| Not only this. The loss of Gilbert Congreve
had also sent barbed shaft deep towards her
heart. That one day of promise, when, 10 re-
juvenized love, her soul sang joyous song OF
thanks-to have that day followed by so sudden,
dark, and eternal night; to have the fair-tinted
! veil, behind which her fancy, momenti ndnlged,
had pictured fairy world of hopes and Joys,
plucked away with sudden rudeness, and to find
that it concealed only a CHASTITY skeleton-all
this had terribly racked her. She. had not given
up, though the agony had not once drawn a
shrek from her lips, nor a moan !; she had gone
on with the same unyielding, unrelenting stern
ness in her self:conquest, caring only for Ruth,
and covering over her own grief; until, the
barbed shaft finding no outlet through the cica-
tried wound, and being plucked out by no
thoughtful surgery had gradually turned in, and
worked deeper through the fostering flesh, to-
wards the Utmost vitals.
| And hence, it was most fortunate that she
was able to endow Ruth with some of her own
strength, before she herself broke down, for
break down she did, at last, as was inevitable
she should. Not suddenly, but with gradual
initiative failure of her powers, gradual paling
and thinning of her features, while the hair grew
rapidly grayer, the limbs feeble and tremulous
and the eye became anxious-oh, so weariedly
anxious |!
Ruth had not at first noticed the change, but
suddenly it forced itself upon her attention
The gardener had been away some three OF
four mouths, when, one morning, Mrs. Fleming
glancing at newspaper, suddenly grew pale
and fell fainting to the foor Ruth, ere she
went to her mothers aid, took up the newspa
per, and, with sickening sense of evil, read
" the full particulars of the loss of the American
Clipper ship -, on the coast of Patagonia
and the massacre of the survivors," There was
no list OF the crew, and Jasper's name did not
occur but this was the route he sailed, these
were the dates, and this might be the very ship
at any rate, it was the taking away of one
oba hoor L
And Jasper being in danger, all recital of dan
ger and peril, hair-breadth escapes by fire and
flood, &C., naturally associated themselves in
Ruth's mind with Jasper, and recalled thoughts
of him, and tears for him. Well was it for hel
then, well for both, that Ruth was able to en-
terrain such thoughts without giving way tc
has ;. sa- Avr aEflltrJurs1men 1T NAT rate,
conclusive. This was the ship, and Jasper was
aboard of it her Jasper, her own son, hei
dear Jasper, driven away, murdered by herself
For long period, insanity lowered over her
Then, when she had little recovered out o.
the first sharp agony, and was able TO 60 about
once more, Ruth saw the awful change in her
the slouching gait, that so i'll represented thai
erst queenly tread the lip quivering ever with
the high-wrought nervousness of emotion long
INDUCED the eyes, grown, oh, so large row
and anxious, so apt to swim in unbidden tears
even when woes such as " crush the life out =
of inferior souls, had thronged multitudinously
upon hers the twilight waning of that lovely
face, deepening with such sad rapidity into
lines of cares night and so robbed Of its once
perfect contour, and generous color; the grow
ing feebleness and tremulousness Of that voice
once so clear and firm-Ruth saw all these
things. and thanked God in her soul that she
was able to support and comfort, in the hour O.
need, one who had blessed her days of pair
and despair with kindest support and comfort
With earnest sedulousness and cheerful man
ner. that surprised even herself, she ministereC
to the failing woman, receiving in return the
few sad smiles that walked so mournfully over
those once glorious features, and the tearfu
gratitude of the heart broken mother. Will the
reader deem it impairment if / here put OF
record my gratitude to the Benefcent Creator
of all things, for this grand faculty of ministra
ton with which He has SO lavishly endowed
woman? 1t is her sublimest attribute, this
comforting power she possesses. 1t is hel
specific Office in the planet creation; :" it is
not good for man to be alone but God did no
therefore produce comrade to man, one equi
poised like himself, who would center in him
self, and have his own BRAIN and nerve, ant
muscle He brought to him help meet .fol
him "-one whose desire would be towards
him " - one whose will was merged IN hi.
own-who leaned upon him, but whose bosom
was to be the resting place for his head, when
ever weary; whose hand was soft and soothing
whose eyes looked love, whose heart lived hope
whose voice was tuned to pity, whose Office wa
to comfort and console.
"A nrinistering angel, thou!n
1t is a very remarkable circumstance how unan
imously the poets. in the fine insight Of genius
. have recognised this principle, often uncon
sciousy, indeed, but always accurately. Ever
the sternest Of them, the most skeptical o
woman's yirtEe--ral misogany has been YER
prevalent on Parnassus-haye conceded he
power in this respect. In the oldest Of the In
dian Veias, we find her Office thus recognised
"Woman is mans bosom friend; like to aifathe
in discharge of duty, consoling as mother il
misfortune There is an instructive feelin|
of the truth Of this, very forcib.y conveyed here
in the comparison itself to which the poet was
. as it we're, compelled to resort speaking o
woman, he could find no more emphatic ex
preston for her sympathetic powers than tn sa
that she was cousoing as mother" SO, toe
in Homer, who does not over-estimate women
/ we find the chagrined Paris, after his discom6t
ure, flying to Helen for consolation. In Aes
chylus, it is 10 who sits at the feet of the Tor
; tured Titan, and, begone as she is, does no
refuse him her sympathy. All through tn
, Greek Tragedy, the fact of the sympathizinl
. Chorus having so frequently been women, i'm
plies recognition of her office. And in Medea
, in how subtitle fashion is the true Office g
woman made plain, when Jason, casting off th
stern, demonStrative, masculine sorceress, es
pouses the more gentle and womanlike Creusa
Notice Beatrice, in Dante. And what varie'
and lovely use our myriad minded Shakspear
makes of the principle Run through his femsl
characters. Miranda, thinking only
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