St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1859-03-17

his misfortune, than from any other
cause. Unhceding of friends or stran-
gers, ne almost ran along, hoping to
rid himself of the power of wounded
pride and mad passion which possessed
him.
lie passed the length of many
thOroughlares before the WEAKNESS OF
his physical powers began to act upon
his mental excitement, SO that he
thought of any thing about him.
Something very familiar in the To-
caIity of the street he was threading,
caused him TO look aside, as his step
tagged, and he recognized his old
home. An impulse, not having its
birth in any goOod reason, made him
ascend the steps and ring the bell
\ strange servant opened the door.
He inquired for EIlcn-Miss Ellen
Byrd, he repeated correcting himself.
Lawk she don't live here no
more
"What did you say ~ asked Paul,
startled into little comprehension Of
what he was about.
She's been gone away these ten
days. Her mother died about two
weeks ago, and she's sold out the fur
niture to master, and has gone away
to some relations, | guess, in the
country
About two weeks - 1t was two
weeks ago that Paul had received that
brief summons to her side, which he
had SO utterly neglected. Ellen in
distress, orphaned, without a friend
that he knew of to appeal to, and he
had never been near her in her Sor-
row The pangs of rcmorse were
sharp and hard to bear.
DO you know just trhers she has
gone 2"
Don't know, sir, anything more
about it,
Is your master in ?"
No, but missus is. Walk in. |
don't believe she knows, neither, much
about it."
1t turned out as the servant predict
ed. Ellen was gone--they knew not
whittier. Their concern in her had
been solely in business matters. She
had seemed very much afflicted and
they believed she had gone to an auut'S,
i'll the country.
So he passed again into the street,
in Il mood of mind about as wretchcd
as could be. What to DO to get rid
of his own company, he did not know,
but kept walking OH and on, in a vain
attempt to forget himself
Why, here's the very man we
want !" exclaimed some one, clapping
him on the shoulder
He paused, and found himself in a
group of two or three of his brother
artists.
"Comc along, Graham we're going
to Saiisbury's. He's sold his big pic
turc, and got the money for it. We're
all invited to his studio tonight to
congratulate him"
with all my heart I'm just in
the mood for grand frolic. What
can poor artist do with his spare
hours better than just go to the devil
as fast as the world is anxious to send
him! A jolly set we arc ! Look here
now, Pinckncy, that's the only coat you
own, isn't it :"
"We!l it is :" responded the one
addressed, laughing heartily. "But
( it is not half 50 bad as Clark's he
dare not come out of his room until il
gets little darker. We are going
after him now
"Clark's half mad" spoke another
He could get tolcrablc support
drawing for wood.engravers, if he'd
work at that about half the time, and
paint the rest. But he keeps at his
grand historical pictures, which no
body will buy, and starves in his gar
ret"
And he's ri5ht," exclaimed Pinck
ney, with u small oath. \ genius
like his dcbasiug itself to buy bread
. He's martyr in Il glorious cause"
We are all martyrs in our dcvo,
ton to our beautiful mistress, ART
We give up the hope Of worldly hon,
ors and emoluments we give up po,
sition and u rank among the snobs oi
the land" said Paul, with a sudden
fierce energy. Hurrah, boys! hur.
rah for the artists! At least, we de,
spise the world ten times more than il
does us. We know, at least, that we
are capital fellows ! So hurrah for
ourselves !"
"Look here, Graham ! we'll have
the police after us and we don't care
about a lookup in lieu of our enter
tainment at our friend Salisbury's."
The company went Oh, laughing
talking, and occasionally shouting
the shouts bursting forth from Paul
who was in state of the deepest ex
citement. AS might be anticipated
he carried his eXcesses farther tina
night than he had ever done before
SO that when the hour of separation
came, he was led to his room by hi.
friends, being too much under the in
fluence Of champagne to attempt ;
solitary walk.
The next morning he arose with 3;
heavy head and heavier heart. He
felt i'll aud discouraged and, as usual
and with a degree of selt.lovc aston
ishing to contemplate, he threw al
the blame of his situation upon an in
nocent and unoflending world. If one
could have heard the TRADE which he
poured forth against society, to a bevy
of sympathizing brothers, that morn
ing, while his headache was still upor
him, he would give him credit for elo
quence, if not for consistency.
After a day or two of yielding tc
his irritable mood, Paul began to re
cover himself. He was too fiery and
proud of soul to be humi!iated by the
Sights Of others, and Miss Mordaunt's
rejection of him was fuel to the fame
Of his ambition. He was determined,
by immortalizing himself, to make her
feel what she had lost in refusing his
love. He was no longer in love with