Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1859-11-25
The Farther's Curse.
BY MINNIGREY.


TIE night was clear and coll the north
wind went wailing round the street corners
with hollow, cheerless sount, piling up
herr and there, huge snowbnks in the
silent streets. Silent and deserted save
now and then the jingling of sleigh bells
told of some late return from party, ball,
or eeatre, or the shrill cry of the watch
mad proclaiming the hour of night.
Twas past midnight when aemale form,
buaslghtly protected from he piercing
cold, passed with rapid butuneven gait
Through an obscure street il the lower
pats Of the city of Memphis, and entered
a dihpida ed building at the xtreme end
Of the street. Poverty, CANT poverty
reighed within. The fire hal long since
gone out, and the wind cane whistling
down the chimney and beneath the door,
scattering the ashes round thu room.
There was broken chair, box, hold
ing|a few plates, bunch of staw, covered
wia some carpet and an old slawl. This
wasal the furniture the hove boasted-
Yes among all this poverty misery, lived
ondto whom sorrow and cae were un-
kndyn. Upon that miserable bed of
stray, carefully covered, lay sleeping
beautiful child; and, as it slept, it dream
ed, and smile beautiful as an angels
caused the dimples to play around its
mouth
o, God l never thought a fathers
curse would be so hard to bear" exclaim-
I'd the woman, as she bent abore the sleep
ing child II never thought, when | left
my fathers house in anger, that child Of
mine would ever want for bre,d God in
heaven, hear my prayer! give me bread
bread for my child Let me not be his
murderer. ........
/ /" h'would be but just, Juli,," exclaim-
A a man who had entered unobserved,
q "a sAood closely muffled beside her.
| rWho are you, that talks of justice p
a'ked she, slowly rising and turning to-
wlrds the stranger. She had been very
BEAUTIFUL, but care and wart had made
deep inroads upon that beauty.
"Ah" said the man, slowly, meditat-
igly, "you have changed since We last
NIT l, too, have changed. There, does
your memory serve you now? and he
dppped his cloak upon the floor,
james Cleve" exclaimed the woman,
bitterly. "What would you here? Have
yoi come to exult over the misery you
haze made? You have always haunted
my pathway like phantom of evil
What new calamity awaits nel Speak
apR she folded her arms, and haughtily
co1rropted him.
'Jula," said he, "three years ago met
you at your fathers home, blessed with
evey comfort fathers love could sug.
ges, surrounded by many loving friends
and perfectly happy, | loved you, and
sol ht yours in return; you said you
Sc ned the love of such as me, that my
INT ey was all that made me and more
to most inveterate enemy, to one whom
II / lsworn to hate through all eternity
20 Committed the treasure had asked
! for your wealth of love. | told you o
: my ow, and warned you not to share NJ.
hat "a hate that would haunt you through
life nd after death, could ! so will it,
: Yo, listened to all said in silent scOrn
5 niue as you listen now and when
6nis I'd, you vowed, come what would
none other than Charles Benton shoul,
call u wife, You kept yourvow, and mar
ried m. Now see if have not kept mine
You Larrisd, and your father, in anger
i refuse evermorc to look upon his child
:. |, his licnd and counsellor, upheld hiT
n in his determination, Benton was poor
e compand with your father and myself
h and, d appointed at a portionless bride
2. and go ed by ypur fathers contemptuou
: : treatm Ut, he hft the city, and sougf
a employ lent elsl wewhere Twas useless
a l had en- theF before him, and gold
k po,oerG Mad diiened by his i'll success
Is he SOU ht tho gaming table. He lost
,e through another | lent him money, an
=" again h, lost and then he won a littl,
es not emo sh to cover his loss, but enoug
If to entic him 70 play again with the val
ne hope o thinning back his own. sa
"a vain b. 4 of winning back his own.
he say vai lppe. because his partner was n
- tool, an was far from my plan to ha,
Benton winner in the end. Thus hay
matters gone on for weeks and months
;, but the eId has come tonight when
y left him in the gamblers den, Il corpse ID
- at his fit, md he was branded mrdere
What think you-have | not fulfilled n
ng vow ?"
nd Julia lisbned in silence, and, as he to
ie hi, deep.aid villainy, a deep crimsc
re flush spr,adover her cheeks, and into b
en- daiD eyes sphng wild, bright, ftful ligl
u u tn ma lie u We, acc Istomed as he was
oe their gaze quail before the fierce consuI
inE FIRE he lad kindled theto.