Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-05-27

Tor, and Mr.. LewsOn, after being copiously bled,
was restored to consciousness and comparative
calm As soon as the surgeon had retired, Mr..
Lewson called me TO his bedside
Meredith" he said, II sought you for the
purpose OF requesting great service at your
hanus My brain was confused, on fire, just
now; but meant to say that have seen Mary
Somers, whom | believed had long since found
grave beneath the waters of the St Lawrence,
and that. But you shall know all, from
the beginning
Il came, rs 1 think you are aware, from
Bath to London, when little mere than twenty
years Of age. I was born and reared in the
neighbOrhoOd OF that gay city, and for the last
two years of our sojourn there. was the chief
support of my widowed mother. | was barely
nineteen when she was laid in her peaceful
grave. Close by us dwelt a retired lieuten-
ant of infantry. Mr.. SOmers and his only child
daughter. Mary was two years younger than
j, and my first rememberance of her Is
golden haired, blue-eyed cherub, encircled by
the light and holiness of infancy. We were
piaymates. 1 cannot tell yOu, II would, by
what degrees the boyish tenderness fell for
the angel-chlld decpcned into an absorbing,
bewildcring love for the pure. beautiful girl
enough, that before twenty summers had passed
over me, L lived but in her life, and in the
sunshine OF her presence felt joy, ecstasy.
which. "a yet, no shadow east by the dim and
uncertain future had power to trouble or OBJ
scure Mr.. SdmeTs did not discourage our in
tlmacy; and 1t was not till the failure of the
Bath house, in which | had been employed
compelled me TO seek for means of livelihood
elsewhere. that the possibility Of separation
from Mary SOmerS flashed upon me. We'll do
L remember each incident, word tone of the
last evening [ passed in her presence. The
profound devotion, the inflaming love which
possessed and consumed me- found fitting burn
ing utterance, rs with passionate incoherence.
poured forth my whole soul Mt her feet. |
was understoOd-mOre. infinitely more-I was
SOOthcd-cOnsUed-an the silvery angel voice
even babe me hope. Eagerly sought her father
He heard Inc with patience; and the supercili-
Gus smile, as at the frenzy Of boy. which at
first slightly cured his lips, yielded t. perfect
seriousness long before had concluded.
81 have high opinion of you, Robert Lew
son, he said-l remember every word he ut
tered. as if they had been spoken but yesterday
and I am greatly mistaken If you are not of
the stuff of which great or, at all events. sue
cessful, prosperous men are made. L also fully
believe, Judging from indomitable energy of
character you have SO early manifested, and
which, happily for you, has been wisely direc-
ted by your excellent strong hearted mother,
that the afectio you have just avowed for Mary
will prove no mere bVyiSh fancy. but lasting.
dceprHoted passion. Still. you must fairly win
before You wcar her. You are about he con-
tinued, for | hung with eager silence on his
words, as If life or death was breaking from his
lips-'yOu are about to enter the great world of
realities Mary has no fortune. Gain onc-a
competence. mean-say two hundred pounds
a year-less even, than that-and she will have
my consent to become your wife
:. | could have screamed for joy, This was
all that WAS required That |. endowed with
vigorous health, a fair education. and gifted
with an iron energy, capable. felt. of wrest-
ling with, and overcoming every obstacle, how
great sOever. that barred my path should AZ
quire such slight wealth, scarcely competence
why. this is what / should have myself pro-
posed, | was only twenty though strong aud
| manIike beyond my years. and Mary WAS but
eighteen. / thanked Mr. Somers i'm the most
extrayagant terms-was in i'm fact almost be-
side myself with exultatiOn-and the morrow :
sun had not yet risen. when | was bounding
along. with feet that hardly felt the ground
| upon the road to London. Arrived here. en-
| gaged as you know. with Mr. Ridges, and Sc
cretly exuted in showing him how far even his
| own proyerbal doggcd industry could be sur
| passed by the ceaseless, unquenchahle energy "f
a mere boy in years. Coarse. but sufficient
| food; hard, unremitting toll. far from shrink
| ing from, [ yl0ried in. The first five years
| passed with Mr.. Ridges were happy, sunny
years. / had banquets, tOo-rare. indeed, but
| priceless. | correspOnded with Mr.. S0mers
and at long intervals apart received business
| like, brief replies; but ever underneath hL
| signature were a few lines traced in sunlight
upon which 1 baRqueted for days. months
| years. a. upon flowers 0f Paradise, To others
| Meredith, this might appear unreal cxtray-
agance. but not, think, to you. who must have
| had some touches of the ardent enthusiasm with
| which nature has so fatally gifted me.
fro BE CONTINUED
/