The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-09-29

sei. you ali last week, Tor wished to bf able Il
make reparation at the same time that / con
fessed the injury. did not only hear you name
LINDA, Oscar, while the fever was on YOU One
gay there came some one, lovely young girl
and know she is good as she is lovely-she
came to see you--to learn how you were-to
nurse you. Poor Oscar he had bounded as
II ne was shot, and now was hiding his face in
her lap. "She came to see you. but she only
saw me, and / treated her very badly. withou,
any pity for her, her distress, her grief, her
love-" -
" Love f" cried he, grovelling at her feet, vet
not daring to consult her eyes,
Les, love, Oscar. / sent her away. | told
her L was your betrothed, that to nurse you
was my place, that she had no business there
80 she went away. Be tranquil, Oscar, and
hear me out-perhaps the end win not seem SO
bad to you"
The end |" cried he, trembling, eager
fes-the end-put your face down again,
brother; your eyes sparkle, and would rather
not have you look at me. Yes, the end--you
DO not think | would let it end SO, do you ?
Well, when l was sick, came to nv right mind
about it; and the other day Doctor Lsrsh found
out where this Linda was, and, in compliance
with my request, took me to see her, for |
wanted to apologize to her for my cruelty and
rudeness"
God bless you, Lizzie--God bless you |"
cried he, with his face still buried in her lap.
Stop-you must not interrupt me now, upon
any consideration. WE'LL Oscar, went into
the house, and found the young lady, lying in
bed, not i'll, but quite pale and faint, as if she
had been in great trouble. How she blushed,
and how pretty she looked, when went towards
her 1 think she was little afraid of me at
first. az If / was a tarr;hla A., oJoo5
but when l bent over and kissed her, she took
me about the neck with both arms, and held
me to her, so that could not help loving her.
Hush you must not dare utter a word, no,o !!
Well, she and talked together for some time,
until we quite understood each other, and
came to know her for the sweetest, loveliest,
truest, best OF girls ever met. By and by we
spoke OF you, and she began to cry-hush-
and so did i, Oscar, and we had good cry of
II together, after which we felt great deal bet
ter. Then she showed me a note you had writ
ten to her-a note that told me how true you
we're, Oscar, and how heroic in your sefde-
nial-and after that, we began to plan together
Of course, knew exactly what was to be done
the only thing possible, under the circum-
stances--but she was little intractable at first,
like young woman, wishing to sacrifice her
happiness for the sake of others, so taat had
some trouble to convince her that it was better
to make three people happy, by my method,
than 10 persevere IN her purpose, which would
be sure to result in the entire Indebtedness of
all three. AT last l called in DIR. Larsh, and
with his aid brought her to view the matter in
a proper light. The note you wrote to her, she
gave to me, and shall always keep it, Oscar
let me read it over again-it does me good, |
think, by giving me such feeling of pride in
you: Linda, had a moment of madness, and
an that time l may hare led you 10 think other
pise Of me than toas true. If so, forgive me /;
for nay shame tortureS me enough, soithout the
additional punishment Of your scorn. / aciA
not sag that time might not hare ended in lore
for you, for L ,odS not less aoeak than blind :;
bit l am atcake noao, the spell is gone, and /
haze sacred duty to discharge, Which, By Gods
help, shall also become pleasure Fdreaoeul
and think Of me no more. OSCAR
"Do you know, my brother, that that is a very
brave letter? Well, it is mine now-and-
stop When she gave it to me, she took her
pencil, and wrote a single line at the bottom
= - q a ~ n"a"'' a for ror ,9 6scsr
go; she will tell you the rest"
Alas-he needed not a second bidding. As
fire in fax, so leaped up the flames of love,
desire, Joy, into his eyes. He sprang to his
feet, he bent once his new lighted eyes upon
her, gave her hand one hurried pressure, muir
INJURED one "God bless you" and darted from
the room.
Lizzie let her head go back against the sup
porting cushions, she flung handkerchief over
her face, while sort of sinking, whirlng sen
sation seized upon her, and things began to
mingle like rapid moving loom, wherein is a
many-hued wool But suddenly the handker-
chief was plucked away, a strident voice pro
claimed
"Theseus has fed, and Ariadne turns up her
nose at Bacchus so there is no help for it,
Lizzie, you're bound to be an old maid, and to
be handed down to posterity as Aunt Betsy.
Phew All what's this +? I'll never forgive
you, if you faint. Ho there, a fan, and some
Cologne /"
Reader, you have seen my Heroine.
On this day, when she surrendered her love,
she began her real hfe-her life as Sister Of
Charity. DR.. Larsh was right from that time
people began to know her as Aunt Betsy"
and to think and speak of her as an old maid"
1t was not DIR. Larsh's fault that this so hap
pened, for there is well-authenticated tradition
in the Malmstedt family, that he used to make
an offer to Miss Betsy of his hand and heart
every six months, so long as he lived. Still,
though she rejected him, and he quarreled at
her, they remained the closest friends, and it
was Aunt Betsy's own hand which, in his last
illness, not only smoothed his pillow but took
from under it Plato, putting in its place the
New Testament.
Miss Betsy returned to the village, and re-
NAMED there four or five years, until the death
of Mrs. Prynn. She did not witness Oscars
marriage, but was present at the birth Oscar
Erik Malmstedt, jun, which young gentleman
she adopted as her heir, and had the happiness
of seeing win the highest honors at Col
lege. After Mrs. Prynns death, she removed
to the city, and took house near Oscar, re-
fusing, however, to live 10Th him, saying that
she valued her own independence too much.
/ And here she was happy, (mark the word, J
until death summoned her-happy, useful, be.
loved. What more could she ask?
And Oscar? If chose to mention his right
name, there would be no need to speak further
of him. Few men are more eminent-none
more honored, and, though the frosts Of age
have Slapped his vigor, he feels that he shall
still live in his children and grandchildren.
The end is not bad one, you see but re-
member, it required an Abraham to build that
altar upon Mount Moriah.
The Savannah Republican publishes the fol-
lowing, exposing a precious piece of rascality
on the part of some individual, whose name it
does not give. There is no greater scamp than
he who, under the guise of philanthropy, swim
dies the victim of his confidence; and the case
here mentioned is one of the most aggravated.
Why not mention the name, if the story is a
true one?
Sharp, Vey-A negro man who purchased
his freedom went to New York State, and by
rigid economy saved $500, which he intrusted
to an Abolition lecturer, to go to Delaware and
buy his oldest daughter. The lecturer was
overcome en- his charitable errand by a fair