Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1859-07-08
[ Written for the C2nkspiHs Chronicle I
LILY A Y L M e r.
BY oRIoLE.
CHAPTER Ky.

I ~
"Presume not that | am the thing was;
For heaven doth know, shall the world perceive,
That have turnd away my former self" .ii y
1t was bright, beautiful morning the
gulf breeze burdened with the incense Of
southern flowers, tempered the fervid heat
of summers day. Lily reelined upon
hammock suspended from the centre of
spacious and luxuriantly furnished
room, swayed by bright mulatto who
kept at bay cloud Of hungry mosquitoes
with fan Of many colored feathers. Her
book had fallen from her hand unheeded,
and she lay gazing listlessly through the
unsashed windows upon the shadows that
danced to the breeze-stirred music of the
long, dropping banana leaves. .
A gilt eagle, with wings outspread upon
the ceiling, clasped in his talons a netting
Of pale rose color that fell in graceful
folds around rosewood crib, in which,
enveloped in tissues and soft laces lay a
tiny babe with closed, crumpled fists pres
sed closely against the round, pink faco'
Annie Clifton, once Annie Aylmer, now
the loved and happy wife of far famed,
though youthful surgeon, sat with one foot
pressed upon the rocker of the crib, bend
ing over an embroidery frame, where buds
aud blossoms grew beneath her careful
fingers, upon tiny robe of snowy
muslin. fL
,'Why do you not talk to me, Lily p
You are unusually taciturn, How long
do you intend TO lie there dreaming of
your last captive, or future conquests, or
composing sonnets to the moon and stars,
by sun light, while am dying with i'm
patience to hear the result of your last
campaign? Rumor whispers that you
have won the greatest prize in the matri-
monial market, and Eugene told me, to-
day, that Clarence Hunter was the most
perfect gentleman he ever knew, and a
ripe scholar. He said if you did not yield
1Oul hSdlI W his luSClHdllUIo II III Db
made "of sterner stuff than he gave you
credit for. / do wish you would marry
and settle down near me. 1t S very
strange that oneso noble-spirited, generous
and kindhearted, should be so invulner-
able to the shafts of love"
81 have not been so impenetrable as you
imagine, Annie, l once loved, with all a
woman's loyalty, one who proved himself
unworthy of the worship which should
never have been given to created being
The sin of idolatry was sorely punished,
and presumptuous, errant creature that |
was, l rebeled against the chastisement
Of jealous God and sinned-moa greic-
ousiy The bitterest remorse for my
guilty course has ever, with scorpion sting,
pursued my wandering steps, and even
{ while writhing beneath the lash of an ac
cusing conscience have | recklessly con
tinued in the path Of sin; but new
thoughts and better feelings have thronged
me lately and caused the still, small voice
of conscience to be heard above the whirl-
wind Of passion and have resolved t.
endeavor to eXpiato the sinful part by a
purer future"
Tears that had long been stranger
guests to Lily's flashing eyes obscurcd
their glitter, now, with a soft mist and at.
tested the depth of feeling which promp,
ted her resolutions of amendment
Annie left the cradle of her slumbcripg
babe and wound her arms in a close, lov.
ing embrace around her sisters neck
while tears that were not all Lily's com.
mingled their sympathetic drops as they
! fell upon the marble floor.
"Hillol Madame, Monsieur LIE Doctairc
al Home"
"No; he has just left for the country.
"Ah Non Dicu an gcntlchon,mc is vel
notch kill by dc,-wat you call,-de ac,
cident, and de petite femme feel yer motcf
, grief Vat shall do You shall tel
me ware will find him ?" .....
"les; he cannot have gone far; yor
+ will probably overtake him at Baron
= plantation near the junction of tn,
!. bayous" .y, fef sUf
.'Je vous remercie, madame and will
p bow replete with unstudied grace th
oroolo galloPed in pursuit of the physi
clan
| wonder what accident be alluded to
| must call Charles and see if any on
= needs asslstanee hat I can rendor.o