The semi-weekly mountain Democrat. (Placerville, El Dorado Co. [Calif.]) 1860-1860, 1860-10-06
The Fallen Idol or, the Experience
OF FIOrence wilde.
BY WILLIE E PABoR.


many) but her mirror told her this. And
Florence believed it. What woman (tho'
the ugliest of her sex) would not The
sense of pleasure derived from such fiat
tering assertion is q desirable one, and
she who puts such Eschol-grapcs ofdelight
from her lips must possess sentiment
much at varience with woman's general
character.
Florence Wilde was rich. You knew
this by her costly attire, and the sphere
in which she moved, ,-one Of the highest,
in fact, in society. And such a star as
Florence Wilde, the beauty and the heiress,
shining in the horizon Of fashion, was it
not worthy the homage paid to its pure
ness and brightness d! There was nothing
wrong iu this SO long as the ascending
incense of homage did not dim its bright
ness or spot its purcness.
Florence Wilde was rich, too, in anoth.
er and nobler sense. Her intellect was
Of high order; such rs commands and
influences and wields sway far superior,
more ennobling than that exercised by
the golden flakes Of the worlds dross.-
Hers was no shrinking, timorous mind
1t had launched forth upon the tcmpestu
Gus waves of thought to the iSLs Of
knowledge that dot the ocean Of learning !;
and over the rich fruitage Of study was
shed the mel!owing beams of woman's
swecter sympathies-the hcart-wrcath of
| affection.
Therefore, when we say that Florence
Wilde loved, the reader will be prepared
to feel that such love Of hers was far sur
passing the general love of woman. 1t
was deep and abiding. 1t was lofty and
aspiring It was brOad-aye, its waves
touched the Gar-oH shores Of hmitlcsS love,
and sparklcd and giowed with the corrus.
cations Of a vivid fancy floating upon the
less undisturbed and serener under-cur-
rent of reason. For love-though there
are many who question it's thing of
reason. Born Of high regard, and fostered
by intelligence and worth, it rules in
many heart, and shapes the destiny Of
many mind. Unseen, perhaps, by those
among whom its posSeSSor moves the
loadstone exerts its magical influence. and
humanity is exalted by being sprinkled
with its essence.
Apparently Gerald Montaigne was wor-
thy the love of such woman as Florence
Wilde. An admirer Of beauty, such as
hers, entranccd and bewitehed him.
Moving in the same exalted circle, sur
rounded by the same social influences,
received as one worthy of honor and es-
teen among men, the life of the circle in
which he shone, with an intellect nobly
lowered and mind well cultivated, Ger.
aid Montaignc was not q conquest to be
lightly won, or, when wor3 easily held.
So was, that, when the neshes Of laye
were about him, and he bent the knee to
Florence Wilde, pride mingled with the
love she had for him and she placed her
hand.in his, and promised to walk with
him as lover, wife, and friend.
The betrothal occasioned no surprise
1t was such as each was expected to make,
and worthy Of both. Adown the slope Of
coming years, the smiling face and quick
step Of Hope went, leading them to aCa-
naan, if such on earth there be, wherein
a spirit of COntentment shed sweet sun.
shine along flower-starred pathway.
Thus it was. as Florence Wilde wove
bright fancies and built fair castles; thus
it was, as the bridal-day came nearer and
nearer, that the fell hand Of Disease came
upon the lady with blighting effect. From
the bed on which she fingered for weeks,
there came one changed in appearance
and in reality. The "second crowning
glory" Of woman was gone. BedutiTui
no more was the story her mirror now
told her, and she felt understanding as
she did the fickleness Of friendship and
the mutability Of opinion, that the world
would echo the assertion, as it once had
its reverse. But" (she spoke thus as
she stood upon the portals Of the Temple
she was about to re-enter, and in which
she once had preSided) I" let iOre be left
after such test, and with the dsvotedness
Of one heart, all my own, | can afford to
lose the adulatiOn Of the crowd"
And Gerald MOntAigne-wOuld he, her
betrothed, ,Se. K her side as Of old? The flut-
tering heart Of Florence assured her that
he would. But when he came-what was
there in his tone or manner that sent back
the bounding hope, and stilled the trcm-
bling heart? She read it at glance, and
| that night when alone with "lOve-tokens"
Of former days she sealed her heart and
lip to silence,as she sealed the packet that
bade Gerald Montaigne so free. Think
not that it cost no struggle, that it infiict-
cd no pang. As hers was no common
love, SO it itrequired more than common ex-
ertion to force it into forgetfulncss. But
she was equal to it.
Asa "paSsable, but thoroughly plain
faced person, so was she termed by one
who had once envied her beauty,-she
was received into society. But the inner
change which came with the outer, was
one leading her to disregard what once
she had cared for and opinion was q
something she had too much independ.
ence to fear, and scorn to regard.
Now it was that she gradually with
drew from mazy dance and social gather
ings, and finally disappeared altogether,
in order to feed more securely the new al
tar she had erected in her heart. With
| the cmbers Of love still warm upon the
hearthstonc of the heart, the flame Of
Fame burned steady in the socket Of In
telcct.
In the field of literature there appeared
new and an unknown cleaner. Many
tongued rumor was busy with her name
and parentage. And among the many
things said of her, some of them were, by
the auspices Of chance, very truthful
They said, (these sage critics. that her
own experience was indexed in her words,
and this was true, though they knew it
not Even Gerald Montaigne laid down
the volume of 1.-THE Unknown" impressed
with an idea that from ashes had arisen a