The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1860-05-03

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decent burial, was doomed to receive
letters, and hear complaints of his in
Justice. In the silent hour of the night
/ knelt by his coffin; decay had been
merciful it spared his features to the
last; and / could count and kiss the
burrows which disappointment, and the
scornings of a selfish world, had craven
on his brow. But, O how perfectly
did / feel, iE that melancholy hour; that
his spirit was indeed departed, and that
my lips rested on nought but cold and
senseless clay yet / clung, with al
most childish intatuation, to the dwell
ing it had sosweetly inhabited for such
length of years. The hours rolled
on, and the gray mists of morning found
mel the same spot; it was then, as
the light mingled with, and oyercame
the departing darkness, that / entered
into compact with the living spirit of
my dead father, that, as long as pos
sessed power to think or act, would
entirely devote my energies to the ful-
fillment of those engagements, which
his necessities compelled him to leave
unsatis6ed. / am ashamed to say, |
nearly forgot my promise; and though
aportion of my hard earnings were reg
ularly eevoted to the darling prospect
winning back for my father his unspot-
ted reputation, yet / did form plans of
happiness in which his memory had no
share. Ernest, for this have suffered,
and must suffer more. | have gone
over these books, and find that, after
devoting the entire of the many, many
thousands now my own to the cherish
ed object, only few hundred NAV re-
main at my disposal. This is enough
again say may You be happy with
your lowered bride, and remember
that the one consolation-the only one
that can support me under this sep
aration is-that have done my duty"
Strange as it may seem, Young
Heatbwood did not appear as much
distressed at this resolution as Rose
or, to say the truth, as Margaret-tho't
he would have been. No matter how
heroic, how disinterested, the feeling
which compels woman to resign her
lover, she naturally expects that her
lover will evince proper quantity of
despair at the sad circumstance; and
certainly, Ernest, after a pause of few
moments, during which he seemed
more affected by Margarets's noble
mindedness than his owu-bernapement.
entered cordially into her views, and
praised the sacrifice { if, with her feel
ings, so it might be called J with an en-
ergy that left no room to doubt its sin
cerity.
After his departure, she pondered
these things in her heart, and came to
the conclusion, that she had not resign
ed her affections too soon, for that it
was evident he had pretty well sue
ceeded in banishing her from his love /;
and poor Rose, who had in so little
time been twice disappointed in her
hopes both of a wedding and a fortune,
was reproved with some aSperity for
conducting Ernest Heathwood, under
any circumstances, to their cottage.
1t is needless to add, that her mothers
tears and remonstrances had no effect
upon Margaret's purpose; and her
forthwith to all the creditors of the late
Maurice Sunderland the full amount of
their demands, with interest thereon
from the day of his failure !"
1t required all her frmness to bear
up against her mothers compIaining's
and, above all, against the painful truth
established her mind, that Ernest had
ceased to regard her with anything
bordering on affection. Strange, that
at the very moment we are endeavor-
ing to repress the unavailing passion of
the one we love, we secretly-unknow-
I ingly, it may be-hope for its continu-
: ance!
All "business affairs" were arrang-
ed according to her desire but she
was sinking under the outward tran
guilty which is more fatal than exer-
ton. Listlessly she wandered amid
!. the flowers which Rose loved to cult
!. vate, when the unsual sound of carriage
wheels reused her attention, and, with
no ordinary emotion, she saw Sir Thom-
as and Ernest Heathwood enter the
wicket-gate, and walk toward the cot
tage. . g3 ltH -
81 told You, Miss Sunderland" COM
menced the old gentleman, with more
agitation but less embarrassment, than
he had shown at their former interview,
"that | had need of twenty thousand
pounds to support my credit, and save
my family from distress. / told you l
wished my son to marry lady possess
ed Of that sum, and now l come to
claim you as his bride. y
"Sir!"
f Yes, madam; / was your fathers
, largest creditor; and though l had no
fraud, nothing dishonorable to alIege
against him, yet l did not, l confess it,
, like the idea of my son being united to
his daughter. He was always specu-
lative and imaginative, and feared
you might be the same The sum you
have SO nobly repaid me, I looked upon
as lost, and you must, therefore, suffer
me to consider it as marriage portion,
it has saved me from ruin, without the
sacrifice of my sons happiness. y
"How is this 2" exclaimed Marga-
ret, fearful of trusting the evidence OF