New Orleans daily crescent., 1860-07-09
MONDAY MORNING, JULY 9, 1860
EWHtten for The New Orleans Grescent.l
TE1E UNCLAIMED HEAD.
By MARY ASHLEY.

\
/ =m BY MARY ASHLEY. .. e..
It was midnight. The blast that came down
from the North was burdened with wall. The
sigh which answered it from the bosom of
broad bay was burdened with a shriek It was
the sllriek of woman, the last sound that was
ever to issue from lips which had laughed and
lived and loved with reckless freedom As the
shrill cryrose and echoed aud died away, a deeper
darkness seemed to spread over the already dark
night as if the cloven foot Of the Prince of Silad
ows had Suddenly been set upon 1t. A few wind
ows went up in the neghborhood, a few heads
looked out into the nights blackness, few remem
bered afterwards that they had heard woman
scream in the direction of the bay. Nobody saw
the dusky form which bent awhile above the bub-
bling waters till all was still, then turned away
with Murders autograph written on the heart
| where Pleasures name had hitherto been traced.
The footsteps of guilt grow light in proportion as
the stained conscience grows burdened and
though the man Of murder stole along beneath the
very easements which were open, no earthly eye
| beheld him. Enveloped, as it were, in the black
ness he had wrapped around his future, unmolested
he passed in safety from the spot where he had
stood and cast, with hand that knew no mercy, a
living soul into the bottomless pit.
The grey of morning was struggling to find en-
| trance through the curtained and shuttered win
| dows of rich mans house. Dawn is an intruder
in the mansion of wealth. and the looms of India,
the handicraft of men, and fairy fabrics of wo-
manly fingers must be employed to shut it out.
But the dawn of this morning found entrance
threagh little chink, and crept on through cur
tains which crime had forgotten to drop, and looked
about in a sumptuous room where MaInmon seemed
monarch of all he surveyed, and pale man stood
washing his hands, Strange how so simple pro-
cess can be converted into matter of the greast-
est moment, but guilt turns trifes into torments,
and the little pebble which the innocent foot falls
lightly upon or tosses aside, the sinful step behods
with terror lest it should stumble over it and be-
tray itself in its anxiety to avoid it, To any other
than the owner, those hands seemed very clean
scrupulously clean; with well cut nails, rosy palms
and wonderfully soft skin. He bathed them, how
ever as though life and death hung in the bal
ance; and now and then he threw the cold drops
eagerly his breast, if fire was there which
water would put out .-5...[
He dried his hands at last and lay down upon
his couch. The dawn, opening its eyes wider, saw
great drops of sweat upon his haggard brow
drops as thick as ever bedewed the poorest day
away, not half so cheerfully borne
There was a rap at the door long after the dawn
had disappeared from the pale mans chamber,
and sent sunbeam to keep watch in its place.
The man opened his eyes, then raised himself with
a groan--
stYou are ill, you have suffered and been alone =
said sweet voice, as a womans gentle form glided
into the apartment.
| r,rIra hands fail noalino, n,,o,, 4Is
sufferers brow and drew it down against heI
gentle bosom. ''All night l have watched fol
you,'' she said, I" and you did not come Now and
then looked outinto the night; it was black black
as murder, fthe man shivered) and the waters o
the bay gurgled like deathrattle; and once
once thought heard woman scream. knew
it must be fancy, but Twas wretched, for you were
away-so wretehed that believe now the sound
heard was my own heart crying outfor you. Where
were your
"You have found me-, he answered, and the
voice which uttered the words sounded to him like
strangers, though he strove to make it soft ant
loving. Why did you not seek me here before
j" | did not think you were here. was watchins
for you to come from far away, and you were 81
near me! / see it all now--the unextinguishe,
, lamp---yourself still dressed -yes-yes, you rea,
late-you lay down to rest-you fell asleep and s.
4
: was forgotten.i'
The husband heaved sigh of relief as thougl
glad that his trusting young wife had answered he
| own questions. He raised his hands to lay then
round her neck and she bent it eagerly to recey,
, the embrace, but something checked the gesture
. he glanced at his lifted hands and withdrew then
. with shiyer.
% That is our wedding ring the wife said, sill
. ting down beside him and hiding her disappointe
face in his bosom she lifted one hand to her lips
though he strove to prevent it. "1t is holy sym
bol, dearest; it seems to shut man. and woma
too, within prescribed circle: where all is purit
and uprightness and love-where sin is excluded
and within which guilt can enter not, nor remors
lift its hydra head to glance over the golden rim
Even sorrow, when it enters there, is hallowed an
joy takes deeper root and spreads wider branches
The heart there seems welded to the soul, an
standing tiptoe the shining circle looks int
heaven Truly, all that is left of the bliss of orig
nal Eden is shut in the sacred circle of the wed
ding ring =z54
The hand was drawn from her now, and with th
other passed about her waist. With an effort tn
man seemed to place himself within that magi
circle, to shake the grasp of memory from his cor
: science, to lay his head on the holiest pillow Go
ever gave to mana woman's loving heart.
The sunbeam went out and told the day what
!. had seen and in its turn it looked in the splendi
: chamber where the man and wife still held con
! munon and were happy for the hour.
s=n0.5. 45z5 ~>-~~>~~<>- z-. #z-.5
CHAPTER IL.
> Night came. and starlight and moonlight la
:, rocking on the bays blue waves. little row
:, boat shot from shore, and in it sat the man, hi
!, hand upon the woman's hand, her head resting o
;, his bosom now-resting there like an infant, fu
= of love and trust, and mereifully blinded to on
= dark stain in that bosom's secret depth one spc
: over which conscience bent its stern brow an
. raised the upbraiding finger. They sat and dreame
>. and talked like lovers, and the boat went on III
needed by either of them till the oarsman rested
. . moment on his oars. At that instant face ros
a ont of the water-a face beautiful to look upon
~ crowned with bright hair which foated out upo
J the waves-a woman's face, from which death ha
- stolen the life but left beauty lingering still