Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1861-03-13
oHApTER THE EIETH.
TIE FouRTn OF THE MINOR SPIRITS.

TIE FouRTH OF THE MINOR SPIRITS.
Blanche Mayfeld.' said Abraham Snap,
while hiI(veice was choked by the ri
-TrTg zoos, sBltnche MAyRsld-rly early love
my darliag--darlng love, Blanche May
field. !, the demon who inv. ded her spirit
and dashed 10 ,ieces the altar of her peace
and purity within. l. the demon who robbed
her Of her honor, her friends, her wealth, her
position in society /, The demon who con-
signed her--her, Blanche Ma> field. to a life
Of olohScwity, inhmy, wTetchedncss and shame
I, Abraham Snap who would have kissed the
very ground she walked on -I-IP
Ab aham Snap vas again in his ON room.
TIE fire was blazing high, still There was
no change except IN its occupant; he waited
Tor the next vistant The hour through
whose or'ieal he had Just passed, had been
the most fearful of al IN it he had seen his
old employer. and the mistress of his heart
ruined hy his damnable traIIic Those hose
lives we're nent up in his own, whose memo
ries were MS sacred and rs pure as tic most
sacred object In his hcaIt-over the days Of
the past in which he was their constant com
panion, he had vearned and yearned until
his spirit groaned and prayed for forevttul-
p"ss within him dead dead both dead
his old master AID Blanche Mayfeld The
blow, that they we're dead was enoueh-aye,
enough 10 bear his aged spirit far into the
dust and heap upon II the ashes Of SORROW
The fire in his heart would have heen put out
by that alone But such deoth-the' old
man starving to death, with his darling boys
name uuon his dying lips, with no one there
10 soohe his aching brow or protect his help.
less body from the rude blasts without-dy-
ing, starving TO death, calling for brandy, OH
thtttp In A hwub Snun N
pulled and tugged at its chords until they
broke But when he Thought that he it was
who robbed the old man Of all his wealth, and
his friends, and his place in society, that he
il was who had consigned him to this worse
than grave, rry like that Of the death wall
Of lost soul upon the threshold OF the cav
erns Of woe broke the stiffness of the old
warehouse and the mice in their coverts fled
trembling iF dsmav, the vermin in the gar
ret-abUVe and among the barrels below Shrank
2 hiIrghtrd TO their dens, at the long heart
hreakinl cry Of the wine merchant. And
Blanche Mayfield, for whom he had sighed
until weeks and months had heightened into
long, hopeless years, the refusal Of whose
hand and heart had been the hidden secret
Of his cheerless celibscy, she too. Blanche
Mayfe'd, the good, the pure, the sweet mai
den. to save whose life nc would have any
day given his own, Blanche Maytield gone
too.-in such a way by such hand. AnC
the wine merchant threw himself upon The
floor ia the agonv Of his thoughts and wep
like an orphan child.
But there came pealing upon the night-blast
two solitary, melancholy notes from the bra
zen monitor near him.
And with it came the spirit Of the fourth
hour.
Grim and dusky as were the preceding
vsitants Of The evening, more grim and terri
hc was this new conner. Upon his palli'
brow WIS stamped the branding iron of rag
and mqlice. Blood was upon his hands AM
C'rmcnts, a horrid cash was across his throat
and in the leathern girdle that held his gar
mcnts about him. were inserted implement
of death. Rushing iatn the room through
the same open window that had affor ded in
gress to his preceders, he scowlingly spok
to the wine merchant:
Come y
Shrinking from his touch, Abraham Sna
cnquired Of the ghostly conner who he wal
am the Spirit of Crime :
Spare me, SPARE me this hour, spectre (
crSlv shape. Spare me, fear you and you
Grand
Thou fearest me Aye, well, thou does
to fear mer
Nav. will not go with thee
But the spectre only looked into tho nigh
and sad
The night wanethr
What care I9 Leave me. Spirit Of Grim
leave me To the thoughts that crowd upo
mC soul Leave me or ] shall invoke by a
th, lows and bliSses of llenv-'
Once more thou speakest that awful wor
tn our spirit land. Hush tel thee huS
aud come with me. / must obey the ma
dates of my master Ii is TO show thee VIII
moro thou hast d, ne for him anC hell AZ
49, Come, for have much I show III
in the short mortal hour that now holds d
miu;on up,n the earth. No words, Abraha
Su1u-hut Gomez
The liquor dealer heard no more, said
more, but felt the cool wind blowing up,
his face as his mysterious visitor hasten
him NV 10 another hour'S journey. IL
time lie went again different course frc
any other. and tnrued hv the Spirit &c Grin
hc bcbcld again beneath him the fields al
meadows of the country All hy in pea
below. aud Abraham Snap thought Of Il
as tc comrared the slumbers of the pcace
iunccrpts IN the lowly cots beneath him
the conflict raging in his own spirit. H'
the waters Of gentle rivcrrcaected the IA
Of the sinking moon how he wished that
waters or his declining years might pass II
smoothly and gently Onward TO- the ocean
eternity. But il was hopeless though
should live thousand years, the memory
his old employer and Blanche Mayfeld wo,
be to him an everlasting curse. Bat
thoughts were cut short, as far in the beat
iul county, the Spirit ncared a vast edit
conSccrated to'earnmg and knowledge,
WAS some Academic shade which should c.
tain the scenes Of the ensuing holr. Ih
was n little village surrounding the vast b
ding, but its towering duuc and white "
pcered tar above MI other objects 1t was
roctly 10 thi that the S ,irit Of Crime took
flight
In at one Of the windows, which noiscl
" flew open at his approach, and wi
closed tse IA he entered, the Spirit tiew,
wended his way tov ards a smaA apartn
in the massive edifce. as they drew n
the clangor Of glasses and the SQUAD Of b
analan mcrriment disturbed the still ech
Within the apartment was group OF yo
men around board covered with decaI
and goblcts. The furniturc Of the room
seuted that array which isgeperal|y the r
erty Of a student. IL was true, the large
hce was college to which Abraham