Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1861-08-18
IRENE.
BY MATTE 6. BAKER.

aso nan who hare seems principal alcnH,
Psrhapsscts socouc f. sone sphere unknown,
Touches some wheel Of vzrses so s5Ee gaal,
TPoDe's Essay Oh Man.
Strangely enough, this gloomy evening, do
tie cherished memories o. other days rise up
before Iie; and, As the vail is lifted from the
door OF the pass, | look within upon scenes
that long since have passed unto tie darkness
TO which tines progress must cOnsign them;
faces chat we're once familiar 10 me as my
name | see, and voices Of other days ring
through the deserted halls and seem almost to
say, 1--WE are met again." Yet, conspicuous
in the crowd, is the face OF one I Knew and
lOved-loved as one woman never loved anotn-
er before. Ia all her fresh, young beauty l
see her again-Irens Kendali-the sam as 10
days Of yors. Ever since ny earliest ecoIlec-
ton I had known ana loved her; we were chill
dren together; cur parents were friends, and
our mothers had passed from life unto death
the same year, End that, perhaps, caused us to
love each other better.
Irene was several years my senior, and in
the hours Of loneliness which, at times, would
sweep over nv soRi and leave It bleak as tbe
parched shore Of the great Sahara, she would
lay my head Oh her shoulder and whisper III
low, rich, musical words, Of cur own hon and
friends bevond tie tomb. | did not love, I
nU4aItpE4 hCLa GlE Was -eA HA4N nv tlO6L "a
people would call PRETTY, bat to ne she was
more than beautiful. Her face was not small,
neither was it too large; it was very white, the
brow was broad and ample, an index Of the
sPTightly mind and the gray eyes beaming be-
meath il were mirrors in which the calm,
peaceful soul was reflected. She was tall and
well prop0TiioDsd and moved with q grace
equslsd by none. 1t was not her personal
grace and beauty that attracted me-tbat
rzucnn nv hanVt-u1~la IN fafua On ~IDcelr
about heE-Ho; it was the heart in whose depths
I thoCght slum5eTed no uaholy passions. /
dreamed not in those quiet hours that an evil
spirit slept n her bosom, as in all Others; I
don't know that / tBought Of it at ali-if did,
It was only 10 come TO the conclusion that she
E70Gs TEsPsIfect.
In those days a thought Of Christians life
did not trouble me-tLeTo was no skepticism
in NV heart, and there was no religion; / lived
and moved without q thought Of "tbe here5f-
ter,o and yet Christianity was the theme Of ali
Of Ireuo's confidential talks with me. she
was, ] believe, a true Christian a. that time,
consequently / have believed the doctrine Of
the soul falling from The high state to which
an earnest belief in Christ Jesus can, and Will
raise it. That has been my belief for years,
ever since began to think and reason; for our
natures are dual, and at times tie good spirit
may reign supreme, and # We have strength 10
crush back the promptiDg5 Of the evil one, we
maV live in security, bat once slacken the rein
and al, al is lost. So il was with Irene; she
lived in peace, for naUeht had occurred to
arouse The demon; it had not entered lis head
to tempt Der.
When Irene told ne abe would soon become
q bride I felt a P8Dg, because 1t was hard 10
give her up; yet when saw Robert Rodgers,
With his bread, intellectual brow and clear
beaning eyes, whose light shed such beauty
49, 81 &C., a. Er,A.~zr--
with which each regarded The o.EzT, / smiled
ana said, in by lisbt, careless way, nay 1t
ever be so; Cod bless you.
They were married one bright, sunny moTa-
ing in November. TIE hoaT frost glittered on
shrub and Tree, and the little binds sang songs
Ofj2y.
When we parIsd-me for ny home near by,
ard she for Lis on the banks Of Lake Cham
plain-I could not keep back the tears. Is |
looked up in her smiling face and pressed the
small white hand in mine, q voice seemed TO
whisper, "s soul is legt;o and with a groan OF
agony, the doors Of my heart swung to, AID We
who nsdloved each other go well, were parted
TO meet once more when these hearts should
not recognize each other.
A year passed, during which she wrote reg
ulsrly. She vas happy IN her husbands love,
yet be was an iBfdel. Oh how she poured out
TO ne the fOud hope Of bringing him home to
GENA - o1A ntA11 VI AElbg kAN1 iEEGp
and into her letters would creep a word in ex-
tenuation Of bis belief, then something he had
said to convince her that his was the right
path, and a leaning toward him and his belief.
Finally I'll mentiea Of It ceased.
went on the same way until I learned to
put ny trust in d better and higher power, and
then l shu6dercd as l looked back to my past
ind ference. How had a J1st God borne with
me? How stTiTen with the spirit which, for
wears, had resisted His patient teachings? But
il was even SOL was saved.
In the spring Of the next year, Irene Rodgers
cane back. Il was not the meeting / had so
often pictured TO myself. was chilled, swed
into silence. 4 change had come over Irsns;
she was not the light-hearted woman Of other
days. A troubled expression luTked around
the exquisite mouth, and ever and anon a rush
OF agony swept across her face. We spoke OF
things foreign to our feelings, Of her new home
and new friends, not those Of dear old by-gone
DAYS, when we were happy. She seemed to
avoid the subject which | longed, yet dared
not approach.
In tue evening, when The sun threw long
shadows across the grassy lawn, we walked
toward the creek which flowed through the
gross plot, where we had passed so many
pleasant hours; on whose green banks we had
dreamed the early morn OF our life away. We
sat where we had often sat before, and / broke
the silence, for it oppressed me.
s~Irsne,n I said, ''does not this scene bring
Go mind the olden time? Here under those
trees, with The moonlight and starlight above
us, you prayed for ne the night before your
marriage. Pray again, Irene"
81 cannst. Could you worship a being In
whom you had not fGilh?''
"You can't say you have no faith in God?o
! whispered.
81 d0,o she replied.
"What has become Of it? you used TOP
"Gona I know not how nor whereof
OH the hopeless tone Of voice IN which she
spoke! i5 chils my heart even now; and the
look Of pain I shall never forget.
LET zoe prag for yOu,2 | said.
She did not consent, nor did she object, and
30 / prayed. A deep, heartfelt petition went
UP, from the deepest recesses Of my soul, to
- oF5ag who sat on the great white throne.
- consfitTtione come to her, but che repealed
suS,1~stfon. in WIFI mercy bent over her, but
bv the government would not open, the
fbe necessity of events PED, aRd SO, win tears
re any longer a reasOnsbFIseu e L'SnI oacA
bitter strife Of States aDd'e'' 1 Ah"1Ao0' Ou'
~rsternsI blood, the Union ca
TO its former position? $1,000,
" ACNSN5 0GN
nRrxFc16 BoyD IN AN uher mad rawlings
It sppears that tae domestic g
he Benecia boy are not yet sci
Faction Of all parties concernejork Day BOOk
tHclal notice in the Woodstock
ne 7th inst, directing his wife, asmocrst wis
fsuksn Keenan,, TO sppesr at the ! anv poIiti-
rm of the court OF MchenTy ountlitionis in