The Xenia sentinel. [volume] (Xenia [Ohio]) 1863-186?, 1863-08-25


] hither. lay upon the bed in the long doEmi
tory, moaning to myself, for the evil spirit hat
torn my soul, and the remorse and pride Of M
heart, each struggling for sole possession, owne'
| no healing power. I scarcely noticed the lony
lines Of beds on either side the room nor the en-
trance OF withdrawal Of any of the number 0
girls constantly coming and going. They woull
look toward my bed and say with utter indifer
i eDce, ooh, q new one" They did not bOthel
me with their sympathy. "Scenes" were not 81
. novel to them as to afford amusement even
They chatted Of fashions and Christmas pres
ents, and gossipped about their neighbors, anC
slandered the absent bosom friend, and talked
sentiment about tours and ChaEleys and Her
berts. They we're sent there to "fnish," anC
they we're taking the evil with the good. They
had stepped out of the quiet and protection o.
home, and we're plunged too suddenly into the
world. They were noisy, vehement creatures
One Of them said my ancestors were the sever
sleepers, since / could enjoy the &c balmy" ii
such a racket SIS that; and another that J vas
possumming, and would be sure to turn out an
/ eavesdropper; and still another that 1 had gray
eyes and was ashamed Of them. But Law mo
tionless, with my eyes closed, hoping that each
bell that rang the half hour would be a summons
for them. Finally lady teacher came up and
reprimanded them severely for their tardiness
When she was gone, they shrugged their shoul-
ders, and said Miss Lane had not forgot that
obnoxious habit of coming to clear the premises,
but then she was a dear, delightful old hypocrite
and would not report them to Miss PardOe for
the world" and they straightwsy voted her a
| handsome present at the close of the term.
/ After their welcome departure, grateful silence
reigned in my immediate vicinity, but ever and
anon the half-hour bell rang out sharply, and va
/ riOus pianos about the house st0rmed fearful
discords Ny head throbbed and ached. sat
/ up in my bed pressing my burning forehead with
my feverish hands, and wanted the cold little
hand Of my mother there.
/ Miss Pardoe glided nOiselessly to my side. A
stern look was upon her facets habitual ex-
! pression-but she smoothed nv tangled hair with
a kindly, gentle touch. l could not meet her
| eyes at first; but it encouraged me to ask if my
mother was down stairs. There was no up
braiding in the quiet, steady gaze she fixed upon
me. There was rather soTrOWful pity, and 1
thought at the time a certain sympathy kindled
in her eyes, as if she recognized the evil spirit
that slumbered within me. Somehow / felt as
if she had been once like me, sin-stained; but
now her souls robeswer cleansed to the white
ness of purity, and she who stood beside me was
one of His redeemed. Atthat moment, through
her presence, God touehed nv SOUL A deep
sense of the sin had committed fell upon me.
! wept bitterly, and her tears were flowing with
mine "Egie," she said, ''before can answer
your question let US talk freely together" She
took my hand in hers She told me of various
incidents in her lie that convinced her of the
necessity Of the lesson we nsust all learn, of
self control do not remember her exact
words. -
On two or three occasions We had such talks,
and good seed were dropped that lay in darkness
and Obscurity many years. But it was the ''word
spoken in good season. and, " like the bread
cast upon the waters, returned. She had
sinned and she had suffered. What she now was
she was blythe grace of God. She showed me
my fault, not exaggerated, but severed from ev-
cry plausible shadow of excuse. It was as
though she held Gods mirror before me, and /
saw reflected there the hideous deformity Of my
soul. She showed me my mother deprived of
my fathers protection, and our large fortune re-
duced to q diminutiYe income. She painted life
10 me, not as aplradise, no matter how enhanced
its beauties were through the goodness, mercy
and glory Of God; nor as dark, gloomy place,
with its lost Eden behind and an aYenging God
ever approaching; but as a school, a preparatory
place to leGrn His will, to do His ROrk-a place
that en- Be to all field of noble actions. She
spoke to a slumbering spirit within me that
quickened at the Word-noty yas said, that there
was any immediate result therefrom. A soul
used to luxury and ease could not throw off
the siksn cords Of inertia at once 70 bind on the
heavy chain Of d4ty's bidding. And was but
Z child. With the familiar, dreamy, passive,
beautiful face Of my old companion, Idleness,
bending over me, with its Turing smile, how
could look away to the unpTepossessing, Scared,
strange face Of Duty, marked with its record of
cOaiictsl
Miss Pardos advised my taking little re-
freshment and remaining in the dormitOry for
the purpose of seeking rest, that might enter
school on the morrow with iuvigOrated strength.
She did not kiss me before going away. She
had given me higher and better mark of her
esteem. She left me quieted, but hardly COM
forted then. The path Of the future lay through
dark ways for me. Poverty was a new COM
paniOn--duty, hard taskmaster-life, disrobed
of all the bright tints Of Imagination, stretched
out before me, boundless, colorless space.
There was to be no more sentimental dreaming.
no lingering beside the fountains of youth for
me; my heart must never again thrOb with wild
ecstacies at some airy fabric; it must only know
the dull pain Of stern realities. This was what
said then, and tried in vain to sleep, with the
weight Of heavy misery at my heart. Very
wearied became.
The rows Of small bedsteads, and the various
trunks beside them, assumed common lock to
me, US if had been accustomed to them. Ny
eyes had gone on numberless exploratory eXpe-
ditions, and I knew that upon the novel wash
stand, which was the length of the upper side of
the room, were a dozen pitchers and a dozen
basins and dozen soap p-stands, and that some
were whole and some broken, and some blue
and some green and some white. They were
peculiar to the institution-unlike all others
had ever seen. 1t was certain relief to hear ap-
preaching footsteps upon the stairs. The door
opened, and the young person who had conducted
me to the parlOr entered, berring a tray of re-
q r. -
Fiosiy in her and still Instructive fOrebodings of
evil She spoke to me kindly, asking if she
should pour out my tea, because my hand trem-
bled and, not delaying iOrmy permission, did 50,
and sliced my toast. ! noticed that her hands
were small and steady, aud dazZlingly white
pretty hands that would be well suited to a sick
room. The costly sets of the rings glittering
upon her fingers | thought rather ont of keep
ing with her plainness of dress. Il was made of
some coarse, brown material, not making the
least preteusion toward costlness but made in
the most becoming style, and worn with the air
of a princess in velvet.
One was reminded of the brown dress of Gin !
dere!la in the play. A neat figure, which I dis
ceTned st once to be a difficult stitch, was en-
broidered upon her small linen collar, and which
/ recognized to be the work OF steady hands like 1
hers; but I thought it would have been prettier (
if it had been plain
I am not of Lavater's opinion, that ali things
have physiognOmy. Still 1 fell to reading this !
girl through her dress, and I learned afterEard |
that the opinion then formed was rather correct. |
did not notice her face much, for her eyes were
fixed upon mine. It was pretty, to glance at; it /
was pleasant to see occasionally. A rather /
large head, 4 broad, high forehead, and small, /
regular features, something of the Grecian or
der, cheeks rather too full, complexion delicate /
There were contradictory lines about the mouth, /
much Of sweetness, much of pride, but neither |
predominant. Her eyes were light blue, with |
a colt3 neartless CLEAN in them. Her hair was
golden in the sun, a rich brown in the shade aud |
in abundance and fneness of texture unparal- |
leled and it was the glory of her beauty. It /
was a saving in the school. " AS beautiful "a