The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1863-04-22
CHAPTER III.

We will now pass over a lapse Of nearly
four years. -Four years what an amount
OF JOY and woe, of deep, bitter, heartfelt an
gulsh, and OF almost delrious JOY, may be
felt i'll that short space of time How many
OF those wo have cherished in our heart S
coro may not have passed to that bourne
from whence no traveller returnsw And
alas ! how many may not have become cs.
trangcd or changed by the cold, calculating
spirit of the world Thoso four years had
mot passed to the Mcrcdiths and Sections
without many changes.
Florence. now an extremely beautiful Girl
of nineteen, had, with her friend and cousin
Mary Aylmer, spent the most part Of two
years at Mrs. De LiSlo's excellent school.
The cousins We'd with each other in acquir-
ing useful knowledge and many graceful
ompnshmonts, though cherishing and
! loving each other us sisters. No two per-
sons could be more dissimilar in person and
character than Florence Seitor and Mary
Aylmer. Florence, in person, was tall, full,
and rounded. her ligure approaching to eag-
boHPoiH: her eyes of deep, very deep
blue h@r complexion fair as "unsunned
snow tinGed with beautiful tint of the
rose her iinoly-arched brows, in which lay
a world OF expression, were some shades
darker than her hair, which was worry
| light brown her nose something of tho
aquilinp and her small mouth, when the
red, tuIl lips were parted, disclosed two
rows of the Whitest pearl, In dispos tion,
she was attectionate and OPEN too noble
and generous herself to be suspicious, she
still possessed an almost ntuitive knowl.
edge of character that was uncommon in
one SO youthful, and, under the instructions
of Miss Manvers and those of her gentle
mother, had acquired II good share of self
| possession and hrmncss OF character. Miss
| Aylmer was her opposite in many respects.
She WAS timid and sensitive as the plant
| that shrinks from the touch, and. though
her heart was filled with deep, warm ailcc-
ton tor her friends, yet still many thought
/ her manner too reserved, and approaching
/ too much to GOODNESS but those that knew
her intimately thQUght not So \ more
tendor, gentle, loving heart than that of
Mary beat not in the breast of woman
| Her mother, on the death of her father,
which took place when she was but five
years old, had retired to their seat in the
country, excluding herself from all society
except that of few cherished friends.
Mrs. Aylmer could not bear the thought of
parting with her only child by sending her
to school. A gOvernoss wac procured, who
was worthy OF mo trust reposed in her,
and who tried and succeeded in implantng
virtues, as well as accomplishments, in the
mind of her pupil but the retirement in
which her childhood had been passed. and
the subsequent death of her mother, tinged
her manner with a sort of sadness and re-
serve. She was about the middle height
with dark hazel eyes; her connie .ion,
though very fair, hoG no tnge Of color
when in reposc, but, on the least emotion,
would rush up and battle the fair neck and
brow with flood of crimson; her hair,
when disheveled, would fall in thick, rich,
wavy masses nearly to her feet and her
features were of the Madonna cas-. Of CHAR
acter the pure, white, lofty brow, the
soft hazel eye, with its deep fringes resting
on the fair check, as if it would hide be-
meath them the expression Of love and pu-
rity which dwelt there, the rosebud mouth
and rounded chin, with the light, graceful,
springy figure, all combined to form pic
ture of lovcIlness rarely cXCelICd
Florence WGs Cne ear older than Mary.
They had both come out as it is called,
the second winter Of their stay in New
York, when Florence had attained her
eighteenth and her cousin her seventeenth
year. Both young, lovely, wealthy, they
had created quite sensation anong tie
huW lCE, It was the year preceding the
declaration of war, and several British off
GERS of high rank were spending the win
ter in the American metropolis among 9TH
ers, Sir Edgar Lee, distant relative of
Colonel Sefton who was much pleased with
the marked attention he paid llsl once.
lie was about tw snty-elght years old, pos
sessed of rather handsome countenance,
with spendid figure, an insinuating ad-
dress, and the unmistakable manner of
man of bon tOH; but, what was of far
greater importance in the estimation Of the
Colonel, he could trace his ancestors as far
back as the Conquest, and was, in prOspec-
tive, heir to an earldom. To be brief-for
we cannot enter into detail, and follow our
two young friends through all the gayetes
OF n New York season-he was deeply
captiyated, offered hand, heart, title, and
fortune 10 the fair Florence, and was firmly,
but respectfully rejected. Ia vain her dis.
appointed father pointed out to her the
advantages of so splendid ali alliance, of the
brilliant and lofty circle she would adorn.
and begged her not 10 disappoint his fond
est hopes of seeing a coronet grace brow
it would SO well become, and all for the
sake of g girlish paSsion--for Colonel Seton
knew, before Howell had sailed for Europe,
young as they were, they had exchanged
VOWS of constancy-which perhaps was