Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1864-02-12
XXI.


And then his conscience smote him with remorsc,
And cloudy years of crime roll'd DER his soul,
But fiery passions urg'd him on his course
And drove him forward to desperate goa l
still when he heard that slyery voice, his breas
Was touch'd with pity-but the feeling pass'd..
He enter'd in that humble cottsge door
And found himself an honord, welcome guest
And by his courteous bearing triumph'd Ger
Distrust, if such assail'd the old mans breast,
And with the aatterer's honied words OF art
Ubtaln'd possession of his victims heart,
XIII.
The days few by and she had learn'd to love
With most deep and passionate devotion
| But beuty's eye had long since ceas'd to move
In him aught save the surface of emotion:
Yet, IS be watch'd the bushes Ger her stealing
He almost deem'd he felt nobler feeling.
Bun who can be the same that he hath been
Whose,heart hath once been wither'd by the breat
OF deadly disappcintment-such the pain
The rack, the torture of hiring death
Which kills not like the nserciful simeon,
But leaves us to endure the anguish of cur dom.
So be was fx'd in his most fell design,
And strove by every delicate attention
To deepen thispur feeling and entwine
its tendrils with his image :-the contention
OF better thoughts with worse with him was over,
And he WAS now the same cold hearted lover.
xxvI.
But Florence deem'd him all maiden deems
The God like object other first Affection
And held him dearer than her brightest dreams
Of pictured beauty and ideal perfection =
And if his form wore not Ap6ilo's grace,
She Horshipp'd every symbol on his face.
And when her heart with this sweet trust o'erfow'd
And they were all alone in her soft bower,
She hardened to the counsel Of his word
And sold her honor in an evil hour,
Then in her soul awoke the wall, s'too late''
The mornful words were murmur'd back by fate.
Oh woman cloth'd in virtues spotless ga RS
Thou art the fairest gift that God has given
Canst heal the wound where pierc'd the peison'd
[barh j
md hit men's droeoping spi>its up to heaven
But let thy white robed chasti ty be stand,
Thy power for good can never be regain'd.
And she poor thing tn us rifled and deceiy'd
(Too blind with love to realize her shsme)
Had heard his VOW and trussingly BELIEVED
That he would proudly vlndcate her fame:
And in this dear delightful dallianco she
Contihued for season recklessly.--
| One morn he came not at the ACCUSTOMED hour
And Florence sat- her face all bath'd in tears,
While DER her life. dark shadows seem'd TO lour
And minutes took the tedious len gtk of years,
And thus she sobd ard sigh'd the live long day
But dared NOT gasss the cause of his delay.
Another dreary anxious dav of pain
W as pass'd in weary watching BY the maid
TIL like night mare fasten'd on her brain
The fearful truth that she had been BETRAYED:
And frofn thfshour oerwhelm'd with shame and
Tgrief, ]
She drocp'd kId wither'd like AIN autumn leaf
IXXII.
few short months and her great heart Was sliild
Consund'd by its own fiery puisation,
And her once happy joyous home was flld
With wild sense of utter desclation:
And her grief stricken parent scarce alive
Wept Ger her grave, bit did not long survives
xxxI1i
| And where art thou Oh cruel stranger who
| Couldst thus betray unsuspecting heafts
| Aud with fx'd determined purpose do
| An act OF crime at which the fiends start,
| Think not that thou canst all escape the doom
Prepaid for lawless spirits yond the tortsb.
! xxxIv.
But who hn1 that warn'st the haple5s soul !?
! A being scare less desolate than thou,
| " no turns in vain unto the raging bowl
To drown the memory of her broken vow,
creature who hath liv'd and host. and lost
weed upon LIES ess55ean, tempest tost.
STAUNros, February 1854