Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1865-06-10
A Night OF Years,
BY GRACE GREENwo D.

My reader-l have sat some minute.
with my pen suspended in The air aboyt
my paper. ! have been debating deli
cate point. am in a position. You
will perhaps recoliec. thai one of Fauny
Eorrester's exquisite sketches was entitled
| Lucy Dutton. .......y
Now it happens that the real name o
! he heroine of the tower true tale" wh:cl
am about 10 do myself the hopor Of re
Ialing TO you, was no other than Lucy
Dutton. Shall rob her of her birth
| compel her 10 wear aomDle de guerre be
cause my sister authoress gave he name IL
one of her ideal creations! Shall l sacri
flee truth TO delicacy? That's the question
No You Said no. did you noy Theu
Lucy Duuon let it Le a.ls
Some forty years since, in the interior OF
my beautiful natiye State, New York.
lived the father of our heroiue--an honest
and respectable farmer. He had but TWO
childreu-Lucy, q noble girl OF nineteen,
and Ellen. year or two younger. The
first named was wiDuingly, rather than
slrikngIy beautiful. Under manner
observable for its seriousness, and nuuhke
serenity, were concealed nature and o
beart OF the deepest capacity for loving =
She was remai kable from her earliest child.
hood for voice Of the deepest capacity '
her earliest childhood for voice of thrill.
ling aud haunting sweetDess. ..f'
Ellen Dutton was the beautiful antipode
Of her sister; "a born bean,y,' whose pre-.
rogaliye of preltiness was to have her
irresponsible own way, 10 oil things aud at
oil times. An iuduIgent father, a weak
mother, and an idol zng sister had uncon-
sciously contributed TO The rgu OF her ma
lure, not at FIRST remarkable for streDg,
or generosity. u .e...... .. n ..
Where, in all God's creatures, is heart
lessness SO seemingly up1atur-l-is self III
ness so detcslable as in beautiful wo
mau2
Lucy possessed fns intellect, aud, as
her parents were well read New England
ers. she aud her sister were far better
educated than other giIls of her station in
that then halt settled portion of the
country. In those days many engaged il
school teaching from lbe honor anc
pleasure it afforded, rather than from
necessity. Thus. few months previous
10 The commencement of our sketch, Lucy
Duttcn left for the first time the fre.sidt
circle to take charge of u school somt
twenty miles from her native town. 4ig
l For some while her letters home were
expressive only Of her happy eontentment
which spraDg from the CONSCIOUSNESS ess OF ma
tive usefulness, of receiving while impartiDg
good But, anoB ihere Game change
then were those records for home character
ized by ftfnl gaie,y or dreary sadness; To-
dsfioabIe hopes aud fears seemed striving
for supremacy 10 the writer's troubled
little heart. Lucy loved, bot scarcely &C
knowledged It to herself;she knew not that
she loved 80 for a lime that beautiful seconc
birth of woman's nature was like 8 warn
sunrise struggling With The cold mis,s o.
the morning. -.,-rt,, 5--.o
But one day brought letter which
coaid not soon bs forgotten 10 the bous,
Of the absent-and a letter traced by q
hand that trembled 10 sympathy With I
heart tumnlluous With happiness. Lucy
had been wooed and won, and she bn
waited for, her parents approval Of he
choice 10 become the betfothed Of young
Edwin---, man Of excellent family Anl
standing 10 the towp where she bad beer