Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-10-31
MY PLAIN aLSySjEFjRI.

'' MY PLAIN LI0'yJF;9Ha: I' yJF;9Ha: p2,,'i% gog Ilp
I was coquette. Many lovers. heart
I had lacerated by refusing his offer ijf mar
riage after had lured him on to a declara-
tion.I My last Victims name was James
Frazer. He was a tallCawkward, homely,
ungainly man, but his heart was true as
steel. | respected him highly, aud felt
panied when witnessed his anguish at
my rejection of him. But the fact wasI
had myself fallen inloye with Capt Elliott,
who had been unremitting in his attention
to me. MIR. Frazer warned me against MIR.
1 Elliott, but / charged him with jealousy,
/ and took his warning as an insult pu
| A few days afterward Elliott and | were
engaged, and my dream of romantic love
seemed in fair way of realization. had
week of happiness. Many had not. SO
much in lie time. Many awake from
the bright short dream to find themselves
in a lifelong darkness and bondage, from
which there is no escape. Thank God,
was not to be 50 miserable as they ,
My mother was widow in good circum-
stances, but having very bad health. She
was also of an easy, listless, credillous ma
tlire-hating trouble, and willing to take
things just as they happen to present them
| selves. She therefore made no inquiries
| about Captain Elliott-but fOndly be-
ieved that inasmuch as he was q Captain,
| he must necessarily he a man of hOnor al
so, especially us he had served in the
| Crimea, and in Ihiiia, and won medals.
His regiment was quartered in the neigh
| borhood, and he had tile reputation Of being
one OF the wealthiest, as he was certainly
| the handsomest, officer in it. remember
well the day we became engaged, He was
on duty, but had managed to ride over TO
our house in his uniform, and while we
were walking in to the house he made tile
tender avowal. referred him to mann
ma;" he hastened to her-returned in
three minu'es, and led ME into her presence
to receive the assurance t!iat the maternal
| consent had been readily and freely given.
My dear mother hated trouble, and more
over loved me tenderly, so that she was
well pleased to find a husband presenting
himself in a form and manner apparently
so eligible for her beloved and only daugh-
ter. ''"' 'lh
y Well, a week passed quite delightfully."-.
as have said, and.at the expiration of this
there might have been seen a gay Gques-
trian party winding through our oil Dew
'onshire woods and quiet country roads.
| Elliott and 4 led the cavaloade. | role my
own beautiful browpr Bess. Captain Elliott
.
that had been sent him from London.
Following us was a bevy of merry girls
and their cavaliers ;5and among them was
tall awkward and silent James Frazer.
His presence had marred all the pleasure of
my ride, and / was glad t. be IN adv vance
of them all that might not see him. .dh9io
q And su we rode on through the woods,
and listened, well pleased, to the low.
animated words of che gallant Elliott, who
wished himself knight and me fire
ladye of the olden times, shat he might 90
forth to do battle and compel all men to
recognize the claims of'his peerless love.
Very eloquently he spoke OF thejinspira-
tions of love, of the brave deeds and peril
GUS exploits it had prompted, wishing
again and again that he might proclaim his
love before the world It, pleased me to
listen to this and believe it sincere, though
| surely had no wish to put my lover to
such a test. A shot suddenly rang
through the woods, and wounded bird
darting past fluttered and fell at the feet
of Brown Bess. With bound and
spring that nearly unseated me- she was Off
Struggling to regain my seat, had no
power to check cher, and even asshe flew,
the fear aud madness of the moment grew
upon her. / could, only cling breathlessly
to name and bride, and wonder helplessly
where this mad Agallop was to end. She
swerved from passing wagon, and turned
into q path, that led to the river In the
sudden movement the reins bad been torn
from my hands, and Il could not regain
them. | clung to the tnatie and closed my
eyes that 1 might not behold the fate that
awaited me,,,i How sweet was life in those
precious moments that thought my last
How all its Joys its affections, its last
browning love, rose up before me!iI
thought of the pang chat would reid
Elliottls heart as he saw, me lying amangled
and dead and then the Thought would
come If he were pursuing and trying to
save me, even. as he said, at the risk of life
and limb. felt sudden shock, q fearful
rushing through-the- e-air, and knew no
more until days, afterward gLaw0ke to
faint, weak semblance, of life IN my ygcc Cham
f.never saw Captain Elliott afterwards.
! The last words ever heard from hisilips
were those of knightlY king. The last .aer
ton of his life, in connection with mine,
was to follow In the trains OF frightened
youths who rode after me, to contemplate
| the disaster 9frOm affair." and as soon as he
saw me lifted from the,shallowa bed of the
river into which Irhad been thrown when
my frightened horse stopped suddenly Oh
its bank, to ride hastily off. That evening
be sent to make inquiries, and learning that
was severely, but it was hoped, not fatal
| ly injured, he thencelorth c0ntented hini-
| self. with such filings Of my condition and
Improvement as could be gained by mere
rumor. q l'1oI W9E $50 bha .gIFsGJ1t
AT last it was known that Iwould never
recover entirely from the effects of my in
fury, and that very day Captain Elliott
Suddenly departed from the neigborhood.
He made no attempt to see me, nor sent me
any farewell. When / was once more
abroadg and beginning, with much unal-
loyed bitterness, to learn the, lesson, of
patience and resignation that awaited me,
| / received letter from him, in Which, he
merely said hepEesumed my own Judgment
had taught me in my altered circumstances
our engagement must come to an end shut
to satisfy histown sense OF honor (bis hon
l,orD he wrote to, say that while entertain-
| ing the highest respect tor me, he desired
formal renunciation Of the claim. Writing
on the bottom of the letter, ~ Let it be as
you wish.9 i returned II to him at once,
Land thus ended my BEiet dreapF, reapF, n 6t brf0S r0S-
I heard ere EFe''thii this of EIIiott8 dpwafdi5
conduct on that day; but now first be
-tbopght,mer to inquire who had rescned me
| from that imminent death. And then /
| learned that James Frazer his arm already
broken by the jerk with which BrownEBeas
ihad tore away from him, as he canghtI yat
her birdie, had riddeep, after me- and and the
irfrf o,gnref