The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1866-10-05
The TaUO AnssUess.

lii0iiu oliaH respect ana esteem YOU: but
l cannot be your wife. Have compassion
on me, end do not presume further"
Mary Granville stood before me as she
spoke, with her hands clasped and her
head bowed, trembling like an aspen, and,
as fancied, there were tears in her ewes.
She was beautiful girl, and l had
thought her as good and pure as she was
beautiful, and, further than this, had
believed that she loved me-
She was an orphan, and had been en-
gagged during the past year in teaching
one Of our village schools.
OF her early life | knew nothing, save
that she had been educated and moved in
good society," and | had reason to believe
that at some time her parents had been
wealthy, but her father had failed in
business, and it had been told me that the
sad reverse killed him. | had known
that Mary was poor; that she was de-
pendant on her daily labor for support,
and the thought that could offer her
comfortable home, with the advantage of
moderate wealth, had given increase to
my prospective happiness.
800 you mean," | cried, vehementiy,
''that you dismiss me? Am | cast off p
81 cannot be your wife," was the reply.
''Then," said |, with more warmth
than | might have betrayed under any
other circumstances, 81 leave you to your
self, and while try to shake off the love
that has bound Inc to you, only hope
that ere you lead another into your net,
you will conclude beforehand whether YOU
will keep him."
She looked into my face with painful,
frightened glance, but | did not stop to
hear her speak further. | turned and left
the house.
remarked that under other circum-
stances | might have been more cool and
collected III my speech and what do you
suppose, dear reader, the attending cir
cumstances were?
I'll tell you candidly.
was little heated with wine I had
drank just enough to warm my blood and
give my brain an extra impulse, and my
words Nere hot chosen a. i should have
chosen them had the spirits Of Wine been
absent. As | walked toward home | en-
deavorcd to persuade myself that had
fortunately escaped the snare of CO.
quette and that might be better ena-
bled thus to reason, | stopped at the hotel,
where found a few OF my companions,
and helped to dispose of half dozen bot
ties of wine.
On the following morning awoke with
the headache, and when | called lo mind
the events Of the preceding evening, | was
anything but happy.
[ began to realize how much | had
loved Mary Granville There was an
, aching void in my heart, and ! wept as
: contemplated ny loss. It MS nv G;rrst
love, and It's influence penetrated every
fibre of my being. The beautiful girl had
= become more dear to me than ] could tell,
and groaned in bitter anguish when |
d thought that she was lost to me forever.
| resolved that | should feel very angry
and indignant. but when the sweet face
was called to mental view, such feelings
> melted away, leaving me very sad and
desolate.
: On the following Sabbath | attended
church, where | saw Mary once more
She played the organ as she had done fol
the past year, and as her fingers swep
E over the keys, fancied [ could detect ;
tremulousness which | had never noticed
> before. Was it imagination, or was il
really a plaintiveness, sadness in expires
sion of her music.
To me, at times, it seemed as though
the organ moaned and wept. 1t was like
the wailing of the daughters of Zion by
the rivers Of Babylon.
When the services were over, and W.
went out Of church, | saw Mary's face
i 1t was pale and wan, as though she ha(
been sick. What could it be? Was sh,
suffering as had suffered? The though
flashed upon me that some one had tol,
e: her something to my disadvantage. hat
enemies who envied me because | had in
. herited some wealth, and, | fancied, enc
:, - mics who envied Inc the love of Mar,
ssef Granville
D. ,. Another week passed, and | becam
y more and more sad and lonesome. NJ
ell business was irksome to me, and my book
he and papers afforded me no respite. L
e fact, could not read, for my mind wa
Is Us never on the page before me. Anothe
Is 1g Sabbath at church and saw Mary again
an She was paler than before, and her eye
ed looked as though she had been weeping
n During the succeeding week l receive
' a visit from my college chum, Jack Stan
d, d. ton, who had just opened law office a
VI Berryyille. After supper we sat in ou
Sn ,sI cosy parlor smoking our cigars. | sue
dc geated that bottle of wine would not /
3 amiss. Jack shook his head.
lie "No, Charley" he said ''we'H leav
he he the wine for those who need it."
''You used to drink, Jack"
yes; but it never did me any good.
'And do you think that it ever did yo
R, any harm"
''As to that will not say it nev'
shall do me any harm. | know it h;
:. harmed others as strong as | am. E
=" " the way, Charley, isn't Mary Granvil
here %
eyes," said |.
"Do you know her? ?"
+. then turned away my face and pr
. tended to have heard something at t!