The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1868-11-17

| Into each life some rain must fall, -
Some days must be dark and droary.
eeNEE FORTUNE-7'
| 1t was diamond ring-that was all l.!
| was just twenty-one with health-Tm
modest to say talents-a moderate ward
robe, an absorbing passion, and dia-
mond ring This last was inherited
from my father, who had been what is
called d fast man. But his property
and possessions he'd, it appeared, been fas-
ter, for they ran away beyond overta-
king before the hour Of his departure
SO, when that hour came, be had moth
ing to leave me but his blessing and this
diamond ring
cts sumner, my boy" he said,
feebly, land will be q fortune to you
1t has history, if I'd time to tell it to
you, and a name. What is it? Noun
tain of light, Hill of Glory, Cascade of
Sunbeams, Waterfall of Blazes," and he
gave weak laugh at his own poor men,
ory, Bah any name will do. If the
rose by any name will smell as sweet, |
reckon diamonds by any name, will sell
as well. Call it what you like; it will be
the beginning Of your fortune. Many
man has started with less, and ended
by being q millionaire" "
SO this was my fortune; as the price
less treasure Of Matilda James love
could not be estimated in dollars and
cents.
Matilda Jane was the object Of the
absorbing passion mentioned above
She was the daughter of my landlady,
and wore yellow curls, and wrote verses.
A sonnet, full of gentle pity and faint
hints of love, written to me after my
fathers death, finished the business for
me. l incontinently made an offer Of
my heart and hand on the spot. NATL
da Jane glanced at the hand where my
great solitary diamond blazed, and said
eyes" at once Then feeling the occa-
sion demanded something more, she
murmured-
'Thou-thou art my last love,
The dearest and the best;
NY heart but shed its outer leaves,
To give thee all the rest"
Whereupon l considered that her
heart must be something like cabbage;
but l was too much in love to say so.
Being an engaged man, 1 felt that l
must make a new start in life, and | was
at loss what to do. ''All the gates
are thronged with suitors, all the mar
kets overflow" But the West seemed
to open up field for enterprise, so l
tore myself away from my love, and
started for Chicago, where l had a busi
ness acquaintance, and hoped for an
opening.
1t was frosty November day when
| started, without trail of mist, with
out cloud; but we broke down and
were detained for half q day at Niagara.
! did not feel like grumbling at this mis-
fortune, for | had never seen the falls,
and had heard so much Of their foam
wreaths and prisoned rainbows, that ]
was glad to have this opportunity of
visiting them.
l found that the cars would not start
positively before three clock, and / was
safe in going; so l went. The snow
lay white on everything, pure and un
sullied by the mire of traffic; every lit
tie twig and bush looked, in their sill
very frosting, like sprays Of white coral =;
every tree was loaded with snowy fruit;
every fence and post was capped with
snowy white. The great glittering lei
cles that overhung the water burned and
sparkled with every color, as if they
were great chandeliers of nature, forever
alight to glorify her wondrous work. l
heard the music of the falling water as
it made its monstrous leaps, and sparkled
and gIowed in the sunshine like a thing
Of life-a giant rejoicing in its strength.
| wondered what Matilda Jane would
say to it, and rather imagined she would
be inspired, and talk blank verse. / re-
membered that her bosom friend replied,
when asked if she liked Niagara, "Oh,
it was splendid. l danced till midnight" )"
and thought fondly how superior was
my Matilda's poet-soul to the tlimsy
materials of which other beings seemed
made how she had said that the filthy
dross Of this world was nothing CON-
pared to the love of one true heart, etc,
IL short, was lost, l suppose, i'll lov-
er's reverie, when | w.is startled by the
sweetest voice.
"Excuse me, sir, but will you be kind
| enOurh to tell me the time y
| l turned, and saw a lady-a young
Iady-dressed in the deepest mourning
Grape from head to foot. But the in
tense shadows of her dress only served
to set off and make brighter the wonder
full and weird beauty of her face. 1t
seemed like one of those points Of light
in the pictures Of the old masters, that
blaze with radiance amid the sombre
gloom. A weird face, said although
softly curved and warmly tinted. The
hair was of singular tint-almost
copper color-hut glittering with me-
talic lustre in its crisp waves; the eyes
were precisely the same shade-strange
of hue, but full of light | thought, as
looked at her, that it must have been
such locks Of which the old poet said,
'yIer hair was like the red, red gold.
Somehow, the image Of my fair Matilda
faded as | gazed. took off my heavy
glove to ascertain the hour, as my watch
was in an inside pocket, The great sol
itaire diamond biazed on my uncovered
hand. l have forgotten to say that its
settinr WAS uninue. 1t was held in its
place, apparently. by a black mailed
hand. The black enamel, of course,
lent shadow for the light to shine out
amid with a more intense glory, just as
the mourning dress was the most be-
coming setting for tbs fair gem before
my eyes Bet. as | said, the sun seemed
to point at my diamond with its finger
of light. ] saw the girl glance at it, fal
for turn male and stgp0er 3sSif she would