The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-06-17

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Persia. and became a constant
visitor at Mr.. Anderson's. He
was practising law 10 the next viii
lage below here-Bellevue-notm more
than FIVE miles distant, and full half
of his time. the gossips said, was
passed with Persia Perhaps | have
not said enough of him TO give you a
clear understanding of PersIa's hero.
He vas about twenty-five or six years
of age, handsome and talented. but
poor. He was honorable in the
main, and meant to do right always,
but his ruling passion was ambition,
and it often led him far astray.
" Persia learned 20 love him with
the first pure affections of her nature,
aud women Of her stamp always love
deeply and strongly Love is no
halfway feeling of doubts and fears
with such as she. You may say that
Mr.. Delmere was probably the FIRST
gentleman of culture she had ever
met, but you would De wrong. She
was bonn 10 the country. but from her
fifteenth to her eighteenth year she
had been with her mothers sister,
a wealthy aud fashionable woman,
who resided in Boston, and
moved in the very best society Of
that patrician old town. She had
met many elegant and distinguished
men, and refused more than one
brilliant offer before tate threw her
in the way of Aubrey Delmere.
The Summer had not died before
he had won her consent TO become his
wife; but the marriage vas a thing of
the future, how remote he could not
say. His profession yielded him a
comfortable support, but he was am
bilious for wealth, and fixed in his
determination not to marry until he
could keep his wife 10 the style his
heart craved for her. Persia was one
who would grace any establishment,
and he did not want her charm, 10
be hidden in the obscurity which
must necessarily envelop the wife Of
a poor country lawyer. All this he
explained to Persia, and there was
nothing for her but to acquiesce,
though she saw the sp%eciousness of
the arguments he employed. 4 wo-
man. you know. cannot urge herself
even upon the man she loves.
Toward the beginning Of the
Winter, Mr.. DelmeTe received a very
advantageous offer from an uncle in
New York, who was a lawyer of great
emInence- He was growing old, and
must leave his business to some one;
to whom so naturally as to the child
of his only sister? IF Aubery would
break all ties binding him to Belle
vue, and come to New York at once.
he would be taken into partnership
with Judge Clarement. Delighted
with his prospective good fortune,
Delmere hurried to Persia to apprize
her of it, and was annoyed a trihe
hat she did not seem more joyous
at his announcement. And when she
wept upon his shoulder he was more
than annoyed, and spoke to her almost
unkindly, accusing her of feeling no
interest in bis welfare. She control
led herself then, and talked it over
with him very calmly, though there
was a fierce pain at her heart. She
did not doubt him-she would have
rejected the intimatiOn with scorn
but she knew how very dreadful this
separation would he to her, and per-
haps deep In her heart she felt some
vague sense of Aubrey Delmere's in
stability.
"They parted, and he went away.
For months his letters came regu-
larly, and she replied to them as regu-
larly-pouring out her whole soul in
love and trust. | speak positively
upon these things, my children, be-
at that time [ was friendly with
Persia Anderson, and since then l
have listened to the whole sad story
from her own lips-the only instance,
/ think, In which she has ever given
her confidence TO any one.
" His letters were full of deserip-
tons of Il e gay doings at the house
of Judge Claremont, and among the
~fashionables of his uncle's set; and
by-and-b by there crept in frequent
illusions to the charms of a Miss
Elmer young belle 10 her first
season. She was a beautiful and &C
complished h%eiress. and his uncle had
been very anxious that his nephew
should become her sutton, so Delmere
wrote; but the remembrance of his
own little Persia away up among the
Berkshire hills would keep him from
aspiring to the favor of the New
York belle.
After awhile he ceased mention
ing Miss Elmer. and there was a con-
straint and GOODNESS about his brief
letters which chilled Persia's loving
heart ike a breath Of Winter wind.
At last, it was in April, | think, these
letters ceased altogether. She wrote
to him twice after that, asking him to
explain the cause Of his silence, but
no reply ever reached her, and pride
kept her from insisting on an expla-
nation. And as the Summer wore on,
reports reached Arlington Of the