Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-09-09
Of the woody path. Cesar - erie

/ here? Where is Marguerite " H.
don't you come and embrace your poo
blind wanderer "
"Blind, u exclaimed Marguerite; an
fixing her eyes on her betrothed, she say
his eyes We're covered with = banGage
L eau not describe the emotion o. al
three suffice 1t 10 say, that after an IN
incredible number Of embraces, Ger
4 truGe and her TWO children returned 4
my house and We passed :, delightful
!evening.
! Here The curate stopped, and 1 though
bis tale was ended.
/ Well, | said, suppose the blind war
rior and his betrOthed, still. III his Iin
agination, blooming in all her youthful
eharms,-were speedily united?
"They WERE" he replied. 1t was
Viio married them; bat l have some
what more To tell you of then. Theil
cottage, by the willing aid OF the villager:
was soon rebuilt, and they removed intt
| it. Their circumstances were very com
/ Portable, and Juan supported its inhrnl
! ity,-caused, he told me, by the e1plo
sion of a mine,-with the utmost cneer
! fulness. His tenderness for his wife
seemed to-iucrease every day and yeI
she was evidently unhappy. She oe'
came a prey TO constant melancholy
and her health and strength visibly de
clined. Her old / friend, the doctor
visited and prescribed for her, but with
out avail.
My art is at fault" he said to me-
'.Her Dolby suffers, but the seat of the
disease is in her mind. Do you try u
discover what thesecreL is which weighs
on her. may be, or cannot answer fOl
her life."
Alias. how could apply the consola'
ton OF religion To a case of which the
sufferer persisted in keeping me pro.
foundIy ignorant, Once she seemed Oh
the point OF opening her mind but
Juan entered the room, and she was
silent; nor could | ever afterwards in
duce her to speak fleely. Meantime hel
bodily condition became very precari-
oGs; and Juan, who was now aware OF
her danger, scarcely less anxious about
her.
One evening, when I was in the cot
tage, the doctor arrived and having
examined his patient, pronounced that
unless some powerful reaction took place
she could not long survive. How sol
emn were the moments that succeeded
this announcement? Poor Juan grasp
ed convulsively the hand of his wife,
while large tears streameG from beneath
his bandage.
/ began to exhort her on the subject
of religion and when L spoke of the
mercy of her Maker, she exclaimed, =
"Oh, / have great need of his mercy,
for my conscience is burdened with a
"a heavy load. Listen, !" she continued,
addressing US all, land tell me whether
can hope for forgiveness"
Grouped around her bed, we waited in
silent astonishment. Marguerite raised
herself into sitting posture ; her vast
ed arms, her disordered hair her sunk
en- features, her hollow eyes, cleaning
with light like that of lamp kind
ling up before ii is extinguished forever.
lent an air of indescrlbable sOiemnit.
to the scene. Placing her hand IN her
husbands she said Juan, you Te-
member, when we separated, the prom
Ise which we made OF mu nal fidelity ?
My heart was yours, and yours was
mine. Well, the terror OF loosing that
heart caused me to commit a grevious
sin. | pictured you to myself with
shocked, averted eyes at the first sight
of her who was named the Pearl; and
in the agony, the delirium of tire mo-
ment, | cried to Heaven, "0h, God !!
either give me back my beauty, or take
from him his eyesight . F." The mo-
ment the selfish, impious prayer was ut
tered, bitterly repented, and would
fain have recalled 1T; but too iate!-
Juan! the wish was granted, and have
never known since one moments happi
ness.n
"What ~ cried her husband, land is
this the secret, Marguerite, which is kill
ing you 2"
at isn
''Then live, dearest, and be happy;
your prayer was not answered "
"And tearing off the bandage which
covered his eyes, he fell on his wife's
bosom, and clasped her in Jong en-
brace.
1t appeared that the blindness which
had fallen on Juan was of only a tempo
rary nature. Under the skillful treat
ment of our ffiend the surgeon, whom
he privately consulted, the power OF
vision began slowly, but surely, to re-
turn. Having however, heard from his
grand mother the whole history OF
Narguerite's horror at the idea OF his
beholdiding her disfigured face, lie gen
erously determined 10 conceal from her
his cure, at least for time. Nov how
ever, it was suddenly revealed; and
was it too late? The doctor, mOtioning
US all way from the bed, took his pa
tient's hand, and ielt her puse a hope
ful smile played on his benevolent lips.
My friend" said he turning to me,
"the age of mi es has not ceased
Marguerite is cured !"
HERE the man ceased, and, after a
pause, / asked, And was Marguerite in
reality so very much disfgured?
You shall judge for yourself"
We walked on, and soon reached a
neat and pretty cottage, covered in front
with luXuriant vine. An old woman
sat near the doorway spinning; and
placed. on low chair by her side, a
young woman was nursing an iniant.-I
Her figure was remarkably graceful and
her face, although certainly not hahd-
some, was by no means fepulsive.AIt
was even easy to distinguish, amid the
seams and sears which marked it, the
vestiges of great beauty. There was
touching expression of serene tender
ness spread over the features as she
looked on her child, which in my eyes
amply compensated for the want 0l
regular conleliness.
The curate advanced Good morning,
Marguerite, he said.
Good morning, sir,r she answered, |
looking up with a beaming smile.
''How is baby to-dsy"u
''As well as possible, " said the happy |
mother, holding up and showing her
nursling's rosy, dimpled cheeks.
'Well. Marguerite, said The good old |
man, taking the innocent little creature /
in his arms, and kissing its tender fore /
head. 81 could fancy this is yourself as
remember yeu on the day that bapt- I
lied you. Come, the Valley of Cainpau !
has not lost iis Pearl,--it is restored in /
the person of your lovely daughter" /
Take Care of Your Habits.
Character is the substance, reputation
the shadow only-sometimes longer and |
shorter How important, I
then, is care in the growth aud foTma- /
tion of habits, since character is but I