The Van Buren press., 1869-05-04
MISCELLANY.
LOVE AND FATE.
A GOOD STORY or ENGLISH LtsE.

| Blundell. We had met, after an interva
of some years, in his country home. NJ,
! friend had married since | last saw him
and his wife was a stranger to me unit
this visit. | found her one Of the few
wives who practically recommended mar
riage to their husbands unmarried friends
Thi. she did ina great measure, by The
sense of relableness as a wife--I don
know how l can better describe it
which she conveyed. Her husband evi
IDENTIFY had faith in her, in small as il
great Ii was plain th't he trusted to lie
doing thing as he world like to have i
done, and that they had become one ii
the details of every day experience a.
they we're one in heart,
Assuretlly hers was a very pleasan
face, with its setting Of beautiful hair an,
its rare eyes--eyes which stand the tes
of heightened color-becoming neithe
dull nor uncertain, nor metallic, but only
warmer toned, as Nature becomes in :
summer sunset Asa hostess-a posi-
ton afrording such opportunities of max
ing or inarring the coafort Of guest
Mrs Frank Blundell vas eminently the
"woman in the right place pug
Their cottage was delightfully."- placed
looking southwark across valley upon
plantations of fsweet chestnuts, then fas
crimsoning for il was the season so en-
joyable in the country, between the very
out-doorishness CT summer and the per
manent adoption Of fires, There was
plenty of amusrment--walksa and drives
in the charming ncighborhood, and visits
ia the hop gardens where armies Of hoI
pickers, with their pioneers the pole pull
lers, were advancing, leaving desolatior
in their track Il scene which no artist has
fairly pictured, but which every body
ought to see -a 'H-
Well, as have said, it was my las,
evening at the cottage We we're sitting
together, Bundell and ], after dinner
when he said, ''There's fire in my
room; | vote we go there till Mary is
ready for tea"
SO we went, and talked from our easy
chairs through pcrfumed cloud. Itsoon
became evident to me that my friend had
something on his mind" ....
In all our talks together about old
times since you have been here" said he,
owe have never touched upon one topic
| suppose some delicacy of feeling fol
I verify believe you have a little of it
has prevented your beginning the sub
ject.' 5000
was going to protest against this
modified form of cciiasss-'iment, and to ash
Don't bother, that's good fellow, ,oi
/ shall never get to my story. You re
member well enough, have no doubt
how used to talk of Mary Percivalf"
a" Yes,' said, and l have Otter
wondered what it all came to. tn,
Christian name is household word ,
here. Was it Mary" ] was checked
again by BIundells look fal.i'l
j. ,"You promised to listen" he growled
l"and now are cross examining. Have Q
little patience, and forgive me, too, II
repeat what have already told you
Mary Percival and l were friends from
infancy. Our mothers were vfrien Is be
fore US, and my earliest rccollections AZ,
associated with her and hers. When W,
came to be man and woman we read anc
argued, anu were happy together as W.
had played and Quarrellcd and male ny
again in our childhood The old friend.
| ship had increased, but had not change,
its character; at least can speak lo
myself. You remembe" what Tennysoi
says in Dora "A
The youth. because
| lie had always been with her in the house,
Thought not of Dora a.'uasasss47
1t was something like this me. Yet
admired Mary very much, and loved he
'aftor a fashion, very dearly, and woul'
have done or suffered almost anything t.
give her pleasure or spare her pain. Io'
! have heard all this before. don't meal
to inhict any moro of it on you. Nov
tske yourself back TO college for mo
ment, and try to recall man nameS
Horner-' Handsome lIorner,' they call
ed him."
io" remember him perfcctlp," I said
"a broad shoNldered man, with curly
chestnut hair, nu, white arms
gd"l lie and had \ slight acquaintanc
at the college. and necting in town aftc
we took our degree, we became very goot
friends Some time after this he wrot
to ask me to go anl soc them at his faith
cr's | went and saw his father ant
mother. and. moro than all ! saw his sis
ter. Recalling her brother-fancy him |
woman refined, frightened, intensel,
beautilied, and you can form some ide
OF Mary Horner. 1t is impossible 10
mo to describe ftly the effect she pro
duced on me from the first NY acc laint
ance had included some very pretty wo
men, but Mary Horner was a new expe
rience. She fascinated inc. You ms,
be sure that did not got any better tn
longer stayed within the charmed circle
get on famously with ali the people dowi
there, and lauced tina. was not dlsIiket
| by her Do ..aI... HU'
You know what ! mean. But / coul,
never detect any thing like symptoms o
reciprocity Of affection. On the contrary
she treated me with cordial but thorough
~ selr.possessed friendlincss. She wa
not tho sort Of woman to encourage
lover; and then tho exercise, and tb
general atmosphere OF. the place, wore 81
conducive to health and spiri's that tn
lady had no reason, on that first visit, t
suspect from my appearance the condi
ton of my heart. This was in the sum
mer but the following winter found N
there again. ! met some pleasant pcopl
whom had not seen before; amonl