The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1869-10-28
the spirits, quicken the pulses, and send the
tide of life in healthful currents through the

the spirits, quicken the pulses, and send til
tide of life in healthful currents through th
veins. Her rest is broken-the sweet re
freshment Of sleep spoisoned by melanchol
dreams-"d dry sorrow drinks her blood, unit
| her enfeebled frame sinks under the slightes
external injury. Look for her, after it'll
while, and you find friendship weeping owe
her untimcly grave, and wondering that one
who but lately glowed with all the radianc,
OF health and beauty, should SO speedily b
brought down to darkness and the worm
You will be told of some wintry chill, some
casual indisposition, that laid her low ;-bu
no one knows of the mental malady which
previously sapped her strength, and made hel
so easy prey to the spoilor.e ls .ae,af
l., She is like some tender tree the pride and
beauty Of the grove; graceful in its form
bright in its foliage, butwith the worm prey
ing stits heart. We find it suddenly wither.
/ ing, when it should be most fresh and luxuri
ant. We see it dropping its branches to the
earth, and shedding leaf, by leaf, until, vast
ed and persisted away, it falls even in, the
stiffness Of the forest; and as we muse over
the beautiful ruin, we strive in yair to recol-
fect the blast Of. thunderbolt that could have
smitten it with decay. +, Xxx 40, s,',.o (
+ / have seen many instances Of women run
ming to waste and self neglect, and disappear
ing gradually from the earth, almost as if
they had been exhaled to heaven and have
repeatedly fancied that I could trace their
death through the various declensions of con.
sumption, cold, debility, languor, melancholy,
until ! reached the first symptom Of disap
pointed love. But an. instance Of the. kind
was lately told to me; the circumstances are
well known in the country where they hap
pened, and shall but give them in The man
ner which they were related.
e Every one must recollcct the tragical
story Of young E., the Irish patriot; it
was too touching to be soon forgotten. Du7
ring the troubles in Ireland, he was tried,
condemned, and executed, on charge of
treason. His fate made deep imprcsson on
public sympathy. He was SO young
so intelhgent-so generous so brave so
everything that we are apt to like in
young man. His conduct under trial, too
was SO lofty and intripid.- The noble indig
nation with which he repealed the charge of
treason against his country-the eloquent
vindication Of his name-and his pathetic
appeal to posterity, in the hopeless hour CT
condemnation-all these entered deeply into
every generous bosom, and even his enemies
lamented the stern policy that dictated his ex-
ecuton. 4
But there was one heart, whose anguish
it would be impossible to describe. In hap
pier days and fairer fortunes, he had won the
affections of beautiful and interesting girl,
the daughter of late celebrated Irish bar
rister. She loved him with the disinterested
fervor of a woman's first and early love-
When every worldly maxim arrayed itself
against him when blasted in fortune, and
disgrace aud danger darkened around his
name, she loyed him the more ardently for
his very sufferings. IF, then, his fate could
awaken the sympathy even of his foes, what
must have boon the agony Of her, whose soul
was occupied by his inlsge Let those tell
who have had the portals Of the tomb sudden
ly closed between them and the being they
most loved on earth-who have sat at its
as one shut out in a cold and lone
ly world. whence all that vas most lovely and
loving had departed.
+ But then the horrors Of such grave! so
frightful, SO dishonored! there was nothing
for memory to dwell on that could soothe the
pang of separation-none Of those tender
though melancholy circumstances, WHICH en-
dear the parting scene nothing to melt sor
row into those blessed tears, sent like the
dcws Of heaven, 10 revive the heart in the
parting hour of anguish. s''<'5
To render her widowed situation more des-
olate, she had incurred her fathers displeas-
ure by her unfortunate attachment, and was
an exile from tho paternal roof. But Co, Ii
the sympathy and kind Offices Of friends have
reached spirit so shocked and driven in by
horror, she would have experienced no want of
consolation, for the Irish are people of
quick and generous sensibil.ties. The most
delicate and cherishing attentions were paid
She was led into society, and they tried by
all kinds of occupation and amusemcl ito dis
sipate her grief, and wean her from the trag-
ical story Of her loves But it was all in
vain. There are some strokes of calamity
which seattle and scorch the soul-which pen
citrate to the vital seat Of happlness-and
blast it, never again to put forth bud or bios
som. She never objected to frequent the
haunts of pleasure, but was as much alone
there as in the depths Of solitude; walking
about in sad reyerie, apparently unconscious
of the world around her She carried with
her an inward voc that Knocked at all ssthe
of friendship, aud 'shceded
not the song Of the charmer, charm he never
so wisely"
The person who told me her story had seen
her at masquerade. There can be no exhi
bition Of far gone wretchcdness more striking
and painful: than to meet it in such scene,
To find it wandering like spectre, lonely
and joyess, where all around is gay-to see it
dressed out in the trappings Of mirth, and
looking SO wan and woe bcgone, as if it had
tried in vain to cheat the poor heart into
forgetfulness of sorrow. After
stroling through the splendid rooms and gid
dy crowd with an air of utter abstraction,
she sat herself down on the steps of an orchcs-
ira, and, looking about for some time with a
vacant air, that showed her inscns;bility TO
the garish scene, she began, With the capri
ciousness of sickly heart, to warblc little
plaintive air She had an exquisite voice.
but on this oeeasioni it was so simple, so touch
ing, it breathcd forth such soul of wretch
edness, that she drew u crowd mute and silent
around hor, and melted every one into tears.
The story of one SO true aud tender eould
not but excite great interest in a country
remarkable for enthusiasm. 1t completely
won tho heart of brave officer, who paid
his addresses to her. and thought that on so