The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1870-06-23
THE GARTER.
a THRILLING TALE

A TRIZLLNG TALE.
To the visitors of Bath, among the
many objects of admiration in that city
OF palaces, the beauty Of the women,
particularly of the lower orders, cannot
have escaped their observation. An ole
gance of dress and polish of manners
prevail among them, and is, doubtless,
attributable to their collision with the
fashionables who flock thither.
An undue desire of admiration in
duces an inordinate love of dress, and is
inseparable from it; and though the
passion may be indulged by female,
otherwise strictly virtuous, it is often the
source of disquiet and uneasiness in q
husbands breast, and has been the cause
of the most fatal consequences, as tho
following tale will exemplify:
About mile due East from Bath, i'm
mediately behind the brow of hill,
whose summit is crowned by o grove of
lofty fir trees, stands an edifice which is
visible from all the surrounding hills.
towers, Hanked by small, square turrets,
which las it is only front. q mere orna-
mental building) has received the appro-
pirate name of Sham Castle. This spot
commands fine view of Bath, and
the beautiful valley in which it is stu
ated. iA
The deep solitude that generally
reigns here is strikingly contrasted with
its close neighborhood to the busy city,
upon which it looks down, and whose
inhabitants may be distinguished in the
streets pursuing their avocations; while
mingled sounds reach the ear in murmurs
scarcely less soft than those of the bees,
attracted to the spot by tho wild flowers
that adorn its site.
On Sundays and holidays, swlen
young and old como forth to play" JOY
ous groups of young men and maidens
may be seen scattered over the adjacent
meadows; while here and there a strag-
Cling swain employs the tedious minutes,
anticipating the arrival of his Philis, in
scoring her initials on the walls of the
castle.
It was on one of these occasions that
Mary -, the subject of our narrative,
accompanied by female friend, direct
ed her steps toward the hill, whose sides
were already covered with the numerous
parties. Mary was beautiful young
woman, and had lately given her hand
to an honest tradesman considerably older
than herself; but the disparity in their
ages was not 30 great as that which un-
fortunately displayed itself in their dis
positions. He was q sober man, in man
ners very sedate, and almost morose-
but he doated on his wife; and, though
her frivolties sometimes provoked Ian
guage harsh and unkind, it was easy to
perceive the extreme fondness he enter
tanned for her. A woman will forgive
much, almost anything, in conduct that
she believes to proceed from an excess of
love. Mary knew her husbands weak
ness Though it appeared not such in her
eyes) and was grateful for it; but she
had not sufficient delicacy of feeling, or
strength of mind or purpose, to adapt
her conduct to his humors. The strong
est passions often lie deepest concealed; ;
but Mary. when she had received, at door
or window, the occasional homage of Il
passer-by, or turned, half-smiling, half
frowning, from the insolent stare or re-
mark of some sprig of fashion-has
started, as she met tho scowling glance
of her husband, and, with an underlined
feeling of dread, betaken herself silently
to her domestic duties
Mary, as has been stated, was very
beautiful, and conscious of her charms;
o desire to display them had betrayed
her into the fault, perhaps the sin, Of
dressing IN manner unsuitable to her
station in life. This was q source of
constant pickering, and the thoughtless
girl little dreamed that. by indulging her
childish vanity, she was engenderng IL
feeling in her husbands breast that vas
gradually converting his blood to gall,
and his thoughts to bitterness.
The female. too, whom she had chosen
as her companion, was one whose
frivolity and levity had subjected her
conduct to the structures of the more
correct Of her class, though not sufli-
ciently glaring to warrant her exclusion
from their society. Butts she was kind and
assiduous in her attentions to Mary, who
only viewed her as gay and volatile
being, that "meant no harm" She was
actuatel,' also, by spirit of contradic-
ton to continue the acquaintance, in
opposition to her husbands wishes and
expressed disapprobation.
TO BE CONTINUED
Oh ~