The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1870-05-04
tOriginal,
G01R. .ESNESK
g ,isAE ~ OR THE
FORTUNES OF JULIET CLAYBURN.
CONTINUED

'.a -" s.s a@'. CONTINUED.
eff my salvation depends on forgiving
that woman," said Karl, vehemently, II
fear I am lost soul already. She has
blasted my happiness on earth, and 1
fear me much, my implacable hatred to
her, will lose me Heaven. Do you re-
member the fable of Polynices and
Eteoeles, sons of Edipus? Like theirs,
our enmity will last longer than our
lives: and like theirs, if our bodies were
placed on the same pile, to be burnt by
the same fire, the antagonistic flames
would refuse to unite. But to hasten
my story. Whom I received that ring, I
was like man bereft of his senses. I
might tell you was miserable, Juliet
that T was.wretched, and that life had
lost it's sweetest charm to my lonely
heart; but this wonld not entirely ex-
press my true condition. I fled from
home to seek oblivion and forgetfulness
ing to fnd myself-not like Lord Byron,
famons-but married to woman for
whom I did not care straw. It hap
pened in this wise: When I frat went to
Paris, Gretchen was there on q visit to
her brothers family, but having made
several attempts to elope with young
man to whom she waa engaged, but who
was extremely distasteful to her relatives,
they confided her to the care of CON
vent, of which her aunt was Mother
Superior. While there, Gretchen was
made to believe that her lover was dead,
whether inadvertently or through iu-
territorial deception cannot say; but
worked upon by her own violent grief
and her aunt's example, she became
soM5w hat uf religious enthusiast-in
short, took initiatory vows. But she,
who had been born snd nursed in the
lap Of worldly pleasure, soon found the
walls of her prison house living tomb.
It was. ut this time that went to the
convent to visit n relative of my own-a
noviciate-and met Gretchen again. I
renewed my proposal of marriage and
was accepted. We had all the excite.
ment of an elopement from the convent.
Obi Juliet, thank Heaven, that you know
nothing of that life of restlessness and
wild longing, which induced two immor-
tai beings to perjure themselves at the
altar, for the qualification Of nm hours
or days excitement; merely to stife
the hearts cry for food; merely to give
to the RESTLESS brain, not thought and
employment. but some occupation.
Thus it was with US. Though there was
mutual respect and admiration, there
was not an atom Of real love at the time
or our marriage. But my wife was 80
amiable, and altogether SO lovely, 1
Boon began to hope that we would be
very happy in each other. This hope
was short-lived. Into the secret retreat
where we had retired, and where
Gretchen lived in constant dread of being
discovered and carried back to the hated
convent, the serpent entered, in the shape
Of her old lover. Why prolong the tale?
It is the same sud story of old
she loved-she was weak-she fell.
They fed together; bnt in the
very fret days of her downfall, re.
morse seized upon her-she fled
back to the hated convent which
she had quilted few weeks be-
fore in disgust, as refnge and n
haven. was sent for by her aunt, to
whom she had confdcd every ything, with
the word that she was in dying condi-
ton. The details of the interview are
too painful to relate. But forgave the
erriDg one, and Heaven, too, had already
forgiven her. She did not die at that
time-she recovered, in some measure,
and the matter was Aushed upon con.
dition that she would take irrevocable
VOWS. She was more than glad to do 80,