Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-08-10
From the Chicago Republican, July 81
The Untold Love of Alice Cary.

FROM the Chicago Republican, July 2
The Untold Love of Alice Cary.
Alice Gary lived and died maiden
queen of poesy. 1t has seemed to many
impossible that she should have carried
her tender and passionate heart through
the social and literary thoroughfares
wherein she was called to tread unpierced
by any amorous shaft. And it was in
deed impossible. There is a secret page
OF the history of the deceased poetess
which has. never been written, and seldom
of late years been told. To this Phoebe
Cary briefly and indefinitely alludes in
the sketch published in the Ladies Rep0s-
tory of last month, and widely copied.
The writer says substantially therein that
if her sister ever loved there is no line in
her published works to tell the tale over
the mouth of the sepulchre of her sad
experience she rolled the stone new
er by herself removed. The doubt
full off" half conceals, half discloses
the truth. It seems intended to stop
flying rumors, while retaining from an
uneeuivocal and impossible denial. As
the story can only serve as a foil to the
many virtues and amiable qualities of its
We Hoeu tACuso JOI
our effort to rescue the fragmentary rec
ord from the oblivion to which the mis-
taken and morbid kindness of friends
would fain censign it. When the Gary
sisters made their frat pilgrimage to the
Eastern literary Mecca, Rufus Wi!mot
Griswold was among their earliest &C.
quaintances. This gentleman was a
prominent l5tterdteatr when men of letters
were less numerous in New York than at
present. He was born in Benson, Vt, in
1915, and was, consequently, but about
five years the senior of the elder sister.
Having been educated as a printer, he
became successfully Baptist preacher,
journalist, and an author. AS an editor he
presided over the destiniea of the Brother
J0aaat7tun and the Neao World, mammoth
weeklies; the Neao Yorker. a celebrated lit
erary hebdomadal; and GrGItdn1S and the
International Magazines. To the first
monthly mentioned he added consid~ra-
BILE character. The last resembled HGr-
pe7.'S Monthly, and was bought out by the
owners of that n agszine after brief ex
istence. In the wider field of letters he
should be spoken of rather az a compiler
than as an author. He published vari
ous collections of the prose and poetry of
England and America, and, in conuec-
ton with other authors, several works Of
popular biography. No. one was better
acquainted with the state of the literary
market, or with the publishers of the
metropolis, than Mr.. Griswold. The two
rural deyotees of literature frem the far
West were strangera. and needed a chap
erone. He came to the rescue. He gave
them space in his books, filtered them,
encouraged their hopes, and assisted in
finding a market for their wares. To
ward Alice he more especially iu-
clined. Their fret Acquaintance ripened
into friendship. friendship into
intimacy, and intimacy into love. tt
was said at last that the parties were
solemnly afianced This was nearly
twenty years ago. and Alice had then
passed thirty. He was still older, and
would seem to hava passed the bounds Of
Juvenile folly, il those bounds ara ever
passed by man. But he was b'd9e citi-
gan of the world, and she was quiet, re-
tired, sensitive, domestic and unas1uming
Trouble came between the two in the
shane of a woman of society externally
more attractive than Alice Carv. This
ta5s0r produced separation. The en-
was broken. and Alice, con-
cealing her sorrows. kept herself moro
closely at home. aud turned her attention
more assiduonsly to her special l"bora. |
The story needs not 10 he fully dateilod
here. Tt has been told over and over again !
ever since the world has had literature.
Several years passed, and in 1857 Rufus
Wilmot Griswold lay dying OF lingering
disease in tho metropolis, in poverty and |
alone His literary ventures had brought /
inadequate remuneration, aud he had |
lived life which it was not altogether /
pleasant TO look back upon. But the sis
ters had made many friends. and been
reasonably blessed by fortune. The in
iured woman forgot her wrongs and for
gave the past with readiness chHracter.
istic Of her sex. She came again 70 the
bedside of the man who had so Rrievonsly
deceived her, and watched him day after
dav and week after week as life slowly
ebbed away. The sick room was made
cheerful with books, flowers. and all nee
essary comforts; and, to defray necessary
expenses. the money earned by days and
nights of labor with the pen was freely
lavished. At last death ended the suffer-
ings of the false lover. and the grave
closed over the secret of a woman's sor
row, now fer the first time made public.