The workingman's advocate., 1871-01-21
TAEES OF THE BORDERS
THE aVENcER; OR the LEGEND OF MARY
Lee
BY ALG1AHDIA LEIGHTON.
CONTINUED.

| ~ uSHAN " ~
with ane Of the strongest affections Of hu'
man nature-in her instance, all-CIgress
ing and resstless-dd not so far act the
traitress to her understanding, as to induce
her ID resign her honor, without condition
| Her youth aud innocence, rendering heI
unae,I Iuaintcd with the arts Of the world
and its vices, suggested, as the only result
of mutual attachment, a union of the
parties in holy wedlOck; and, when Ashley
SPOKE Of marriage, as thing to take place
between them, after the death of bis father,
she 9nly felt surprised at the ceremony be-
ing postponed. That these expectations Of
Mary did not please-Ashley, is not unlike
ly but the only other effect produced by
theIs, was to make him promise more fer
ventiy, and with stronger protestatiOns, that
be would abide by his word, as be was a
gentleman and a man of honor. Alas
the iove Of woman is credulous, as well as
blind and if we did not believe those who
arc dearest to us of all the world, who is
there 10 it to whom faith sho2ld be given
Mary believed and, like millions who have
had the same faith, and the same apparent
ly irrefragable grounds whereOn to build 1t,
she vas undone He who takes the honey
sometimes gets the sting the little insect
which supplies the figure Of speech iultils a
purpose il nature, when, after its support,
durtag the period when no flowers exist,
frOU which to get supply, has been taken
from it, and it is consigned to want and
death, it throws away, in its vengeance on
the spOiler, the life which is Only y Of use to
dari the sting, and leave its spark Of yitah
ty aiOng with the poison in the wound.
As time waned, the ruined Mary felt her
passion increase, and saw her lover decay.
He came now no longer to the grove where
| the sweet dalliance of a new passion ruttied
the silence with the music Of mufned sighs.
She went at the accustomed hour, md at
the hour not accustomed, aud she returned
without bringing With her a token that the
hope of the morning had found resting
place at even. The willow where they had
met retained It's charm, and, long after she
had given up hopes Of his coming she SAT
under it, and wept bitterly Tor loss which
no power on earth could make up to her
But her tears flowed in vain-fOr Robin a
Rec came not ;sand her groans only awSk-
ened the dull and drOwsy ear Of the bind,
Wiz, driving bis cattle from the field thought
Il strange that woman should weep, and
wkistled his tune, which her sObbng had
Interrupted for a moment. The breaking
beArt Of love has no consolation, unless wher
it, sorrowful indications initiate the vulga
huas of bodily sease, and then it can com
msnd prescription yet sometimes It hndi
fog itself, and in its own recesses, poison
which has more virtue in it than all the sim
pias of the leech.
Now a considerable time had passed with
oct any intelligence of Ashley, when, on
day, as Mary sat under the tree, she saw
" ntIeman approach, whom she <ecognize'
al Asbley's friend, George Henley. II
accosted her in a bold and familiar style
aad told her that her friend and lover ha'
gone to Edinburgh, in the company Of Mis-
Catherine Hamilton. and had commissions
blm to yield her what consolation was In h1
power, in the shape of supplying his plac
Al a new and fresh lOver-a commlsslo
yblch be could have no inclination TO disc
Iey. when be contemplated her beauty, an
yacollected tie favors she had bestowed 0
his fortunate friend. The salutation struc
fhe unhappy girl dumb, and Henley ml'
took the benumbing effects Of inciplent dt
n spair as a assive acquiescence in bis rlbal
sentiments-a consent to his unballowe
Z nurposes. Under this impression, be wa
about to clasp his arms round her Wais
j. when the enraged and frantic CIR struc
him a blow, concentrating IN ITS tnrce %
J. collected strength of ner frenned energ'e
and stunned him beyond what could haV
been conceived to be the effect Of woman
untitled arm. But injured virt"e-an
poor Mary Lees feelings had still 4 WITT
!, il them-has a power which pro- nae
has been often brought to acknowledge an
to feel. The cOwardly braggart, only bra'
lin pseudo love, was so tanned by the bloN
and 50 humiliated BY the noble attitude
4 the asserter of her dearest rights, that
skunk away as if he had been caught in
II act of larceny, or stung BY serpent.
Il Coo cried she, "an' tell him wha COZ
" missioned ye, how weel ye have done yov
i duty, an how have performed min
Think, as you look on the earth-fOr
Gamma face heaven-that there is the co
IN mach worm crawlin' amang yer feet clalr
Z i'm the kindred O. ane wha wasna formed
look in the face O woman! Shun, as Il
sereech-ewl does, the licht O day. you eag
K that perches on the trystin' oak, for t
CLEAN O its bright e'e will, as the sun Py
out the humble peat-mOss ingle, blind .
dastardly wretch, wha Gamma ABIDE the 10
O. the woman he has insulted. If kobln
t Rec sent ye to me, tell him thai ma
{. sent We to him, to say that Mary Lee b
!, in the wreck O. her feelin's, enough leit
" Ere the house az hearth O. his new ait
tions"
" A strange speech, and delivered with t
impassioned mien and voice OF the Pytl
Y ness A new and hitherto untelt pow
4 and energy had seized the frame Of Il
Il strange girl, the instructive enthusiasm Of
~ deep revenge had come upon her like