The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1871-11-24


TO be communicated again to the 9th
: er in turn, endure for three years
+ Why could il not endured forever
a God only can answer this question
{ Perhaps J misunderstood my mature
c and my duty as woman. A woman
f loves either too much or else too lit
: tie. In the first case she wesries he
D lover; in the second case she repel
| him. A Woman's love is fated to suf
5 fer wreck on one or the other o
/ these dangers.
''But il is useless TO go particular,
into details. 1t is enough 10 say tina
, when | saw the one whom | haC
{ given up ell that was dear to me, be
) come Indifferent, and finally abandon
me, life became to me an intolerablC
burden. The world seemed dark and
desolate. | retired to this solitude
, where | have lived for four years ut
terly alone with nothing but the sad
I recollectiOns of the past TO console
my sOrrOw3.
"You will easily understand, Sir
from this statement of my case why
[ can not comply with the request
you have made, however friendly
and kind toward me may be the feel
ings on your part that dictated it.
You will leave this region soon, new
er to return TO it, and my secret will
remain undisclOsed.
"The brief stay that you will make
here will soon be ended, and the re-
collection of the hacienda OF Lechu-
sa, and of the unhappy woman who
has come to hide her life in il for
ever, will soon pass from your mind.
But she herself will not forget you.
She will always cherish grateful re-
membrance of the kind sympathy
which you felt for her in her desoIa-
ton and grief. And now, after this
statement of my unhappy case, do
! you think you can consent to render
lie The service have asked OF you :"
Tomorrow morning" said Mr..
Marcoy. :. | will set myself at the
work"
" May God bless you, and reward
!ou a hundredfOld for the kindness
/ you have shown to ME. And so now,
| with renewed assurance Of my
gratitude, and with II y sincere pray
crs that you may have a pleasant and
prosperous journey, /"
But can not have an Opportuni-
ty of seeing and speaking 10 you
once more before l go?'
1T would dOnO good" she replied.
You know now al that it is posi-
ble for me to tell you. To talk with
YOU more about my sorrows would
be only to renew the cruel suDerinCs
that the recollection OF them occa-
siOus nc. So you must excuse me II
leave you now, and bid you final
farewell
SO saying, the lady closed the bars
of the blind again, and shutting the
window, disappeared from view.
After pausing a moment Mr.. Mar
coy slowly returned into the house,
wondering at the strangeness Of the
adventure which had befallen him.
To have met with so mysterious a
person, under such extraordinary cir
cunIstances, aud in such a scene-to
have been made TO such an extent the
confident Of her secret sorrows, and
then 10 have bid her a final fare
well without even the possibility of
ever meeting her again, sad all with
out having seen her face or known
her name-seemed passing strange.
lie thought that if he should ever re.
late the talc, those that should hear il
would find it very difficult TO be-
.ieve him. OF course az he anticipa-
ted q certain degree of incredulity in
those TO whom the tale should be
told, each reader i. all the more COM |
pletely ct liberty to decide for him.
self, from internal evidence, whether
this narrative is or is not historically |
true.
He found, on returning into the (
house-as he went on to relate-that |
the man-servant, who seemed TO act |
as a kind of major-domo, and his
guide were awaiting him. They |
showed him 4 bed which had been |
made up for him in the " salon" with |
4 small table near il, which was ele- |
ganuy set out with evening refresh
mentS. When he was lett TO himself |
he retired to rest, and soon, as he ex-
pressed it, sank into the sweet slum-
bers that come from good conscience
a downy bed, and sheets white, fresh,
and spotlessly pure.
lie awoke early in the morning. |
When he was dressed be first went
out to take the morning air. The
dew was upon the grass and flowers,
and the rising sun began to glow up
on the SUBMITS of the mountains.
lie returned soon into the house, and
selected from his portfolio the best
sheet Of paper which it contained
ard taking bis box of colors, a goblet
of water, and plate for palette, he
went out into the garden and set him
self at his work.
lie sketched the form and appear
ance of the shrub, and with few
touches marked the places for five
flowers, which were to represent the
five gradations of color through
which the petals pass in the course of
q day, though there was, IN fact, only
one flower, which had opened uIon
the shrub that morning. That was
AS usual with the flower at its first
blooming-ofa milk-white color. At
ter two hours of work he had sketch
ed the whole plant, and finished one
branch with the milk-white flower
upon it. Then it became necessary to
wait some time for the flower To
change its hue. At ten o'clock this
was done. 1t had then become of
pale rose-colOr. This he represented
upon another branch. At noon the
flower had become of a deep rose
color, representation of 1t In
that guise was given upon another
branch. At four o'clock another
copy, of bright cal mine, was made
upon fourth branch; and at six
another, of purple hue, completed the
series.
When, at lie elgth, The painting had
been Tctoucbed and finished, and a
suitable inscription had been placed
upod it, he gave it to the maid to carry
to her mistress. In a few minutes
the maid returned, bringing her
mistress's very special thanks for the
picture, which she said she greatly
admired, and should preserve with
lllb ujlilOcL CdlG' kSAc 6iSO uEOQEuI
a little sprig of plant, which from a
certain withered appearance of the
leaves naturally characteristic of it,
has for its language "the stricken
heart" and gave it to the traveller
from her mistress, to be kept as
souvenir Of her and OF his visit to her
solitary retreat.
The traveller placed the souvenir
between two sheets of absorbent pa
per, and deposited it in his port
folio.
Tbs next morning, iu good season,
he resumed his Journey, attended by ,