Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1872-06-27
Love Among the Shakers.

The day OF confession came at last,
and with 1t most unlocked for and
terrible disclosures. To the horri-
fed amazement OF the assembled cid.
| resses and amid our choking tears,
Sister Minerva went down "in the
valley of humiliation" With Bit
ter struggle for composure, her dark
eyes dilating, her beautiful face
white and set, she confessed that tho
"baneful poison Of natural love had
crept with insidious but giant strides
into her heart. What must have
been her conviction of sin when, with
the courage Of despair, she admitted
that Brother Earnest had absorbed
all her thoughts tor many months
She had borrowed his books, learned
his language, talked to him until
suddenly awaked and alarmed at the
sympathy, congeniality, and admira-
iIstion which she felt with aud for h,m,
she would have fed from the plead
ings Of her own heart il she had had
strength left to do so. Then, dead
ly pale and painting heavily, she took
from her bosom packet Of letters
written to her by Brother Ernest
If they had been the price OF limo.
cent blood, Minerva could not have
cast them down with more vehe-
mence before tho ministry.
With solemn emphasis the senior
eldress spoke, "Let repentance have
its perfect work. Read the letters
aloud. Who are they trom9'
Minerva had spoken SO hurriedly
and incoherently that her lovers
name was not yet known. With
quivering lips she was forced to re-
peat it. A beseeching look at Ed.
ress Orangia told her that the poor
young sister prayed to be spared this
ordeal Of reading the letters; but not
an iota of the cross could the 'eldress
remove. She could only sadly whis-
per, may, you must comply"
And tho whole correspondence
was read, and the answers confessed,
word for word, as we'll as the sin.
ming sister could remember. One
letter, written in German, she beg
ged to have burned without reading.
the addresses, of course, were igno.
rant Of the language, and looked un-
decided.
Il will burn it right here before
your eyes," entreated Minerva; and
she took from a work.box belonging
to Eldress Philomel ON old finder
box and flint, a precious relict once
belonging to Mother Ann. With
feverish haste she struck fire, and the
next moment Brother Ernest's words
of love were converted into the
white ashes Of her sacrifice. Think
what sacrifice, where there were
pages of rhapsody such as this:
"My heart goes out to thee, my
soul cries out to thee in yearning,
passionate might! Lite has become
a dream! How can think it re-
ality? Twas once surrounded, in my
fatherland. with beautiful high born
women wha had no power over my
heart, and here I have welded it
wholly to thee, my enchantress, nay,
my pure SAINT!
'-Oh, how vainly ] strive against
my passion. Love at its widest was
never so untamed an the love OF my
undisciplined heart; and yet it is
pure, for / would not touch the hem
Of the garment, nor raise mine eyes
to meet the heavenly-pure brightness
OF thine, unbidden by thee"
Pages and pages like this, written
by Shaker brother TO Shaker sis
ter, in Wisdom's valley! Truly the
natural affections" were q hydra
headed monster in that afflicted vale
about those times.-[ GALAXY.