Litchfield enquirer., 1872-07-25

was @ lovely morning. Even the hot, close streets seemed gladdened and re- freshed by something of the fragrance which reached them, waited from the dis tant fields on the wings of the morning breeze. Here and there mechanic, going forth unto his work, and to his la- bor until the evening", passed; with the quick, active step of industry. Wagonsla- dened with fruit and vegetables, the daily offerings of the country to the commissa- riat of the mighty town, passed slowly along the deserted streets. In one of these wagons I noticed large basket of newly cut flowers, with theimorning dew still fresh upon them. Their grateful perfume saluted us as we passed. See my dear Arthur, I exclaimed, pointing to them, does not the country woo us to fly from these reeking haunts of men, and to seek health of mind and body in purer atmosphere, and worthier pursuits? Let us accept the invitation this very day ! turned to him as spoke. Never, nev- CT, shall | forget the look which met my anxious glance. Deep, stony, settled, hopeless despair reigned in his face. A single tear had fallen upon his cheek. Great God ? he murmured, in hollow, broken accents, what is to become of me? AAoW VIII ROOI, DOOE IuObu0T SuEV1V0 that which Daust followY
 'These words, wrung forth from the agony of his soul, were muttered to him. self rather than spoken to me. There was in them that terrible significance which so startles and appalls the nearer who Is concious that more is ment than meets the ear. My heart beat thick and loud. I knew that there was fend busy at his heart, prompting thoughts for which his Overstrained and debilitated powers of mind and body .were now no match A dreadful sense of responsibil- ity seemed to crush me. With me it rest ed to watch this noble mind which was trembling in the balance, and to restore to it the calmness and soberness of req son. Fearful and distinct the gloomy picture, :word-painted by Gray, rose before me:
 Keen Remorse with blood defiled,
 Ormoody Madness laughing wild
 Amid severest Woe!'
 There was something in his look, his walk, his unnatural silence, which was eloquent to me, and told me that the dread alter native suggested in poets lines was not merely hideous phantom, conjured up by my own fears, but 8 living, actual, present danger
 'We had now approached his home. To leave him by himself was not to be thought of. I stopped and seized him by the hand Arthur, have you ever had cause to doubt my friendship love for you? But how have you responded to them? For weeks past you have been playing part before me; you have tried to conceal your troubles, your difficulties from me. The events of to night have fearfully aggravated those difficulties. Will you still be deaf to the better in- stincts of your heart, and refuse to lean upon the breast of friend who loves, ,and will never desert you?' Here I broke down, overcome by my own emotion. He turned and leaned his head upon my shoulder. His heart was touched, and half the victory was won. Tears flowed freely through the fingers clinched be- fore his eyes-'tears from the depth of some divine despair'-the safety-valves of the bursting heart, the flood gates of the seething brain. We entered his home together; he flung himself on the sofa; ried tones he told me the outline of his position. He had succeeded to some ten thousand pounds upon his coming of age
 
 sufficed to pay the debts he had incurred without telling his mother or any one else of their existence. Since that time, in order to meet his losses at whist, he had had recourse to the Jews, and had borrowed largely and secretly from them. He had heavy en- agreements about to become due; he had lost more than thousand pounds at Gra- hams that night; his credit with the He brew blood-suckers was exhausted: dis. grace, infamy, shame-portrayed in such tive minds like his-stared him in the face. ...
 "My task was difficult on account of his pride and sensitive delicacy, but my ob- viOus duty was to relieve his mind from the gallng pressure of his debts of honor at Graham's. Oh how thankful was that I had snapped up that reckless bet which he had offered upon the last rubber, and that his losses to others amounted to not more than a sum with which could easi- ly grapple! The laws regulating the prompt payment of debts of homer at Ora hams were like those of the Medes and Persians, which alter not. No one was
 
 ment of his losses than poor Arthur had been up to that time. gently led him to dismiss from h1s mind the incubus which most oppressed it. pointed out to him that I had been, upon the whole, winner at Graham's (which was true, although the amount was inconsiderable), and, by the sacred ties of friendship, I adiured him to think no more of his losses that night, but to let me represent him on the ensuing af- ternoon at Graham's Slowly and grad ually restored something like tranauili- ty to his mind; and before long I remark ed, to my intense relief, that bodily ex- haustion had well-nigh overcome him, and that sleep was at hand. sat down at the table, pretending that wanted to write some letters for the early post Git was now nearly seven o'clock), and presently he fell asleep on the sofa where he lay.
 For some time watched by his side, and for the first time observed the full extent of the ravages which late hours, feverish excitement, and harassing care had committed upon the freshness of his youth. Yet he slept calmly and serenely; and as he lay before me, thought of Mil tons beautiful lines r'
 < His form had not yet lost
 All ucH ubAt0SS, uOE 8pp0aFeO r
 Less than archangel ruin'd, and tn excess
 Of glory obscured-'a.T srtsss .'' Before long his servant softly entered the room, and started to see his master stretched on the sofa and me seated by his side. Reckoning to the servant to be silent, and to follow me out of the room, gave him strict orders to take my place by Arthur's side, and to send round a message te my rooms immediately that his master woke. This he promised to do, and I hurried home, pretty well exhausted by night of such care and anxiety.
 '' I could not sleep long myself, and soon after eleven o'clock I was again in Arthur's room, for was anxious to be there when he woke, knowing that to the miserable the return of consciousness aft CT sleep is accompanied by 8 sense of ter TOT and depression, which they alone who have experienced it can fully realize. His sleep was now broken and uneasy, and about noon he awoke. S 'I will not dwell longer on these pain full details. His waking was fearful, but