Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-06-13

/ ALalA6Us dAiN Lie nc AdIu hL1b
it was shaded by elm frees. &
/ She was now dreamily regarding her
daughter, who stood in front Of mirror
! combing OUta mass Of black glist5niDg hair.
| q The figure Of the girl was modelled after
that of her mother; there was the same
perfection of outline; the same sinuous,
elastic movement; but the faces were not
! alike.
/ She suddenly turned, and facing her
! mother, said:
"The dull monotany of this place is be-
coming uncomfortable to me. wish TO see
something of the world mast see it,
mOlher.n Er -.e
With a sigh, Mrs. Blake said:
/ ''St down on that low chair, and try to
bequiet while I speak of things had al
most determined never to reveal to yOa."
Hester sat down, and prepared to listen
TO what she had so long desired to know.
| Mrs. BEake-at length spoke: -
"YOu ask me how it happened That l
was cast of by the man 1 adored? why he
was permitted TO wrong me so bitterly as to
bring to his home another wife while yet
lived and suffered?
81 mustgo back to my early life, and tell
you Of myself before / became the wife of
Armand Landry. My father was a dissi-
| pated, reckless man, who owned a small
place near lie Bocage, as Che Landry plan
tation was called. | was lis only child. 1
was educated in a convent school in France,
till was nearly eighteen years old. Then
my aunt took me home, having already
arranged a marriage for me. 1 was not
consulted, but did not rebel against it, for
Claude DeltOt was young and good looking,
and preferred remaining in France as his
wife, to returning to the dizziness of plan
tstion life.
"My father gave ne twenty thousand
francs as my dover, and Beltot expected to
get much more from i'm. l think that
prospect induced him to marry me, for l
soon found that be was as Indifferent 10 me
as l was to him.
"Indiiierencs soon merged into contempt
on my side, and something like aversion on
bis. We had evidently made a Wretched
mistake, and we were glad TO separate by
mutual consent. IretUrned to Louisiana,
and Beltot went to Algeria.
s'Whsn | came back to 10Y early homo I
found my fither living as reckleSsly as ever.
Among the young men who came TO his
house was Armand Landry. He was two
years younger than l, fer he had not COM
pleted bis twentieth year when [ first met
him. lie soon fOTsOOk the gaming table to
linger near me, and I-well-I was mad
enough to give him the heart my husband
had never tried to win. loved him to that
degree that l thought life would be worth
less unless it was shared with him.
armand seemed devoted to me, but he
never asked me to marry him. He knew
that his proud old father would look with
scorn on the daughter of such a man as my
father was.
''NIy father swore that Armand should
yet be my husband, and for that purpose
he obtained a divorce for me from BeltOt.
was so infatuated that l cared little by
what means Armand was to be ensnared,
provided became his wife. 1 entered in
to his plans, shameful as they were, and al
lowed myself to be united to a man who
had been lured again 10 our house, and
when incapable of acting for himself, was
pronounced my husband by a missionary
who had been so short time in the coun-
try that he knew nothing Of the wrong he
was helping to carry into effect. He was
brought 10 the house few moments before
the ceremony was performed, and left i'm
mediately afterWard.
"a time had been chosen when the ell
der Landry was absent from home. he
lieved that Armand loved me as truly as
did him.
cit was several weeks before he recoV-
cred the natural energy of his mind, and |
began once to fear that he wOaIld be per
manently injured by the drug l had per-
mitted TO be administered to hiIu. But the
| time came when lie fully understood the
| position in which be was placed aud then
such scenes as passed between us l can
not describe. He fiercely resent ID the part
| | had taken in entTapping him i1Gjo mar
rage that would be odious to his proud IA
thcr, and declared tia. he could never for
give me.
"Vainly tried all my powers of fascina-
ton 10 enthran him, and win forgiveness
from him.
"As soon as he was well enough to leave
the house, he went off in search of his IA
ther, in spite of all / could do to detain
him. His father instituted proceedings for
a divorce, after sending Armand TO Europe
to make tour, in company with Mr.. Rus
sell and his two daughters.
"When heard that, | was devoured with
jealousy; for Ellinor Russell was the young
lady who had been chosen by Mr.. Landry
for his sons wife, and report said that she
was both rich and charming. | afterward
learned be was betrothed to Miss Russell.
"When this happened, you vert but G
few weeks old, and was left with you 70
take care OF, and little enough to Go it
with.
"Ah! how hated that fair Leauty who
had caused me SO much woe, Many a
night, after you were asleep, have l S Glen
from my cottage, and made my way 10 the
stately home in which that woman dwelt,
surrounded by loving care that Of right be-
longed to me. Concealed in the S1rubbery,
have listened to his voice speaking to her
10 accents of deeper tenderness than he had
ever used to me, and / vowed within my
soul that [ would find means to blight the
happiness they seemed to find in each 9th
er. They were married.
envy hate eliminated when q daughter
was born who was destined to fill the place
in your fathers house of which you had
been defrauded.
''Your halfsister is two years younger
than you, and in your childhood you were
so much alike that but for the difference in
size You might have been taken for twins.
"Armands Joy in his new treasure was
soon turned to sadness, for the health of
his wife began to fail. She faded slowly
away with a mysterious disease. Every
thing was tried that promised relief, but the
spell of an evil eye was upon her, and there
was no help for her.
"The doctors said it was the climate that
did rot suit her, but I knew better than
that.
"She was taken away for change of air,
but Zelma, the woman that went with her
as nurse, was one of the slaves that had
belonged to my father, aud was devoted to
me.
''Mrs, Landry fingered for many months,
but she at last died, when you were Eve
years Old. r
"Tne years passed on, and Armand was
travelling in Europe, rarely writing home,
and never sending me a line.