Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1872-02-21

moment, before he said
Emily, if you had told me, at the
time this marrige was FIRST spoken Of, that
in accepting Madison you were acting uu-
der eompulsiOn of your mothers influence,
| should not Only have at once put stop
to the affair itself, but should have TAX
en- care that such thing never happened
again, by peremptOrily forbiddiug your
mothers interference, either one way or
the other, with your future matrimonial
choice. But understood from her that
YOU accepted him voluntarily; aud your
'onduct gave every color Of probability tc
his assertion. | saw you walking and
riding with him constantly-receiving his
attentions, at all times, as ifthey were
agreeable to you and when | made the
direct inquiry of you-as a matter of
form only, confess whether you wished
to marry the man, you answered distinct
y that you did,"
eyes, yes. was poor, miserable
coward As told you last night, papa,
mamma managed to throw me with~-him,
against my will, and to commit me in so
many different ways, that | was coward
enough to feel it impossible to say no,
when he finally asked me to marry him.
But as to my receiving his attentions,
that was not my fault. Mamma would
promise him that | would ride or walk
with him at certain tire, and would
then insist on my fulfilling the engage
ment when he came to claim it. |
never liked him.-though l did
not, when | consented to marry
hlm, detcst him as | do now. | thought
that as | had Intentionally led him on as
mamma called it, to offer hlmsef-that |
would try to like him. And o papa,
have tried so hard But the more saw
him, the more did feel dislike, amount
ing to utter digust and though for a long
time | would rot acknowledge this, ever
to myself, as the time drew nearer anC
nearer for me to marry him I-l-papa
/ could not endure it | abhor him
loathe him. Death would be Thousand
times preferable to marrying him {
papa have mercy on me, aud save me
l shall lose my senses or die, if l have tt
marry this man !"
What can | do at this late hour
Consider Emily-if you lad spoken t,
me month or even a week ago, it woulC
have been different; but you let the en-
gagement 60 on for months, you wait un
till the marriage has been publicly an
nouuced, every preparation completed
the very eve of the day arrives, and you
wish to break it off then! Don't you
know that to jilt man in this notorou
manner would be most unprincipled,
most dishonorable conduct p
She did not answer. She only run
her hands again, with look Of utter des
pair.
DO not think that | am Indifferent t
your wishes, continued Mr.. Blount. afte
little pause. {" would do any thin
which it was possible to do, my daughter
to release you from a marriage that seem
repugnant to your inclination. But wha
you propose would be a disgraceful breac
: of faith. Don't you see that?"
g Is there no hope. no help, for me ?
she asked, with desperate sort of calm
ness.
" No help but in your own strength
character. Remember, it was by you
: own act that you were involved in tn
affair. A word to me, at any time. woul
have relieved you of all difficulty. Yo
ought to have spoken that word in time
Since you did not do so, you are bound
/, honor to keep your faith"
81 would have appealed to you sooner
but | was always afraid of you, father,
said the girl, bitterly.
' Afraid of me! What reason ha
you to be afraid of me 2" demanded h
: ha Silly. Did | ever once act, even {
speak, harshly to you ?"
"No; you were always kind enougl
: but SO cold Yon scarcely seemed col
scious of my exietence, unless some acc
J dent reminded you OF it
. "God forgive me!" said he, with
groan. "God forgive me! One fal'
> step, one error, is the fruitful source
many successful evils. was not by NJ
ture what is called an affectionate disp
sition, not impressionable or demonstrativ
: and the little warmth and sentiment th
| did posses was frozen by"
lie stopped, and was silent for son
minutes.
Emily he said, turning suddenly
his daughter, "answer me one questio
= Is it some love affair with another ms