Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1873-03-06

not tear hence, but with my life"
CHAPTER III. .
COLONEL cambridge SPEAKS PIECE OF HIS
MIND, AND GETS IN RETURN A PIECE OF
MRS. DANDRIDGE's. ..' :,
So the melancholy days dragged out their
weary length. Mrs. summerville, finding re-
monstrance and argument effected no good
results in regard to Florimond's mental all
nent, let her alone. She only sought to divert
her mind in every possible way, especially by
reading aloud to her, species Of diversion of
which her granddaughter was inordinately
fond. Mrs. Summerville possessed rare
gift the gift ola marvellous voice full Of rich
ness, power and sensibility, and wonderful
power of impersonation. Under the spell Of
this delicious voice, now rising in passionate
defamation, now sinking into exquisite pa
thos, now soft in love, now agitated in tumul-
tuous storms of feeling, rich even in repose,
Florimond seemed to be soothed, and appear
ed, by degrees, to attain state of greater
calmness and content. She ceased her ex-
pressions of repining, and though her spirit
still groped in darkness, and she did little else
but sit in silence and morbid melancholy, yet
she never wept now. Mrs. Summerville could
not decide, to her own satisfaction, whether
this change was to be attributed to healthier
mental atmosphere, or whether it was rather
an evidence of greater hopelessness in her
grief-for as that Incompatible authoress, Mrs.
Browning, says: Hopeless grief is passion
less" ....
''Touch it the marble eyelids are not wet
Ifit could weep, it could arise and CO."
Seated together around the blazing fire,
Charles came in with a letter for his mistress.
1t was from Col. cambridge, and Mrs. Sum-
merville read it aloud to Florimond, who, sit
ting on the opposite side Of the fire place, was
unraveling, for her grandmother, a tangled
skein of zephyr wool.
CAMP NEAR RICHMOND, VA,
February 8, 1856.
NM Dear Madam :-Having received no letter
from Mrs. Dandridge-nor indeed heard anything
directly from or about her-since she left my
fathers house on the 2lst day Of October
"He has made mistake in the date" cor
rected the precise Mrs. Summerville; for I
remember perfectly it was the 26th. Am l
not right?"
"Don't remember" said Florimond, care
lessly. "It's of no Importance, anyhow"
Mrs. Summerville proceeded with the
epistle-
"Since she left my fathers house on the 2lst,
[but it Uas the 26th]. write to you for some in
formation concerning her, and some explanation
concerning her extraordinary silence. 1t has
completely dumbfounded me. I cannot believe
she has been sick, or else you would have written
to me. Tell her if she is "moping' for some real
or imaginary offense-as she is too apt to do in a
case Of personal grievance-I trust she will soon
get over it. My sister Martha writes me that
Florimond only remained with them two weeks,
apparently much bored all the time; and since
leaving, has never sent back line to them to say
whether she ever reached home or not. They don't
know whether she is dead or alive, and I'm sure
I do not!
NV dear madam, it would be comforting great
favor on me, if you would use your influence
with my wife, to induce her to treat my family
with proper respect. I have appealed to Flori-
mond in vain. In two letters of late, l have
father This request she has treated, so far, with
silent contempt-as she has also treated my letters
and the letter which Anna wrote her recently,
notwithstanding Florimond's rudeness. Since
she seems to have such an aversion to my sisters
Heaven knows why-for two more refined, no.
bier, kinder creatures never ed!-I will say
nothing about answering Anna's letter; but DO
insist that she shall write to me, through respect,
if for no other reason andalso for the same reason
to my honored father. If she perseveres in her
hn1, oEon 10 "
displeased. Moreover, in the way of well Inherited
punishment, will not come home to her in April,
unless she writes. Notwithstanding my visit last
July, have secured the promise from the gener-
al in command and my intimate personal friend,
to give ME two wee ks leave Of absence at that
time. But I,viU not pend it at home. will 60
elsewhere-ifF Florimond does not mend her ways.
I have no fancy for sulky women. If she was
hurt with me for not letting her make me a visit
in camp, or if she thinks have not written as
often as ought II confess to great pre-occupation
lately and unfrequent letters or if have Offend
ed her in any way, why does she not write and
tell me so, that may make it all right between
us?
"Can you not place the matter before her in its
proper light, and bring her to reason? Hoping to
hear from you,
remain, my dear madam,
With great respect and esteem,,
Yours most truly,
ALBERT G. DANDRIDGE."
had gone wrong with Florimond. A. G. y.
"Very sorry, no doubt" said Florimond,
with heightened color, and a very unusual
glitter in her melancholy eyes. ...
"Florimond," said her grandmother, "if
this letter does not bring you to your senses,
what can say to move you?"
"You can say nothing" said Florimond; /;
$50 mother, dear, spare yourself the trouble
The whole universe cannot move ME. If all
the dead Dandridges should rise from their
graves and confront me, wouldn't write to
him, or his honored father either and as for
Anna"
"Florimond," interrupted Mrs. Summer
vile, thoroughly provoked, "you talk like a
child-you act as if you had no sensep'
81 haven't much" said Florimond; "for if
I had I should never have married, but walk
ed lifes journey alone. On marche plus vfte,
o,tar,d on marche seuE-not to mention the risk
of getting an unsuitable companion for the
trip. Dearest mother, do not worry yourself
about this unfortunate matter. 1t will come
right some of these days, and if it does not,
what matter? According to that modern
philosophy which you have preached to me,
these conventional misfortunes are mere illu-
sions, and what we style the heart only a
nervous sensation' so, henceforth, my heart
is dead, and 1 shall live only through my in
tellect. Come, let us quit this. You prom
ised, mother, to teach me that new stitch in
crochet, and to read to me those beautiful
essays of Macaulay. When you read them,