Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1873-07-03
discovered my;poasastio,In aai { { iiiS IS ssociet% AID

designS Through the many; years Of
close intimacy between ha hia only
effort was to undermine my morality
and corrupt my ideas of religion and
sin. Not openly, not even frequently:
bit by a long and patient Course OF
sophistry, the sly cunning Of which
would have done honor to the arch
tempter himself.
1t was masterly plan, and at last
his untiring perseverance had Its re,
ward. By degrees I began to seoff
at straight-laced morality louder than
he had ever dared to do. Gradually
the restraint Of religion gave way
before tie assaults of q, cynical ! phil
osophy that was thsIcrsed Of i fIehd,'
and, finally, though knew it not, |
was worse than my temptcr in my
utter infdelity and contempt Of all
that was. .grtnohs andinnocent. Thai
change was very slow but none the
|,less real and complete, and in secret
my destroyer. doubtless, sung p@aus
]lof triumph as he exulted in my GER
tain downfall. Thus nearly ten Years
passed away, and then, finding me !9
ripe for his terrible purpose, my evil
mentor prepared and presented be-
| fore me my first temptation:l .i.,-1 ~
Helena Montsordl daughter OF the
-Graces, twin sister to the sirens
thou :Circe ..who BETRAYED yet loved
,me-how shall I describe thee?
'soh, cunning enemy, that to catch saint
With saints didst bait thy hook most
dangerous
Is that temptation that doth goad us on
To sin, in loving virtue!
And to me She was d saint; ;swill
always be one-inSmy memory For
though know her now to have been
the vilest of the vile-most false of
all things treacherous-I know also
that she was tempted, ruined and be-
trayed, even as was, by that subtle
devil and in my heart I hold her,
as ! held ,her at the first,
"Fairsst and ioveNess ofscreated filings.
BY our great Author in THE iniagefornaedt
OF His celestial glory, and designed
To bo mans solace."
Yes. she was beautiful, more beau
tiful than the Romans queen, for
whom he lost world fairer than
Psyche, whom the god of Love him
self adored more witching than ON
phale, r.ahe love ofiMhom 'thesgod.
Of Strength became an abject slave
and twirl ed the distaffl Hereyes
| were crystals cut from heavens azure,
cleaning with the light Of radiant
stars; her tresseS were like threads
of ruddy, woven gold flowing around
brow and throat Of snow-drift
whiteness Her cheeks were peach
blooms scattered on that selfsame
snow-drift,. and her lipsa -
"The upper one was thin,
COMPARED to that was. next her chin, -
Some bee had stung it newly" ,,,.
Imagine. such agoddess, perfect IN
every outline of a graceful form, in
every lineament Of, "a heavenly face,
and wonder not at my enchantment;
for such indeed, was the Dejanira
destined by my destroyer, to enfold.
me in. the poisoned tunic of the Cen.
taur Crime, and we'll, was she. chosen
for the fatal task. Thoroughly trained
in every polite accomplishment, her
wonderful talents enhanced and de-
veloped by, all the resources of edu-
cation, perfect in every art of 'Seduc-
ton, and supernally powerful in the
majesty Of her glorious beauty, she
dazzled and intoxic ted me from the
very first, and ere long held me EN-,
chained in bonds I Was impotent to
rend asunder.
Nor did | desire 10 escape her
tlraldorn. Having brought us TO-
getker III such Il way that never
dreamed he had aught TO do witIl.her
beyond couimol iritndshiJ-he soon
saw that l Was at her mercy aand ls.t
hel; to complete tie work lefhad 50
.alieiitly tiegnn.' Confident that She
would not faI him--tor lie held icr
bound in stronger chains than Slls
held me-.l,e WIS content to resnlne
Ills deviish pa.icnce and look silently
ON while the woIka!GE death went for
ward !! ;ii fsE ~
was fully aware, frohlSmy first
introaaction; to her: rthat.she had
parted with her brightest3 Jewel honor
though i knew moi: that he was her
seducer-but,s as I have said; virtue
had already been made. to appear a
mere name to ne, and, her aitf6ltnn-
ate position in the world only Aas
tened her triumph over me- 1t did
not surprise me, therefor, to find
that she was leasued with ygamesters
and knaves in her struggle with tie
world. and before long my bluqted
conscience. uttered no warning when
I beheld her join with them in acts
Of fraud. She did not let me see this
till l was helpless III her tolls, and
then l did not shudder at the revela-
ton.
When I became her acknowledged
lover, De Ghargny threw eff his mask,
and I knew, for the first time in our
intercourse, how my friend really
lived. He was,an accomplished and
most skillful gamester. robber Of
dupes, cheat, and an arrant knave.
Strange to say even this knowledge.
lessened not my. friendship or my ad-
miration for him. His sly, patient
corruption Of my moral nature had
been SO thorough, though so insidious,
that 1 was not shocked at mis- turpi4
tude, but rather exulted in his clever
ness. He had blinded me with fair
seeming sophistry till deemed sin
merely cant title for superior
shrewdness, a busbear by which hypo-
critics cndeavored to frighten fools
from following in their footsteps. His
fearful work had been done well, and
now, unknown to rne, he began to-.
reap the harvest
Up to- this time I had suffered
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