Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1874-08-20
a TEMPTATION RESISTED.
A SKETCH FROM LIFE.

agination, but lives and moves among
us, not suspected of being heroine at
all, but known only as "a perfecl
woman nobly planned"
Her beauty is not of the etherea;
type Of which poets dream and novelists
rave; indeed, she might not be consid
cred beautiful, judged from a critical
standpoint, yet hers is face one loves
to look upon, with its changeful ex
preston, clear red and white cemplex-
ion, and gray and earnest eyes Above
all these her chief charm lies in her in,
nocent gayety and ehildlike truthful
ness, which contact with life's trials
will never remove, though she live un~
til her pure forehead be furrowed with
age, and the hair that shades it be sill,
| vered.
She is now middle aged, but at the
time of which l write was thirty-one.
Knowing nothing of the world, and
n othing of real true love, she had mar
ried very young, and fancied herself
the most favored of women Her hus-
band, true and loyal gentleman, loved
her devotedly, and was proud of her,
and liked to have others admire her.
So the first few months of her married
life passed on smoothly and pleasantly
enough. But as the trials of her new
| position increased she felt that the love
which supported other wives in their
troubles, and through which medium
even these trials sometimes seemed
''couleasr de rose to them, was not like
that she felt toward her husband-the
conviction forced itself upon her that
she had made great mistake in her
early marriage. But her real heart re-
ligion made her discharge her duties
faithfully and cheerfully, and she hid in
her heart her disappointment. Then
children came, and she was the most
loving and proud Of mothers but God
called the brightest and dearest, Though
what mother could choose when death
came y leaving her heart broken and
wishing to die. Still struggling to be
resigned, once more she ''took up the
burden of lite,' and in her family
among the poor and sufering;n her
church, found solace and regained che, =
fulness.
But just at this epoch of ner life cane
its romance suddenly upon her. A
friend of her husband, man Of the
world man too busy to have thought
much Of love or marriage, came to visit
their little home, and rest iii quiet,
country scenes. He was close OBJ
server, and, not a little surprired at the
depth and susceptibility Of her nature,
sought to dgaw her out, and succeeded
as no one had done before. He found
this at first simply an amusement, but
as he grew daily on more familiar
terms in her household, and watched
her gentle and womanly ways in the
home Of which she was the light and
joy, he found himself strangely inter-
ested, until he, who had seen all phases
of city life, and on whom fashionable
beauties had made no impression, was
madly in love, where love could only
be a guilty passion and she watched
him and hung upon his words with all
the enthusiasm of first love, for to her
it was new revelation. She did not
analyze her feelings. and did not seek
to. She was happy in the present; to
see him every day, to feel him near, to
hear his sweet songs, and listen to his
eloquent tongue, was happiness she had
never dreamed of. But the time came
that he must go, and yielding to a mad
impulse, as they happered to be togeth-
Ell alone the evening before he left, he
suddenly embraced her, and poured in
to her ear words of the most passion ate
love, begging her to fly with him. For
an instant only she wayered. He who
had been her Guardian all her life did
not fail her now. Swift as flash rose
the prayer to her lips, ''Jesus save me, !"
and as swiftly was it answered. Be-
fore her rose the image of her husband,
slender and true;" of her children.
! sweetly sleeping, to whom the name Of
mother meant everything pure and
holy, and of those little ones, dearer
still, who, she thought, would be
grieved even in Paradise at their moth
er's sin. With look which haunted
him long after-a look of plying love
and passionate entreaty-she tore her.
self from his arms, and rushed from the
room.
They met again next morning, prob.
ably for the last time ; and it was better
SO. With a silent pressure of her hand
and whispered @Forgive me, and
Goo bless you !" he went on his wav
carrying with him., wearied as he was
the memory Of one pure, religious wo-
man, in whom principle had triumphea
over passion.
She lives on, loving and beloved ;
sunny smile undimmed, her sympathy