The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1874-01-17

their business in the Islands, they had landed
in Georgia, made an excursion into the interior
| of South Carolina, and were now bending their
way to Charleston, to embark for the Chesa-
peake. Thence they would go from city to city,
until they reached Boston. At the mention of
embarking for the Chesapeake my heart bound
ed with joy. When l expressed my pleasure
at the prospect of having their company so
long, they fully reciprocated my congratula-
tions, and said, they were the more pleased at
finding an agreeable companion, even for a
| few days, as they had not single acquain-
tance nearer than Boston.
Feeling now mutually excited to freer in
tercourse, we laughed and talked, and were
soon on the footing of unreserved familiarity.
We spent two weeks in Charleston, lodging at
the same hotel, and generally making our ex-
cursions together. The estimable and agreea-
BILE qualities of my new friends, were daily un
folding themselves, and gaining stronger hold
on my affections Their manners were polish
ed, yet simple; their speech seasoned with wit,
and sweetened with kind feelings; their intel
lectual requirements were uncommon for their
age, their principles pure, and their pety,
though seeming to shun observation, was never
theless clearly inferable from many indirect
signs. Though they never seemed disposed to
discuss any theological subject, they showed q
pointed adherence OF vice and profanity.
AS the attachment grew, anticipated with
increasing pain the days of our separation
AZ Gss Judith the sis-e-1 hece ne cas' aaiHrs
CnaC E6T cnariDS nau eXclJeu q new passion IN
my SOUL | was fully sensible of the thrilling
effect which her radiant eyes had upon my
heart-but suppesing that of course the wide
Atlantic must soon part us forever, resolved
not to indulge my nascent passion, nor to as
sumo towards her the character of lover
She, on her part, made no concealment of her
| friendly sentiments towards me, further than
| that, she gave me no equivocal sign. Some
| times, indeed, l imagined that the looks which
| kndled such fires in me, must have been them
selves lighted at the altar Of love.
We took passage in sloop for the Chesapeake,
and were the only passengers On board. twas
one of the most delightful mornings of South
ern spring; bamy breezes waited us gently
through the bay whilst from the deck con-
templated the retiring city. and its advanced
guard isles and batteries. When these were
all past, had, for the first time in my life,
full view of the ocean, spreading its desolate
waste around to the arthest verge of the hori-
zon, and leading the imag gnation onward still,
over its vast unfathomed depths.
How different from the scenes Of varied beau
| ty and grandeur, iii the highlands Of Virginia
yet even more affectingly sublime sat mute
and penslve. gazing intently upon the silent
expanse, that seemed bending upwards at a
distance, to meet the skies. Impressions of the
vastness OF the object before me, of its liquid
uniformity OF expansion, its gloomy depth, and
| oozy bottom where monsters play among hu-
man bones, filled ny soul with melancholy
| solemnty. Where l observed the trees and
sand hills of the coast, going off, as if sliding
away down the other side of the globe, and
leaving us alone in this boundess solitude and
| precariously floating over these dark abysses,
| became notonly sad but terrified. Symptoms
OF sea-sickness appeared also, and added to my
| suferings
Ny friend Eli had left me- to arrange some
affairs with his sister in the cabin. While my
mind was thus sinking to the bottom of the sea
he came up, and seeing my dependency, ad-
vanced with smile: "Ah Mr. Grahme, now
| you remind me of the day when first put to
sea. kept thinking how wide and how deep
| is the sea, yet have to go all the way over it,
and if should fall overheard, or a tempest
should crack this wooden shell that bears me
| up, why should have to sink all the way to
the bottom, though it were FIVE thousand faith
oms down. But in two or three days | begen
to find that one might travel by wind and wa
| ter with as little fear as by wheels and horses.
| So you will feel to- morrow, unless sea-sickness
| should conjure up new apparitons." "fou
have described my feelings in part. l am
aware that my apprehensions spring, in
measure, from the awful sublimity of this
watery world, and from the novelty of my sit
uation, at the mercy of winds and waves But
in addition to that, confess to you, Mr.. Ben
| saddl, some undefnable horror, some gloomy
presentiment of evil, has occupied my mind
ever since eame afa On b b9ssrdi &fhat is
| WuO OuG Oi yOti pICo-
ent sadness, some sbapeless images of misfor-
tune" He was going on with his usual vi
| vacty of manner, stepping about the deck
| He had scarcely uttered the word "misfortune,
| when, being near the side rail, he was trpped
| by sudden roll of the vessel, thrown over
and plunged headlong into the sea. He almost
| brushed me as he fell. Before l could think,
| he was gone; | saw no sign of him, but the
| bubbling of the water, where he had sunk
"Ship about" was instantly cried on deck;
| and all hands exerted themselves in the opera
| ton. For my part, my eyes stared with the
fxedness of death on the fast receding spot
Presently my friend rose to the surface; but
| strangling, and unable to buffet the waves
| He struggled for a moment, then gradually dis
appeared and before we reached the place,
| not even bubble marked it, The cruel wave
had already forgotten its victim.
My grief and horror at the fatal accident
were unutterable. But they were soon arrest
ed by the shrieks of the unfortunate sister, who
this moment learnt her irreparable loss She
ran dlstractedly over the deck, and would have
sprang into the sea, had l not caught her. l
bore her into the cabin. She could utter moth
ing but screams for two or three hours. She
was absolutely frantic with agony of mind
She wrung her hands and beat her breast
Convusive sobs marked the intervals between
her keenest parexysms. My own grief was alb
sorbed in her. l attempted some words of con-
| ISOLATION, but they fell unnotced upon her ears.
| Ouc Se6uueu luSeL5lDlc W all cAJcTHdI pICo-
sions, grief had over whelmed every faculty.
| Merciful heayens Even the distant recollec
tion almost freezes my blood. Still do l seem
to hear the first words that came in broken ac
cents from her lips-"My brother Oh, my
brother my good, my dear, my only brother !!
| / will not cannot bear to repeat the strains
of heart-rendng lamentations, which she pour
ed forth, with sobs and groans, after she recov-
cred the of speech. She bewailed her
brother, her father (the only living parent) and
lastly herself. She deplored her condition, as
| a friendless, unprotected maiden in foreign
land In vain l assured her of my protection.
During the first day and night, she seemed un-
conscious of my existence.
| l need not say that was her close attendant.
| | was the only person on board who regarded
her situation. The captain and sailors appear
ed to think that drowning was thing rather
to be expected than lamented; and the grief Of
a surviving relative matter that seamen had
no concern in.
1t was almost morning before poor Judith
could rest, even a moment, from her wailing.
At length, however, exhausted nature could
sustain no more, without an interval Of repose.
She sunk into short slumbers, broken by starts
of horror; she would suddenly call for her
brother, ask where she was, or utter some ex-
clamation of grief, and presently fall back
again into momentary oblivion of her sor-
rows. Finally, she fell into sound sleep, and
| awoke after two hours, with calmer feelings
L trled again 10 console ner. one couIu now
hear me; and after awhile she apprehended
my earnest assurance of sympathy and protec-
ton. did, with all the feelings of weeping
heart, condole with her; and engage to devote
myself to her as brother, until she was safely
lodged with her friends.
These protestations were a sensible relief to
her mind, as regarded her own situation. She
expressed, and that sincerely, the profoundest
gratitude for my attention to her, in her sorrow
full and desolate state. She threw herself up
on my offered protection with unsuspecting
confidence. I must have been the greatest vii
lain on earth, to think of taking any dishonor
able advantage of that confidence. abhorred
the idea.
AS the native vivacity of Judth's feelings,
made the first tempest Of her grief inexpressi-
bly, violent, so it caused that tempest sooner to
spend its force, and settle down into compar-
ative calm. Never had l seen such agonizing,
rt-breaking distress-never had felt such
keen sorrow in my own soul. Two or three
days were however sufficient to restore this
lovely mourner to a calmness which admitted
of her conversing freely, though not without
many tears, on her misfortune, and on the ways