The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1874-12-04

lie asks her to accept copy of In
poems, Tin consideration OF the beauty %
its type and the vastness Of its margin, !"
and closes thus" am, dear Miss Camp
bell. very gratefully, or, II you are in good
earnest-as very mach fear you are not
! am, dearest Ellen, very afiectionately
yours, FITZ-GREENE HALLECk."
Her reply 10 this is a letter Of consider
able length, in which she thanks him Tor
the promise OF his book, and declares that
"eager expectation stands tip-toe on the
misty heights OF the blue Ohio To hail its
approach.n She closes by saying that
when ne Is in " fashions crowded hall. :"
or listening To the trump of deathless
fame" she would not claim one thought /:
" But when the busy crowd is gone,
And brightly on the western sky
The changeful sunset hues an thrown
Oh, wilt thou thither turn thine eye
And send one gentle thought to her
Whose spirit ever turns 10 thine,
Like Persla's idol wOrshlper,
Or Moslem to his prophets shrineE"
The correspondence continued through
out the year, growing more and more in
teresting. The gay badinage ceased and
was succeeded by earnestness on both
sides. Though still preserving her incoc-
nttd. and shielded by her assumed name.
we find the lady growing timid as the poet
grows ardent in his protestations of adj
miration and esteem. AT one time she
says: Every step that have made i'm
your acquaintance has increased my timid-
ity. With reckless laugh | flung my
first offering on the current of accident.
little thinking II would ever bring me
back tears and smiles, anxious thoughts
and fevered dreams" Toward the end of
the year she intimates that the terms of
her privilege will soon expire, ant that
the correspondence must close. The poet
replies, urging It's continuance. and speak
ing of the happiness it has afforded him,
and the desire To know her personally.
She replies ~ certainly did suppose
had written to Mr.. HaIleck for the last
time but you know before confess il that
am but too happy to be convinced by
your profound logic that II Is not only
my privilege but my duty to respond.
Your witty assumption of your extensive
privilege has delivered my 'woman's
pride from the 'bastile of a word for
whose adamantine bars, perhaps, | have
not shown proper reverence" After the
interchange of a few more letters. the poet
announces his intention OF seeking the
home of his fair correspondent. and meet
ing face to face the lady whom a. ELLEN
Campbell'' he has learned 10 highly es-
teen. This proposal filled Miss Flanncr
with dismay. Remembering that she had
commenced the acquaintance. she reflected
that tacit agreement 10 the poets visit
would place her in the character OF wooer.
An ardent admirer of Halleck's poems,
nothing could have afforded her more
pleasure than TO have met him. but under
the circumstances she felt that she must
not encourage his coming. Her reply was
1af Va f.f prh = N hal
sent Ii in care of relative. and 10 that adj
dress the poets subsequent letters were
addressed. She eluded all his efforts 10
discover her identity, and remained TO him
always IAN Ellen OF the mind''-.'A
being of the air." They never met; a
wealth of possible happiness was left un-
touched.
For him the aloe never doomed. She
married late in lite, a man her equal i'm
station, but her inferior in natural gift.
and in culture. Whether her brief mar
ried life was congenial and happy We do
not know. The leaves of this part of heart
history we may not turn. We can but
wonder If she whose thoughts found such
natural expression IN poetry, never, in
looking back over the years of the past. ~
peated to herself the lines by Owen Meri-
deth:
80 Whom first we love you know we seldom wed.
Time changes All and life indeed is not
The thing We planned IL out ere hope was dead,
But then, we women cannot choose our lot.
a. II might have been-ah, what dare not think.
We are all changed God judges for us best.
God help us do our duty and not shrink,
And trust in heaven humbly for the rest
TIL poet. in writing TO friend on the /
subject, years afterwards, alludes to her
a. 1.-THE heroine of one of my life's most
cherished romances. whose memory has.
heretofore been numbered among the dear |
est of my inconsiderable joys" and mem |
items his exceeding grief and disappoint- !
ment" at being unable to obtain further 4
clew to her identity.
Miss Abbie Flanner. at the time Of her \
with Iitz-Greene Halleck.
was about twenty six years OF age. She
j. described by one who knew her then aS
tall, slender and graceful, with cordial and
engaging manners. She had bright. hazel I
eyes, attractive features. and "A peculiarly \
sweet smile. When silent and thought 4
ful. her face wore a pcnsive. sad xpres- \
sion. but when engaged i'm conversation IL \
lighted mp with animation aDdintelligence. I
She was exceedingly sensitive. When her I
feelings were wounded she would put her /
hand to her face. and Immediately the \
tears cam trickling between .ier white \
fingers. She.had unusual mental gifts.
was fine conversationalist, and the queen 4
of the circle in which she moved. The 4
brief extracts from her letters .
given here afford little idea of her talent I
an culture.
Her family belonged to the Society of
Friends. or Quakers. She mad two broth ,
efs and three sisters. The brothers were
both eminent physicians--the eldest died
Of cholera when that disease was preva
lent in Pittsburg. She lived but year at
ter her marriage. Her death was marked
by that peace and perfect trust which
the last hour Of a Christian.
4 -. u. -