Litchfield enquirer., 1875-11-04

and dramatically expire, or propose to,
 at opposite ends of the bswitched island. "
 "Oh. \ know 1t is dreadful. interrupted Leslie, from out of the depths, 'far more dreadful than I can ever tell you P a.s.
 This was the last drop. I desperately
 dragged away the cover, I tipped oyer the
 barrel and pulled out my wretched little
 pig more dead than alive. When I had shaken and beaten of the various patches
 of -four. meal, sugar, etc., with which
 her fluffy tresses, and entire dress were di.
 versiGed, seated her behind the tent and myself by her, and solemnly said
 to explain yourself, or will go and bring
 bined craZiness will throw on all this
 mystery"
 What she told me in her incOherent,
 ticulars, which were added afterward in
 calmer moods, will now repeat
 On hearing sister Fannys thoughtless
 reeearsal and perversion of Mir. Drury's letter to papa, Leslie declared, and saw no reason to deny, that, instigated by the devil, and not having the fear of God be- fore her eyes, she wrote this unknown clergyman letter which purp0rted to come from one who had been q delighted nearer of the sermon he had preached at Groton (tO which he had alluded in writ ing father), and who could not refrain from expressing her intense gratitude. She further indulged in some apparently restrained self-betrayals hints of dissat- isfactiOn with her present spiritual status, and of her longings for some trustworthy guide.
 I cannot myself conceive of Leslie's do- ing such an unlady-like deed. Although so young, and for years without the least shadow of restraint, yet, of all girls ever knew. she seemed least capable of vuI- gar frolic or schoolgirl trick. But once admitting tue possibility Ss sne deed, | am sure that it must have been done in the most decorous and beguilIng manner which a man of less sensibility and far more worldly wisdom than Mir. Drufy would never have suspected of trickery, or been able to resist. Mir. DrurY at least could not withstand Ter.
 Leslie had signed herself Talitha Gumi Pidge, and her letter was dated and post ed from Dracut, which, although on the opposite side of the river, was within walking distance from our door. No sooner was the letter beyond recall than her senses returned, and she became wretchedly ashamed of her wicked folly, but she had finally quieted herself with the decision that she would never apply at the Dracut Post-O Office for q chance answer, and thereby she should at least escape the knowledge of any ill-effect pro- duced by her miss1ve. But the fates were against her. About fortnight after she had made this comfortable arrangement with her conscience Fanny, who was read ing the morning paper, suddenly exclaim- ed "Isn't this odd You remember how we were talking two or three weeks ago about absurd names, and we would hard ly believe papa when he said that one of the members of his first church vas nam- ed Talitha Cumi Pidge? We'll, here it is, in black and white, and that mis- christen ed creature actually a letter advertised i; but, luckily, it is in the Dracut list. |" Leslie heard this with conflicting emo tions; but at last her curiosity triumphed. Carefully yelled, she crept ont of the house furtively that evening and made her way across the long bridge, which was ordinarily terror to her even by day. light, and secured the letter, It was quite unlike the epistle which she had fancied, of course, for she had totally misconstrued the character of the man from the beginning. It was so simple and genuine, and yet so wise and help fully suggestive, that it piqued her desire for further correspondence with such a mind, and am sorry to say half dozen letters rapidly passed between them in the same clandestine manner on her part. She was all the time restless and misera- ble in her duplicity, but did not at all realize its double-edged danger until one night she received letter from her dupe, assuring her that she had won his heart m its entirety, and begging her permis- slon to come and plead his cause in per son. He would. if she pleased, request Dr. Draper. whom she mast know y rep- utation, if not personally, to introduce him to Ter family.
 A full consciousness of her ignobIe treatment of a stranger, and he a clean hearted, clear-headed, heavenly -purposed man, overwhelmed her. She dared not ask counsel. Fanny was too young, and I. she was pleased to say, ''too awfully calm and righteous" and papa's appro- bation too indispensable to be sacrificed by confession. So she struggled on alone.
 She made full, humble, abjectly hum ble, I suspect. statement of the whole af- fair from its impulsive beginning through all its reckless course, and signed to it her own proud name in full. A week passed, and then came few words from MT. Drury, so sublimely magnanimous and compassionate in tone, that the poor sinner was humbled still lover in the dust He further begged that she would permit the correspondence to continue. and as early as possible grant him a per- sonal interview. This she absolutely re- fused and threw herself on his unmerited mercy to spare her any further communi- cations, which could only intensity her remorse and lifelong shame and self-con- tempt
 Although Unbroken silence followed this final letter, yet she Lad endured ago. nies of apprehension lest Mr. Drury should come to the parsonage to see papa on some business of his own, if not in actual search for her, and had not . mo- ment's respite from this terror, until we had left town aud were safely within the then unfrequented wilds of the Saranac. She further affirmed, and have no doubt with truth, that she would have been less implacable toward herself had the offense been committed anywhere else than Tn my fathers house, and suspect could have more readily forgiven her had it been freak of her old, idle, lonely life. How ever, the deed was irrevocably done, and it now only remained to hear how the doers had met, and then to make the best possible disposition of its present com plications.
 When Leslie had landed on her island she wandered about a little, picking here and there blossom and some new variety of dainty fern or graceful leaf, and then seated herself Co arrange them. While in the midst of this fascinating occupation she looked about for something to give color to her boquet, and espied not only precisely her desire. realized in amazing sprays of the ''checkerberEy," !" Imstrous of leaf, and immense and brilliant of fruitage beyond its kind, but on the messy rock which these beauties surrounded, an open book. She started up in fright, but there was nothing bUman to be seen, and per. feet silence all about her. Thus re-as- sured, she ventured to examine the book, winch proved to be 'sThgg Excursion P