The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-03-29
A BRIDE FROM THE SEA.

When last years. September gales
were blowing, l was OIL my return from
Europe. Five years before l mad fed
Gnere to escape q hear tache. Alasl now
many have fled there for the same pur-
pose, aud come back-as was coming
with the heartache only grown more
keen and piercing? 1t is in vain to run
from GRIEF. lie is flying phantom
tiend, who will outstrlp speed itself In
race. Ten years ago had stood up in
magnificent church, in our great me
tropolis, and with Dewildering music
swelling around, and with beWlldering
perfumes floating in the air, and BE-
wildering flash Of jewels aud splendor
shining before me, had gazed upon the
superb woman by my side, and prom
ised 10 love, and cherish, and protect
while lite should last. Then, through
the whirl OF the great city, L had been
borne down to where the good snip had
her steam up, and aim ,st before knew
il, | was embarked for Europe, a nd had
wife by my side, and my heart was
aching with great, dull, heavy throbs.
L think weddings are terrible. Out
wardly SO calm and happy as the par
lies appear, we can never see what
thoughts may be swelling in their bo-
soms-what volcanoes OF passion may
| be smouldering there, or what motives
prompt eacu party TO the act. believe
| that il the inner heart OF two-thirds who
stand at the altar could be barred to its
core, the spectators would start back
aghast, and each party revealed to the
oLner, they would recoil in horror. For
| | think tnat it is the most meager pro-
portion OF those VINO stand up mus be-
lore God, who really prefer the one b.
their side to all others in the world.
UircuLnstauce is king of human life,
and circumstance lmpels thousands to
marry, whose hearts cry out
against it with rebellious shrieks. Look
into your own heart, o mani and ask
yourself in the c0ntession-DoX of the
great high-r rriest-your own soul, II,
| when you took that woman you call wife
| by the hand, and answered with firm
| II WILL" to the words OF the surplIced
| priest, If cirCum stance had permitted
| ii, in the course Of things, IL had been
possible, you would noL rather have had
some other one by your side-lt there
was no one else in the wide world you
could have pressed TO your heart with
more rapture than the one you do press
and whom you think you love. And
| you, y woman, ask yourself deep in
your secret soul, II you could not have
| loved another better, IL the one you are
your existence, l know you Will be
startled by The answer; | know many of
you Will shudder and put the thought
| from you; | know some you will go TO
your closets and pray, and think the
| thought has been temp alton OF the
| devil! l have no doubt thousands are
| thinking at this moment, whom they
ought to have married-Who was The
| other half OF the divided lite he had been
living.
Ishould have married Edith Moutforl.
From the time L met her amid that glo-
rIous mountain scenery wnere every
/ healt is lifted Tor moment into
sublInity. ana where we sal and talk d
to eacn otner from our lnm0sC souls, and
while the wind was c!anglng Win its
brazen wings against the mountain,
rom that moment Til the Time / stuou
in the glowing cathedral, with another
by my size, l loved T. lith AIonttort as u
man can love VINO sees all the divinity
there is on earth mshrined in one form
and enspiring one heart. Edi h Mont
fort loved me, too-it was dreadful tC
say SO much Tor such love for d morta
has i'll IL something fearful. Does moi
jealousy come to sucn passion as
mine? l can not conceive how it can be
otherwise, when you love thus. Is MOI
every lUOh3 ONSlJ nOlu uCotVRSd upOl
another, 50 mucn taken from yOu-is il
not torture? Will not "a smile gwen to i
rival pierce you like an arrow, and dt
not the slightest circumstances becomt
to you evidence strong as Holy Writ? |
} Won love US | did. Yes! Then tAere art
always tongues enough TO maiden you
tongues that will tell tales which vii
scar your heart like hot irons, and make
the blood reel in your head like moItel
fire.
Thus it was that Edith Montfort and
were parted; thus it was that upon thu
very day had been told she would wee
another, l stood up beside one for whom
[ cared as little as l did for any othe
beautiful abstraction, and pledged my
self to love through life. Goo forgive
, nc, but my brain was maddened, Iknov
not what | did. And madder than evel
grew my brain, more wildly delirous Wa
NV heart, when l discovered how l hat
, been. deceived, how true was Edit
Muntfort, and now accursed were th,
tongues that had traduced her. M.
, heart worshiped ner more wildly thai
eyer-the passion was fairly grown int
my lite-my eyes were growing fierce
and my blood like lava. And all thi
time, with a woman by my side whom
, mad married and loved not. l felt he
hanging upon my arm--l heard he
voice ringing in my ears-she lay by m.
side at nigHt, her soft hand upon M,
: heart; to the world she was my wife, ant
vet never felt one thrOb of love Tor he r
, Can such sins be forgiven? Alasl the!
= = must be punished, and punishment SUR
and terrible does SIN bring with ii
. Never does the white horse OF sin, sho,
: with fire, stalk abroad upon this gree
! earth, without having close at its sid
Itue black steed of retrlbution, snod wit
the lightning Of hell.
Five years had we wandered in man
lands; and now, when the SeptemDe
gales were blowing from our natiy
: land, we were once more homewar
bound. l had been but one day upon tn
ocean, when L discovered that Edit
q Nj ontiort was also on board. We ha
lno words for our terrible thoughts
: therefore walked our different way, an
every hour prayed God to help me.
The days passed. and the sunligh
: glittered upon the ocean like the gold
n en- waves OF eternity, twilight SETTLED
o upon it, like the glory of departin
!. life, and moonlight gIlded it, like til
. smile ofdivine love, and still all was wei
' | Al,n II "a Ark IN