Year: 1871

From the World.


VI suppose that Pm pretty near
gone, sir?"


The speaker lay upon cot in Il Ger.
:, tain hospital on Blackwell's Island
A sad, resigned look passed over his
interesting features when nodded in
the affirmative. He was, indeed
nearly gone. But there We're traces ol
great beauty upon his emaciated couu-
tenance. His large blue eyes and
classic brow and long silken hair,
which was parted in the middle and
lay in heavy masses of ringlets upon
the pillow, gave him very striking
appearance. at might he well, sir"
he continued, "if you have leisure, ia
take down from my lips such account
as can furnish of my sad history. II
may serve as u warning to other
young men similarly tempted, and
save some of them from being SINH
larly led astray."


"By all MEANS" | replied, taking
our writing materials. "Let us begin
ut Once.n


Pushing back the silkcn ringlets
further from his brow (and, by the
way, his attachment TO them was
about the only trace he showed of that
natural vanity which had been the
means of his ruin), he began as fol-
lows:


l was born in Massachusetts. My
parents were poor, but respectable
my mother being deacon in q church.
| We lived in a small village on the
Connecticut River. There was moth
ing especially noticeable about me in
my boyish days, except what you
must see was rather uncommon beau
| ty. Though strong and healthy, /
was rather timid--used to he very
much annoyed, when was no older
than ten years, by the persistent at
tempts Of the bolder girls to kiss me.
In our evening parties i had to stand
a continual fire Of forfeit kisses. No
wonder that ! gradually lost that eX-
treme modesty which naturally char
acterized me, and though / was never
forward, got quite resigned to these
demonstrations of affection before !
was in my teens.


| Years passed. became clerk in
village store at good salary. | was
not particularly fitted for the position
but my beauty was such an attraction
to feminine customers that was con.
sidered worth the amount of my sala-
ry to my employers, even when /
did almost nothing, and did that bung-
lingIy. had arrived atmy eighteenth
year. My mother knowing how
much attention was attracting from
the other sex, and fearing evil conse-
quencesifI was left unguarded, watch
ed me continually and followed me
| everywhere. L was really veXed some
times when mother would not let me
walk home from church with some
girl who was pining for me, or when
she used to cell me in from the garden
gate, where had been standing lean
ing over the fence, chattering with q
number Of my admirers. All! she
little knew how many parting kiss
was snatched from me at such times.
And now leone to serious times. AS
/ said, l had reached my eighteenth
year. / was pretty mature for my
age, but as you must know, was mild
and yielding III my disposition; and
being also generous aud affectlonate,
found it very difficult to say "no."
ALI! that fatal generosity, so common
q trait Of my sex, to how much evil it
leads. We lived on the outskirts Of
the village, where every woman had
several acres attached to her house.
Our orchard adjoined that OF q farmer
whose daughter had always attracted
me more than any other girl. This
attraction was probably due to the
fact that we were opposite in appear
ance and character. She was q stur-
dy blue-eyed, strong willed, high
tempered girl; but alas, her mother
was one OF the richest women in the
country; mine was poor. She, how
ever, always took much notice Of me,
even when | was small, and in her
free way used to compliment me on
my goods looks after l was in my
teens. became quite infatuated with
her, though was repeatedly warned
by those who knew the pride of her
family that she was only fOOling with
me, and that her intentions could not
be honorable, as she knew her parents
would not consent to such an alliance
and she herself was ambitious of mar
rying very we'll in every respect |
But would not listen to these warm
ings, so confident was that my ap.
pearance was full off set to her
wealth. My parents forbade me hav-
ing anything to say to this fascinating
young woman, for they saw that
nothing but disgrace and misery to
me could result from the continuance
of our intimacy. Many now were
the stolen interviews. Where the
orchardsinet. there we met. AT last
one moonlight night, rs | sat on the
intervening stone wall, in All intoxica-
ton of bliss, while her curls swept my |
face, and her lOw-whispered VOWS
tin iiled my whole being, she passed |
her arm about my waist and said, |
"Dearcst let us listen to the behests Of
love. Let us break loose from the |
absurd restrictions in which they hold
us; in word let us elope. We can go
to Boston and get married, and after
while, when the storm has some
what abated, we can return" | lis
tened approvingly to the voice Of
the charmcr in that wild hour, for |
getting how much more serious n
step it was for me than for her to thus
spurn parental authority. Again, ike
so many Of my sex, l forgot in that
tender moment that half the VOWS Of
woman are false; and that the most
Of them will bc ready when they see
q chance to crafty ileeting passion
at the expense Of their own honor and
the future happiness of their victim.
SO, as she stated that she had several
hundred dollars at her disposal,
agreed to take the fatal step the very
next day. 1t was arranged that we
should start on different trains to pre-
vent suspicion, on the pretext Of Wis.,
iting friend in town half way to
Boston. She should 60 first to the
halfway town and telegraph to los
ton Clergywoman Of her acquaintance
to meet lls, and perform the ceremony
| in the hotel when we reached the |
great city. We started accordingly.
was so agitated that my friends Mt
the village depot asked me If / was
sick. But all went according to our