Year: 1872

Shall blow the horrid deed in every eve


i That tears shall drown the wind


Skakspeare


In stately mansion away from the
more busted scenes of life and nestled


mid beautiful valley in the State of
-, lived wealthy gentleman, whose
home was one Of elegance and refneme Mt


lis eldest daughter, dark hairea. girl,
amiable aud gentle, coniiding and ~affec-
tionate returned home about two wears
ago after long absence at school in one
of the Eastern cities. Intelligent and
yiyaeious. and ouly sixteen years of age.
the period in womaDs life when all the
tenderer and loftier qualities of soul dc
Selop themselves, she was the admired OF
all who knew her Among the many
suitors 10 her hapds--and fouune was :
young gentleman Of polished address
and much literary attainment from the
city. Accustomed to the refined circles


Vt r@str9pollLan s9eiselg ibis 4. man EalaI ,. gho
possessed power in conversation that
rendered him pleasant aud sgreeabl to
all who appreciated true culture Before
the splendid endowment Of mind and
lmpassioned language of masterly elo
quence. the beautiful girl 80 fair and 40
pure, bowed her soul in foudo-. adora
ton, and INDUCED love which was true
in its nature as IL was ruinOus IN its end
With the gentle address Of lover did
he WOO and win the geutle beings con
fideuce, but not TO reward with affection
-ouly 10 debase with passion. Long
rides, moonlight excursions upon the
flower fringed stream whose waters
cleaned brightly aud softly mid the
sleeping moOnbeams, all were not uuat
tended with that happiness and influence
il securing more strongly the confidence
Of an uDsuspectiDg woman. In Que hour
she who was the cynosure Of all admir-
ing eyes. the pride of 4 fathers home III
which the gloom Of q wife's death hat
settled, the paragon Of wonanly refine
meDt and the type of female loveliuess,
aud the ideal OF womauly perfection to
many Z noble lover, fell from the proud
sphere OF purity, never, alas, to rise
again from the uusightly depths of deg
radiation. The magic spell which passion
threw around the soul 10 glittering beau
ty paled before the mocking realities OF
uiued virtue, aud be who had bee3 so
prone to promise, aye, to eveu swear the
honor of his love by the stars Of heaven,
yet as quickly to debase its purity as the
clouds DO obscure the heavens, held not
himself as man should do in offering
by marriage, the only atonemeut possible
on earth for a crime so dark aud uufor
given that Gods own mercy weeps to
know that tis eushrined within the soul
/ Of man True TO he maddened instincts
/ OF an affection, which, painting vision
! If hope and peace so fair. had brought q
curse Of memory aud life so foul, the W O.
+ man never cust an sxpersfon upon the
character nor traduced the motive of her
lover. The father, poor man, when he
saw what was his curse, was heartless.
was hopeless, and he knew only anguish
that anguish which tortures to mad
ness. and desires with living misery
even the peace Of deaft Deep, deep
/ in that fathers soul ragged fierce conflict
of shame and pride, Of honor and re
venge but upon the clouded valley of
his soul, where manhood's bature had
fallen ia its sorrow and curseful misery,
came the fearful face of his child, wear
ing its hopeless grace of beauty and un-
conscious sadness Of despoiled purity.
For her to live, and for the great and
blightiDg curse to rest as lightly as could
on her lie, was nov the fathers only
hope


When moonbeams rested like spectre
sentines on the bald cliffs of piciur
esque stream. OF threw softly wild sheen
on the water, and no sound broke on the
silence Of midnight's hour save the faint
slghs of the wind harp. could be seen an
old man, his head bent low aud his eyes
wandering away TO the heavens, seated
near the road which led to the stream
Soon the form of young man was seen
approaching. aud as he neared the place
where the other person was sitting he
paused as if affrighted by an uuex peeted
discovery recovering his self possession
he darted towards the stream. As.


did so the dreary silence IN e"'
was broken by pistol @isenAfse'


A wild shrieA, whose echo rang along
the shadowed stream till lost among the
distant hills, a plunge into the water
whose wavelets glistcned in the moon
light aud all again was silence in this
lonely place. human being had expiated
his pardonless sin in death, and the
bleeding heart of an agonized father hau
found its ngsevrud4fppshiedd by his
daughter, arrived in Nashville and took
rooms in one of the many obscure places
to he found in this city. A few days
after the young lady gave birth to
child. This is one of the stories con
nected with the parentage of little child
which having been left with an old
colored woman in South Nashville, died
Yesterday morning. A more correct yer
sion Of the affair is that the same beauti
ful young lady of whom we speak, listen
ed as woman too often listens to the base
deceit of aged ps. Her father died many
years ago and was placed in the ground
by the side of his wife. whom it Is said
had previously been laid in her grave.
The Young lady has two brothers both
engaged in the mercantile business. Her
home was in East Tennessee aud near by
resided a gentleman about forty-6ve or
6fty wears of age who had been near
and dear friend TO her father. Although
the features of his face had been marked
bv that terrible plague, the smallpox
and his front teeth were gone, yet the
Young and unsuspeotiog girl had cOnfided
far too long in this old gentleman to one
moment suspect his motives wrong.
Possessing wealth with no one to share the
Injuries of his home the young lady soon
fell victim to his overtures and frequent
solicitations of matTimony. The elegant
home with its many comforts and the
paternal Kindness which she imagined
would soon be hers, painted many fair
beuitiful visions of happiness on her sonl
which gave way to the better dictates