Early engagements: and Florence (a sequel)

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Poetry of the Vegetable World ;

CHAPTER I. Give me the face

That's warm— that lives — that breathes— made radiant By an informing spirit from within.

Give me the face that varies with the thought, That answers to the heart, and seems the while With such a separate consciousness endued That, as we gaze, we can almost believe It is itself a heart, and of itself Doth feel and palpitate.

THERE are those who say, thou art not beautiful, Ohio ! that from thy source, even near to thy confluence with the Father of Waters, a spirit of monotony prevails. But though there be not the same variation in thy scenery as in that of the Queen river of the North, or the classic and storied Rhine, thou art deemed none the less fair, by those whose eyes were first unclosed upon thy beauteous borders ; and to many thy unvaried aspect, renders thee more dear ; for when years have flown, and new homes along thy shores, far distant from the parental hearthstone, have " wooed and won" them, no striking contrasts remind them painfully of their " exile from home" — even though stranger faces be about them, thine is the same familiar scene which greeted them pleasantly in the golden

hours of youth.

8 EARLV ENGAGEMENTS.

And who may say, thou art not beautiful, when the stern soul of the lled-man, was softened beneath thy magic sway — thoughts of strife and bloodshed, giving place to emotions of pleasure, as he gazed upon thee, and pronounced thee in the strong, terse terms of his native tongue, Ohio-lo-pe-chee, or River of Beauty. La Belle Riviere, too, burst spontaneously from the lips of him of the pallid brow, whose eyes first rested on thee ; and thy "sons and daughters" exclaim, though many are beautiful, "thou excellest them all."

In the union of thy crystal waves with those of the great Father of Waters, too frequently art thou a prototype of life. For a time thou flowest by his side, struggling to preserve untarnished thy brightness and purity ; at length, overcome by his superior might, thou art swallowed up forever in his murky waves : even thus has the bright and joyous being of the young bride, ofttimes, been lost in the darkness of the soul with which it sought to mingle.

Not unlike thy beautiful "rivals, around whom cluster legends, romances, and poems, thick as spring-flowers, thou also hast thy stories, and heart stories too, as we shall see.

It was a strangely picturesque old house, densely shaded by forest trees, with a repose about it, deep and unbroken save by the low gurgling tones of a stream which swept through the lawn, or the dash of its waters over some projecting fragment of stone. Lofty hills rose suddenly up from the shores of "La Belle Riviere," and wreathed themselves around the lovely vale of its location. The emerald lawn, glittering with its golden dandelions, as the blue arch above with the silvery stars, stretched away to the pebbly beach, which framed in the sparkling waves — but whose freshness and murmurs, springing up on the wings of the passing breeze, were wafted away over the valley. In the rear of the mansion, the lawn extended to the base of the hills, along which the turnpike to a neighboring city led.

Away up, amid the loftiest hills of the range, the stream had its source. As it ran laughing and singing adown the hill side, its course was broken into innumerable little cascades, until having neared the base, it swelled into one of greater magnitude ; and with a bound of many feet aver a ledge of rocks, it reached the level of the valley. And though there was naught of the grandeur and sublimity of the great Niagara in this cascade, there was all of the beauty that characterizes that world-renowned wonder. Even the low, unmindful of its lesser proportions, bent lovingly above it. Thenceforth its course unimpeded, the stream, with its bordering of purple and gold — for the sweet scented violet, the purple iris, and golden buttercup, grew in wild luxuriance along its margin — wound gracefully over the varied surface.

" What a lovely spot !" was the natural exclamation of Mr. Delisle, a wealthy southern planter, gazing from the carriage as it sped rapidly along the turnpike, " and very different from your expectations, is it not, my daughter? In the massive proportions of the building, its ivy-crested turrets, the wide spreading lawn, and highly cultivated grounds, it bears a far closer resemblance to an English country estate, than a boarding-school for young ladies. Now if we find the inmates, but more especially the presiding genius of this enchanting region, all that Dr. Carson represents, you cannot be otherwise than happy during your residence here."

The large, dark eyes of the maiden, were fixed with earnest attention upon the scene before her. ,

" It is truly an Eden of loveliness," she exclaimed, with sudden enthusiasm ; "but," she added in saddened tones, pearly drops gathering fast upon the silken fringes of those beautiful eyes, " its beauty will be naught to me, without your presence, my father ;" and throwing her arms wildly around him, she murmured, " how can I endure this long separation. I who have scarce ever been absent from you a moment?"

" Do not weep thus, darling. If I find your health not improving at the expiration of a year, you shall then return home. The separation will be most painful. I have not yielded my consent to it, without many keen and bitter pangs ; and were it not for the alarming state of your health, I feel that it could not be borne. I cannot," said he, smilingly kissing her tears away, " see my flower fading for the want of congenial skies ; and Dr. Carson assures me that three years' residence in this healthful clime, will completely restore you. This is the rainbow of promise, which, arching over my darkened skies, has nerved me to bear the separation, and will cheer me, and console me in my loneliness, during your absence.

The carriage paused at the large gate opening into the Seminary domain; the coachman dismounting to open it. The eyes of Mr. Delisle and Florence again rested on the beautifully silent scene ; but even as they gaze groups of fair and happy maidens bound forth through the open door, and with prolonged and merry shouts put to flight the sweet repose of the grove. Their varied sounds of laughter and song were borne down to the ears of our travelers. The carriage crossed the light bridge that spanned the stream, and rolling along the graveled walk, arrested the attention of the gay young sportants. Their games were instantly suspended, and numberless faces, beaming with health and happiness, were directed inquiringly toward its occupants.

Florence's father turned to her with a smile the most expressive of joy she ever remembered to have seen light up his countenance, and said, " I resign you cheerfully, my daughter, to the genial influences of this place. On my return, a year hence, I hope to find the hue of health deepening brilliantly upon your cheek, and your step as elastic and vigorous as these young maidens'. My unbounded gratitude is due to Dr. Carson for having directed me to the means by which your health may be restored, and with it hope and happiness to our sad and gloomy home."

As the carriage swept round the curved walk to the front of the building, Florence observed a grave and dignified lady, standing amid some flower plats, engaged as was evident, in giving directions to the gardener who, surrounded by the implements of his art, stood ready to do her bidding.

Upon the portico, in the shade of one of its massive columns, there was a young girl, scarcely fourteen in appearance, yet had she passed that period by several years, who was deeply absorbed in twining a garland of flowers around her straw hat. A profusion of soft, brown curls enveloped her neck and shoulders, and her complexion was of so lily-like a fairness, one would scarce suppose the " ardent frown" of the day-god had ever rested on it, were it not that the features seemed to have caught their expression from his rays — for it was a face of living sunshine. Her large, full eyes bore the azure hue of the sweet spring sky above her, and her plump and buoyant form, was enrobed in a muslin of the same cerulean tinge — a color scarcely less becoming to early youth than pure and snowy white.

A smile of pleasure instantaneously wreathed her crimson lips, as she glanced at the young stranger who was being lifted from the carriage ; but it vanished as her more earnest gaze caught the pale, sad face and slight, drooping figure of the new comer. With a heart overflowing with sympathy, scarce a moment elapsed ere she was by her side, and gently drawing the young Southern girl's arm within hers, she assisted her to climb the steps and led her into Mrs. Ormond's private parlor. Drawing a large cushioned chair to the open window, through whose gossamer drapery a breeze, filled with the perfume of early spring, was softly stealing, she seated her and removed from about her the cumbrous envelopes which the delicate state of her health rendered necessary in traveling. Then taking an ottoman near her, had already engaged her in conversation when Mr. Delisle was conducted in by Mrs. Ormond.

With fond affection he placed the hand of his idolized daughter, in that of Mrs. Ormond, pleading for a warm place in her affections for Florence ; and expressing also his happiness at having found one with whom he could safely intrust the jewel of his heart.

He spoke of the blight that had fallen on his home ; that of the numerous flowers once blooming beauteously around his pathway of life, but this one frail bud had escaped the "dire frost" of the destroyer. He told of the utter hopelessness with which he had nurtured her through her feeble infancy and childhood; and that Dr. Carson, their family physician, now encouraged the hope that the pure, bracing breezes of the north would strengthen and invigorate her fragile constitution; and continued he "the blooming faces of your pupils give me confidence that our hopes will be realized. I shall return home with feelings of a far different character from those with which I left. Then, despite the kind efforts of my friends to cheer me, I could not divest myself of thejnost gloomy and painful apprehensions as to the result — and now, I feel a lightness of heart, a hopefulness of spirit, unknown for many years."

While Mr. Delisle was speaking, Carrie, Mrs. Ormond's young sister, nestled closely and yet more closely to the side of Florence ; and with one arm wound lovingly around her, she clasped her small, almost transparent hand warmly and sympathizingly.

Mrs. Ormond also was deeply affected, and bending over her pressed a kiss, expressive of tender sympathy and affection, upon the marble brow of the young Southerner; then she addressed Mr. Delisle, saying: "Let me assure you, my dear sir, that no efforts will be spared to promote the health and happiness, the moral and intellectual improvement of your daughter while she remains under my charge."

When the conversation became general, Mr. Delisle complimented Mrs. Ormond on the exceeding loveliness of her location, and spoke of the decidedly English character of the place.

" It was once the home of an English family," said she, "who having met with an unexpected reverse of fortune in their native land, and being unwilling to occupy a position in society inferior to their former lofty station, 'gathered together' the remains of their princely fortune and removed to this valley, then almost a wilderness ; for the neighboring populous city was in its infancy. They sought to model their new home after their old ancestral halls, but on a scale of far less magnificence; and it was the accomplished lady of the mansion who planted the ivy which now covers the walls, and the sweet-scented violets that mingle their perfume with that of the native flowers along the margin of the stream which flows through the lawn. On. the demise of his parents, the sole remaining heir wishing to engage in business in the city, offered it for sale, and I became the purchaser."

Mr. Delisle was charmed with the graceful dignity of Mrs. Ormond's manner; the refined and intellectual tone of her conversation ; but especially with that innate goodness of heart, which was shadowed forth in every lineament of her benign countenance, in every action, and in every word ; and as their acquaintance matured, he became more and more deeply impressed with her pre-eminent qualifications for the responsible station she occupied.

She was not only an instructress, but a kind and loving mother to her pupils ; one to whom they could pour forth their sorrows and childish grievances with 'the assurance of receiving the sympathy which maternal love so readily yields. Neither did she withhold the judicious counsel which thoughtless, impulsive girlhood so frequently requires ; and it was given in that kindly and deeply impressive manner which caused it to sink into the heart, to become its shield in the moment of temptation. Owing to this government of love, and the fine literary advantages the institution offered, its celebrity had become unparalleled in the West.

The joyous mirth of her young companions, when freed from the restraints of the school-room, proved so contagious, Florence soon joined with great zest in all the sports in which they engaged. Their healthful character, calling into exercise every muscle of the frame, soon wrought a very perceptible change in her system ; the excessive pallor of her complexion gave place to a clearer, more natural hue; and the tint of the young moss rose began to gleam upon her cheek ; her spirits became more buoyant and equal, and the deadly languor and enervation which had formerly succeeded the slightest exertion, ceased. It was in truth the want of exercise that induced the fatigue. Surrounded by servants whose duty it was to anticipate her every want; and having no young companions to challenge her to a game of romps in the open air, or a brisk ride through the forest — there was neither a necessity for, nor an incentive to, exertion. The only white inmate of her father's house, beside themselves, was his ward — a youth some few years older than herself; and he had hung tremblingly over her through her invalid life with a watchful tenderness, unequaled even by that of her father; shielding her from from every passing breeze, dreading lest the fell destroyer lurked within it.

Mr. Delisle lingered long in the beautiful vale of S , tearing himself finally away from it with sorrowful reluctance ; for it now contained the golden chain which bound him to the earth. He had the extreme gratification, however, of witnessing the improved state of his beloved daughter's health, before his departure. Long and fondly he clasped her to his bosom, gazing upon her with an expression of yearning sorrow, as though he would behold her no more forever ; then resigning her to Mrs. Ormond, he again besought her to guard well the treasure intrusted to her care. And though the pangs of separation had well nigh broken the heart of this devoted father, there was balm to his wounded spirit in the knowledge, that the idol of his tenderness, " whose life had been a scene of changeless love," whose sensitive heart was unscarred by a dark frown, or harsh word, was consigned to the care of one so kind, so gentle, so worthy of the trust, as was Mrs. Ormond.

Florence Delisle had just completed her fifteenth year,

•when placed at E Seminary, and though but in her

girlhood, and enfeebled by disease, her beauty gave promise of that glorious and queenly style for which the daughters of her clime are celebrated. Her eyes were large, dark, and lustrous, and their ever-varying shadows told of a loving heart, and a high, proud spirit. Her brow was full, broad, and lofty in its proportions, bearing the stamp of an intellect far above the meager portion usually allotted to her sex. Around her classically formed head, massive braids of the gloss and darkness of the raven's wing were wreathed in graceful profusion, and her countenance was of that living, breathing character, so beautifully described by the poet, at the beginning of the chapter.

It was in truth her soul's mirror, upon which each thought, as it sprang into being, was radiantly reflected ; and scorning the slightest deception, she rather exulted in that fact, well knowing that her tell-tale face betrayed naught that she would blush to have revealed. In a word, to borrow an expressive phrase from that spendthrift of beautiful figures, Ossian — "she was covered with the light of beauty, but her heart was the house of pride ;" but though prido dwelt there, the noblest and most generous impulses were also co-inmates. The whole human family partook of the embraces of her new friend Carrie's heart ; but Florence's possessed no such expansive properties. Some rare qualities of mind and heart must exist in the person to whom she became attached — she must entertain a profound respect ere she could esteem, but loving with a passionate devotion, the few whose characters approached her exalted standard.

From having been reared without young society, her thoughts, tastes, feelings, and habits, were those of a more mature age. The languor of ill health, early inclining her to sedentary habits, books became her only sources of amusement; and they far more than sufficed for the deprivation of others — even physical ills were forgotten in intense intellectual enjoyment. At first, they were resorted to as a powerful opiate for the " thousand and one" disagreeable sensations, engendered by a diseased constitution ; but after a time, the stimulus acquired by such frequent and heavy draughts at the ' Pierian fount/ like the indulgence of all other stimulants, became a necessity of her nature. She became a devourer of books, gorging the mental appetite far beyond its capacity for digestion, and receiving, consequently, but little proportionate benefit from the mass of knowledge scanned thus rapidly. It was mere reading without reflection, which the great Philosopher of the Mind avers, " oppresses and enfeebles, and weakens not only the powers of invention, but the intellectual powers in general." Owing to the delicate state of her health, her education had been almost wholly neglected. She had learned to read, by some means, but at so early an age, that she had forgotten when or how.

Such was Florence Delisle, when, for the first time, removed from those who might have adopted as their own the Arabian motto — " To hear is to obey" — her slightest expressed wishes being as a law to every member of her father's household. It was but natural that her proud reserve would rather provoke enemies than secure friends — and such proved the result. Within a few weeks after her arrival she selected her friends, and holding proudly aloof from all others, became exceedingly unpopular with those whose characters in nowise assimilated with her own. She was regarded as haughty, overbearing, and unsocial, and her situation must have become extremely unpleasant from the host of enemies arrayed against her, but for the affection of Caroline Neville. She had whispered on their first meeting, " we shall always be friends," and severely now was that friendship tested ; for to the gentle and amiable Carrie, there was much to condemn in her new friend ; yet had she discovered that there were bright gems in her nature, though now almost obscured by her defective education. She stood as a peacemaker between the belligerent parties, gently soothing and extricating Florence from all her difficulties and troubles, and excusing her ungracious acts to her sister pupils, ever reminding them of the injudicious manner in which she had been reared. She pleaded forbearance for a time, assuring them that by such a course fragrant flowers might be made to bloom in a heart which was now a hot-bed of noxious weeds.

"Blessed is the peacemaker," said He of holy birth — ay, thrice blessed are they who seek to allay the fierce, bitter, and angry passions which rouse the heart of man against his fellow.

Strangely enough was it that Florence and Carrie, who were in every respect the antipodes of each other, should become such warm and intimate friends. Though possessed of a high order of talent, Carrie's mind was far more feminine in its attributes than her friend's. It had not the depth, and strength, and vigor, which characterized Florence's ; but from its earliest unfolding had received the most careful and elaborate culture. Of a refined and sensitive, a gentle and loving nature, none could be in Carrie's presence without experiencing its softening influence ; or know her, witout a feeling of amazement that so little of earthly taint rested on one who had advanced thus far in the pilgrimage of life.

Florence became deeply attached to her. Gratitude for her numerous acts of kindness to one whom she felt had no claims upon her regard, together with the high veneration in which she held her character, soon produced the strong and ardent attachment of which natures only such as hers are susceptible, and they became as sisters to each other, and singularly beautiful was it to behold the proud and haughty maiden leaning so trustingly on the milder and gentler, listening with a subdued spirit to the words of wisdom, and golden counsel that fell from her pure lips — harshly though would they have grated upon the proud and sensitive nature of the young southern girl, had others of her companions daied to utter them.

Chapter II

"The village preacher's modest mansion rose, A man was he to all the country dear."

" Thus to relieve the wretched, was his pride, And e'en his failings, lean'd to virtue's side But in his duty, prompt at every call, He watch'd and wept, he pray'd and felt for all ; And as a bird each fond endearment tries, To tempt its new-fledged offspring to the skies, He tried each art, reprov'd each dull delay, Allured to brighter worlds, and led the way." GOLDSMITH.

"On his noble brow Beauty with magnanimity sat enthroned." SIGOUBNEY.

FAB away down the valley, at its lowermost extremity, a village nestled in close security under the shadow of the high hills. They were nature's breastworks, screening it measurably from the keen, rigid blasts of winter, and during the summer, casting a grateful shade over it, part of the day.

The architectural simplicity of the buildings — the exquisite little garden plats which encircled them, indicated that they were the homes of a people of simple, yet, refined and elevated tastes.

Around the brow of the hills adjacent, the forest trees still grew in their native majesty ; but they had been hewn from the sides, and smiling vineyards, in all the luxuriance and perfection of those of southern Europe, usurped their soil.

The village of S possessed but a single public building, and this was dedicated to the service of the Most High. A part of its basement, however, was used for a public library, which numbered some several hundred well selected volumes. The inhabitants were generally an agricultural people ; spending the day in toiling, as by divine command, for food and raiment for the body ; but when the evening shades stole over the hills and vale, and released the toil-worn laborer, then, beneath the vine-covered portico, or around the genial fireside, the mind sought its food ; and the library, scant though it was, was to them "a pearl above all price."

The spire of the village church towered loftily heavenward ; directing with solemn emphasis, the thoughts of such as extract good from material objects as well as from those of heavenly origin, " above this globe of dust, above the passing day," to the bright world beyond.

A writer has observed " that our thoughts, like the waters of the sea when exhaled toward heaven, lose all their bitterness and saltness, and sweeten into an amiable humanity, until they descend in gentle showers of kindness upon our fellow men." None may gainsay this beautifully expressed truth. In the contemplation of that blissful region, the abode of the "redeemed made perfect;" of that God of purity, in whom " there is no sin nor the likeness of evil ;" and of that "beloved Son" who during his sorrowing sojourn on earth, went about doing good to his fellow men ; all the vile and sinful passions engendered by communion with the world must vanish, and in their stead, an "amiable humanity" take possession of the soul.

The appearance of the village was attractive in the highest degree, with its surrounding fields of waving grain, and its background of vines ; nor could the eye rest on a more beautiful sight than extensive fields of the vine, -when their graceful foliage and tendrils have covered with a mantle of beauty the rude stiff stake that upholds them ; but more especially when the autumnal suns have deepened the pur- * pie of the luscious clusters, and the delicious, exhilarating juice seems ready to burst from its velvet sheath.

But there is a mournfulness comes over the soul in the contemplation of its beauty; for though the juice of the grape was hallowed by divine blessing, and accepted by the Holy Sufferer as the emblem of " his blood shed for many;" the trail of the serpent has passed over it, and even amid its sparkling wavelets lurks the poison which debases the image of himself, which he placed on the earth.

Very near to the church there arose a cottage, white as the new fallen snowflake, and whose surrounding garden exhibited a most elaborate culture, and unrivaled beauty of design. Rare and choice flowers of every hue, were growing in rich luxuriance, and the atmosphere was odorous with their delicious fragrance. Around the columns which supported the portico, flowering vines were wreathed in graceful profusion; the delicate leaves of the cypress and jessamine, their starry blossoms of crimson, and white and purple, entwined them in one long, loving and gentle embrace.

This was the home of the pastor of the village church ; and he was the only brother of Mrs. Ormond and Carrie.

Rarely if ever could so humble and unpretending a church boast a pastor so gifted both in the " inner and outer man." His form was the perfection of manly beauty, strength, and vigor, combined with grace and dignity.

His high, pale forehead was shaded by locks of a darker, richer hue, than those of his young sister, to whom he bore a striking resemblance. A smile of sweetness and gentleness played over his fine features, and from every lineament " peace and good-will" toward all beamed forth. It was the outAvard semblance of a soul that fed on heavenly food!

His manners were pleasing and polished ; his language chaste, pure, and beautiful ; and had ambition found a resting-place within his breast, his were talents to command the admiration — nay, adoration of a world, and to have given him a lofty standing among the master-spirits of the age. But "God gave," and to his glorious cause he dedicated those brilliant gifts.

Far removed from the bustle and tumults, the vice and wretchedness of the city, within the limits of this secluded vale he broke the " bread of life" to its humble inhabitants. Amid the tranquil scenes of rural life, where happiness, comfort, and morality prevailed; "where every breeze breathed health, and every sound was but the echo of tranquillity," his soul expanded ever with emotions holy and profound ; and praise and gratitude, like sweet incense, arose from out its depths to the Source from whence those blessings flowed.

There was not a spot his eye rested on that bore not the impress of a God of beauty as well as love. The lofty range of hills towering up to the blue sky, upon whose summits the majestic forest trees lifted their heads in all the pride of ancient birth ; the undulating surface of the valley, with its soft, rich covering of green, its luxuriant vegetation ; the sparkling stream, with its flowery borders, and the broader and brighter waters of the placid La belle Riviere — these, to the lover of nature and of nature's God, were charms of far more inestimable value than the fame and the applause with which the world greets the transcendently gifted of mind.

There were few among his parishioners who might be termed learned: yet the beauties of his eloquence, and the strength of his wisdom were duly appreciated, though they might not know to what power to ascribe their magic influence. With honest sincerity they felt there was not another on the globe's surface who could so clearly, so luminously, so beautifully explain to them the divine precepts of that Master whom they and he served.

Beside the desirableness of the locality to one whose heart was attuned to the sweet concords of rural life, it was rendered still more agreeable to him by his sister, Mrs. Ormond, residing within the field of his labors. Carrie, the pure, the beautiful, the innocent, guileless Carrie of our story, was his youthful housekeeper, and presided over the parsonage with a dignity and grace becoming one who had numbered a score more of years.