MlttCMT.
! have worn upon the Altar of Cod, eternal hostility to every form of Tyranny over the Blind of Man.-'-Thomas Jcflcraon.
PMNTED AND PUBLISHED BY II. WEBB.
Volume I2
BLOOMSBURG, COLUMBIA COUNTY, PA. SATURDAY, APIfcllL 27, 1839.
: OFFICE OF THE DEfiTOflTUT.
Oppohite St. Paul's Cnuncii, Main-st.
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A DEED OF SEPARATION'
A TALE.
BY MB8. ADDV
Emma Wilmot, a blooming sprightly girl
of eighteen, was reading the newspaper to
lier mother and une'.c in the boudoir of the
former, and had jusrfinished the account of
an alarming fire in London. " Unelc," she
said, " I think there are very few tights that
you have not seen; pray were you ever pres
ent at a tremendous fire ?"
" Yes, Emma," replied Major llcrvcy "1
was once present at a fire tremendous e
nough even to gratify a young lady's taste
for horrors; it was the most awful descrip
tion of fire, because it was the work of an
incendiary, and eorhbustiblcs had been laid
to give its progress artificial rapidity; it was
not a Loudon fire either, where the spring
of a watchman's rattlo nets as the wave of
an enchanter's wand in procuring engines
and assistance from every quarter It took
place in a retired country situation, ten
miles from any town, and, to sum up the
honors, it was at the house of my most
dear and valued friends."
" Will you tell mo the particulars uncle?
said Emma: " that is, if it will not make you
sad to do so V
" It will not make mc sad, Emma, for
that fire is connected with the most pleas
urable event in my life, and most happy am
1, for the sake of my freinds, that it tool;
place I"
" Perhaps your friends were pool," said
Emma; "had insured their house much be
yond its value, and were glad of the addi
tional money ?"
" No, Emma, you are wrong; the house
of my friend was certainly insured, but the
insurance was. beneath its value, and they
lost many little articles of use and ornament
endeared to them by circumstances, and
which no money could replace; however,
they found an article more precious than a
ny they had lost."
Oh ! now I guess the mystery they
discovered a concealed treasuic in the ru
ins-"
" Yon are, at onco right and wrong: they
certainly gained a treasure, or rather they
regained it, for they had possessed it once,
and wantonly cast it away."
" Now, uncle, you speak in riddles; do
tell me the story." .
Major llcrvcy looked at Lady Wilmot,
who gave a nod and smile of assent and
he began his narrative.
About twenty years ago, Emma. I went
to pay a vUilto a young married couple, for
whom I had a sincere regard; they lived in
a beautiful cnuutry house, surrounded by
spacious grounds. It was spring; the whole
neighborhood seemed one sheet of blossoms,
and the clustering branches of the lilac and
laburnum, gave beauty and fr.igrancn to my'
wall; through the avenue leading to the res
idence of Sir Edgar and Lady Falkland.
They were young, handsome, wealthy, in
tellectual, and yet my visit to them was of
a melancholy nature. They did not live
liappily together. They had decided on a
separation, and the purposo or my journey
was to inspect ?nd witness a deed of separ
ata maintenance."
" How very shocking 1" said Emma;
" nothing can justify the separation of u
married couple,"
I do not agree with you lherc,my dear,"
said her uncle; " there may be circumstan
ces, which justify this painful measure;
such, however, were not the circumstances
of my friends; the moral conduct of each
was unimpeachable, and they weie fiee
from .extravagance and dissipation; but they
Hero unfortunately too much alike in re
spect where it would have differed; they
wero both haughty, exacting, irritable, im
patient of slights, and nervously perceptible
of slights where no one else would have dis
covered them. I think the faults were as
nearly as possible equal to each side The
lady complained of the waul of attentions
of u lover in her husband, and the gentle
man complained that his wife would not
condescend to dress, sing, or smile, for his
gratification alone, as she was wont to do
in the days of courtship. They became
contradictory, peevish, and sullen, and a
fatal want of confidence ensued on eery
a Hair of life, whether trilling or impor
tant." " How different from my dear father and
mother," said Emma, " who can never
keep any thing a moment fioni each oth
er." " The confidence which they withheld
from each other," pursued Major llcrvcy,
' they reposed in various quarters, and sev
eral of the friends thus injudicious distin
guished made use of the idle and common
place phrase, " When marrried peoplo can
not live happily together, it is best fur them
to separate." This advice had an clTeet
which sounder advice often fails in having.
It was accepted by each of the parties, and
cariicd into execution. An eminent lawyer
was directed to prepare a deed of separation,
and, when once signed and witnessed, La
day Falkland was to quit the residence of her
husband, and to return to that of her pa
rents My friends, as you may imagine
were not sitting together. I was shown in
to the study of Sir Edgar, and I spared no
pains or arguments to prevail on him to re
consider his determination, and to endeavor
to bear with the lille imperfections of his
wife, and to persuade her to bear with his
own. lie would not, however, admit that
he had given her any provacation; he seem
ed thoroughly convinced of her coldness
and want of attachment to him. After some
cross questioning, I succeeded in getting
him to allow that he was ocasionally a little
irritable; but such irritability, he said, w uld
soon disappear, were it not kept alive by
the provoking and taunting remarks of his
wife."
" lie should have been married to such a
woman a3 my dear mamma," said Emma;
"she is so mild and patient, that she would
soften the most irritable temper in the
world."
" Do not praise your mother quite so en
thusiastically, my love," said lady Wilmot,
smiling; " it is almost as bau as praising
yourself."
" When I found," continued Major ller-
vey, " that all my persuasions were in vain
I was obliged tacitly to consent to the intro
duction of Mr. Chambcis, the lawyer, with
the deed of separation; ho produced this
document out of a tin box, which appeared
to me more fjtal than tho box of Pandora,
since Hope could not be supposed to repose
at the bottom of it. When the deed, how
ever, was read to me, I could not but do
justice to the liberality of Sir Edgar; the
fortune brought to him by his vv il'e was
small, and had been settled on herself for
pin money, but the allowance he proposed
making to her was large, even in proportion
to his extensive income He pxpessed eve
ry wish for her comfort and happiness.
Her father and mother were to come to the
Hall on the ensuing day to witness the deed
of separation, and to take their daughter to
their homo. Ho asked mo whether 1
thought they would ho satisfied with the
liberality of his provision for her, and I
unhesitatingly answered in tho affirmative;
although, knowing their kind,tcnder,aud feel
ing natures, my very heart was wrung at the
anticipation of their visit. I proceeded
from Sir Edgar' apartment to that of Lady
Falkland, and ainly Imped that I might be
more succeslul with her than I had been
with her husband. 1 had known and lov
ed her from her rattiest youth; 1 had stood
by the altar when hei hand was joined with
that of Sir Edgar, and deep was my sorrow
to think that aught but death should dis
solve that huly union. 1 could not, how
ever, bend or soften her haughty spirit.
"She was undervalued," she said
" she was despised by her husband; she
had always met with fondness and affection
under the roof of her parents, and thither
she would return." I wished her to request
a private interview with Sir Edgar; this
site declined. She had not, she said, for
many weeks seen him, except in ths pres
ence of a third person; but she promised
mc that, in honor of my arriv.il, she promis
ed mc that, in honor of my arrival, she
would dine at the table that day It was a
luruial and mclanchully dinner, and Mr.
Chambers, who made the fourth of our lit
tle party, was the only unembarrassed per
son among us."
" O that terrible lawyer !" said Emma,
" how I should have detested the sight nl
him."
"Then you would have felt veiy unjust
ly, my drar girl," said Major llum-v; ' he
was a worthy and uptight man; he could
not refute to draw up the deed in question
w hen required to do to, and as lie was on
ly professionally acquainted with Sir Ed
gar and Lady Falkland, and not a friend of
either party, ii would have been unreason'
able to expect that he should look very tin
happy about the matter. Wo are apt to ex
act too much from I aw veil? "lid medical
men; wc should reflect that long familiarity
with scenes of disliess, if it fail to harden
the feelings, will at all events subdue the
outward cxpresMon of them They grieve
like other men for the misfortunes of their
friends and relatives; but if they gave a trib
ute of anient sympathy to the sufferings of
every client or patient, they would be living
in a state of perpetual excitement, highly
unfavorable to tle eool deliberate self-pos
session so requisite to each of their profes
sions. Lady Falkland quilted us soon af
ter dinner. Mr. Chambcrsand I joined her
in the drawing-ruoiu, but Sir Edgar had re
tired to his study. Ludv Falkland was sad
and silent; in fact, the whole room prcsscu
ted a dreary appearance: her harp ami pi
ano-fnrie were in packing cases ready for
removal; a table near the window, which
used to be covered with engravings, books
in gay bindings, ami a splendid album, was
now dHpoiled of all iiskoriianients; her wri
ting desk and work-box were not in their
accustomed -plan's, anil u beautiful portrait of
herself, taken before her marriage, was re
moved. Mr. Chambers rntircd early. I made one
more attempt to work on the feelings of Lady
Falkland. I even appealed to tho weakness
of her characler.by endi avoring to reprrsent
to hei the consequence and responsibility
of the situation she was deserting, and the
insignificant station in society held by a
separated wife, but Lady Falkland was not
worldly or ambitious, she was only vain and
exacting; .'he preserved in her resolution,
and I sorrowfully bade her good night. All
that now remained in my power, was fer
vently to entreat the heavenly disposer of
events, in my prayers, to have pity on these
poor deluded young people, to change their
proud hearts, to bow their heiuUtrong spir
its, and to lead them at some future time
again to find comfort and happiness in each
other I remained wrapt in thought for
about an hour, looking with dread to the
events of tho morrow, and at length fell a
slrep. I awoke again; it was still dnrk, and I
was immediately sensible of a deeidfd smell
of lirei I was thoroughly alarmed; several
fires had lately taken place in that neighbor
hood, vv Inch wc ro supposed to be the work
of a man of low character and habits, who
had rendered himself offensive to many of
the surrounding families; and this man, the
garrulous old steward had informed me on
the preceeding day, had been threatened by
Sir Edgar with a prosecution for poaching,
and he had been heard to avow that he would
be revenged on him. I instantly atottscd
Sir Edgar; we gave the alarm -to tho ser
vants, and finding that the fire had only
reached a part of the building r ml that we
had plenty of time for our operations, I dis
missed some of them to the neighboring
farm-houses for assistance, and employed'
others to rescue whatever was most valuable
and important from the (lames.
First of all. however, I spoke to Lady
Falkland's own maid, telling her to awaken
her gently and quietly, to explain to her thai
the flames were yet far from the part of the
huuso where she slept; and having assisted
her to dress, to conduct her to a large cov
ered summer hottse at the bottom of the gar
den, where I desired alt the females of the
family to assemble for the present. Sir Ed
gar and I were actively employed for some
time in directing tho labors of the servants
who removed many arlii les from the house;
at length tho flames spread with such rapid
ity, that we weie compelled to desist, and I
walked down to the suinmet-house to con
sole and, reassure Lady Falkland. Imagine
my surprise at discovering that tlie was not
there; her maid informed mc that on enter
ing her room she found it vacant, her bed
had not been slept on, nor were any of her
clothes to be discovered; it was evident that
she had been awake and was sitting up at
the time of the alarm, and had provided for
her own safety by flight.
'I must say that I felt more angry with
Liidy Falkland than torified about her for I
supposed that, unwilling to identify herself
waili the interests of. household, or to run
the risk of any- communication with the
husband she was about to leave, she had
sought refuge in one of the farm IiousC3 in
the vicinity. I thought it right however, to
inform Sir Fdgar of her abscence. and was
returning to the front of the house with
that purpose when 1 was startled by a pier
cing shriek from Lady Falkland's maid,
who followed me. 1 look up in the direc
tion to which she pointed, and at the win
dow of a little apartment above the draw
ing room, what was my horror to behold
Lady Falkland making despairing signs
for assistance I This little loom had been
a great favourite with Sir Edgar and herself
during the early months of their marriage
on account of the extensive prospect it com
manded: she had fitted it up with book
shelves, a guitar, and painting materials,
and they passed much of iheir time there.
It afterwards appeared that unable to sleep
the idea had struck Lady Falkland, that
she would take a last farewell of this room
endeared by so many early and tender re
membrances: she sat down on a low otto
man there, her own peculiar seat, rested
her head on the chair usually occupied by
Sir Edgar and gave vent to her grief in re
peated and passionate sobs, till at length
she fell into that dull and heavy sleep so of
ten the result of continued weeping.
'She awoke to a scene of awful danger ;
she attempted to open the door, but tho
flames and smoke that assailed her, imme
diately drove her two tho window ; it was
two stories from tho ground death would
bo the result of an endeavor to leap from it.
One of the servants immediately ran to a
neighboring farm, where ho saitl was a lad
der of sufficient length to reach the window
lint linu' n.ftf nnmt'irnfl fltiu nrtsannnt iC rn
..i.. ii.... ...i. u. .nm jiiw.-j.i , . .1, ik-
lief, when the danger was so immediate
and imminent I The staircase was in t- farm, and medical assistance was pro
flames ; who could venture t.i sscend it ? cured for her. Sir Edgar had not escaped
I offered largo pecuniary rewards to the
person who should save her life. One of
the under-garilencrs, tempted bythemunifi
cense, advanced a few steps into tho house
and then returned
"I shall be Biiffoeatcd in the attempt,"
he said "and what will beeomo of my wid
ow and fatherless children ?"
"At that moment Sir Edgar, who had
been giving directions in a different part of,
the premise?, made his appearance, and I
more by gestures than by words, we point
ed out to him the situation of his wife. I
shall never forget his agonized distress; but
he did not vva6le a moment in delibera
lion : he snatched from me my military
clonk, and rushed into the house. The old
steward, who had been in the family at the
time of his birth and endeavored to hold
him back.
'You are rushing to certain death, deaf
Sir Edgar,' he cried: -pray return.'
But Sir Edgar shook him off.
"I will save her life," he exclaimed, "or
lose my own in the attempt;" and inanoth
er moment he disappeared up the blazing
staircase. I had scarcely lime to hope, be
fore Lady Falkland gave me fresh causa
for alarm. The flames were approaching
rapidly lo the place where she stood; she
evidently contemplated the desperate meas
ure of a leap from the window , and I wag
shuddering at the idea of speedily behold
her m'angled form, when I saw her drawn
back by a strong hand. Sir Edgar wrap
ped the cloak around her and carried her
from the window. Once more I ventured
to breathe: as Sir Edgar had ascended tho
staircase without material injury, I trusted
that he might descend it in the same man
ner ; but at that moment the event so long
anticipated took place; the staircase fell in
with a tremendous crash, and all hopes of
retreat weie cut off. A dreadful and inev
itable death seemed now the portion of
these young people ; but there was a mel
ancholy consolation in each others arms,
and exchanging mutual assurance of forgive
ness. My head began to swim, and my
eyes lo feel dim and I was on the point of
sinking to the ground, when loud shouting
voices near aroused me to perception: a par
ty of men were approaching, bearing the
expected ladder, and headed by Dennis
O'Flaherty, an Irish laborer at the farm.
Even at this moment the thought passed
through my mind of the strange manner in
vv Inch we estimate the value of a person
according to the existence of local circum
stances I had frequently, duiing my visits,
at tho hall conveis;d with Dennis O'Fla
hetty, and amused myself much with his
brogue, his blUrders and his uncouth man
ners. I know him to be an honest and
good natured fellow, but it had never
entered into my head that he could possibly
be of use tjme iit any other point of view
than as a person to be laughed at; but now
when I contemplated his athletic frame his
muscular limbs; anil his bold bearing, I felt
that the most gifted genius, or the most pol
ished courtier of the age, would be an ob
ject of inferior consequence in my eyes to
Dennis O Flaherty, and the sweetest music
would have been less delightful to my ears
than our powerful brogue which made itself
heard above all ihe upioar, in vehement
commands to his companions to "waste no
time, but set up the ladder quick and stea
dy." It was speedily put up under Den
nis's direction ; he was at the lop in a mo
ment, Sir Edgar deposited the fainting La
dy Falkland in hi3 arms ; lie speedily bore
her down and Sir Edgar followed in cafely.
Three loud cheers broke from the assembled
spectators as ho reached the ground. I
could not join their acclamation!!, but I si
lently and fervently offered up a thanksgiv-
jing to Heaven for the preservation of my
dear young friends, and a prayer that tho
circumstanres attending it might havo
a beneficial effect upon their future
lives. Lady Falkland was not hurt by
the flames, although weeping and histerical
.0.. ..kvj.tiig uuu msicricai
through alarm, sho was immediately borne
so well; he was severely scorched, and in
great pain, but in tho midst of his suffer
ings ho could not refrain from telling me of
his happiness; tho few minutes that elapsed
between his entrance into Lady Falkland's
room, and the arrival of the ladder, had
passed in mutual entreaties for pardon, in
most tender interchange of protestations of
afleetiion, and in lamentations over their
too probable seporation from each other by
death, although they had so recently do-