A Dream of Empire; Or, The House of Blennerhassett — John Shaqi
A Dream of Empire; Or, The House of BlennerhassettVenable, William Henry
General
A Dream of Empire; Or, The House of Blennerhassett
Venable, William Henry
Blennerhassett, Harman, 1765-1831 -- Fiction
Burr, yielding to persuasion, protracted his stay almost a week, being
feasted and lodged in the country house. Many were the spoken
confidences and frequent the "fair, speechless messages" which passed
between him and Mrs. Rosemary, as occasion offered, while they
lingered at the home of their common friend and counsellor. On the day
preceding that of Burr's departure, a bright Sunday, they accompanied
the Smith family to a religious service held in a maple grove, near
the Miami. The devout farmers, who, with their wives and children,
came many miles to the place of worship, observed with solemn eyes of
approbation that Burr studied his hymn-book and small gilded Bible,
and that the demure lady by his side, dressed in mourning, looked the
pattern of saintly piety. While going home from the camp meeting,
supporting Mrs. Rosemary on his arm, Burr spoke feelingly of himself,
his hopes, and secret plans. Then it was that he told his lovely
partner about his contemplated Southern empire which, he declared,
would be an elysium for women. Then it was that he gallantly offered
to invest to her advantage any portion of the cash she might realize
from the sale of her deceased husband's estate. She hung on his arm
confidingly and promised to consider his words.
Sitting on the porch in the Sabbath twilight beside Salome, Burr
softly intoned his regret that in the morning he must part from her.
Sportfully he drew from her finger a diamond ring. "Do you want it
back after all these years?" she murmured. "No, dear, you shall have
it again in a moment." He turned to a window, and with the sparkling
stylus incised some delicate characters upon a pane of glass. Then he
returned the ring to its owner, who, after perusing the inscription,
looked round into his face, her own radiant with happiness.
The window-pane remained unbroken for nearly a century, and the
writing on it was always shown to strangers visiting the old historic
homestead. The cutting diamond traced two names upon the glass--those
of Senator Smith's transitory guests. Many a sentimental girl, pausing
over the double inscription, and mildly condemning Burr, has wondered
whatever became of Salome Rosemary.
VIII. DIAMOND CUT DIAMOND.
Bearing in mind his hours of cautious interview with the elder and
minutes of furtive dalliance with the widow, Burr rode back to
Cincinnati, and regretful that he had lost the companionship of
Arlington, resumed his housekeeping and his journey on the flatboat,
which he now christened Salome.
Burke Pierce was retained as captain, notwithstanding his late
atrocious conduct.
"I didn't know what I was about," he assevered, in self-exculpation;
"I was full of Monongahela, and there's a quarrel in every pint of
that and manslaughter in every quart."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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