The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. I., No. 2, October, 1834Various
General
The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. I., No. 2, October, 1834
Various
American literature -- 19th century -- Periodicals
A horseman passed us at full speed, whose wild and haggard look
arrested the attention of my friend. In the name of all that is
singular, said he, who can that be, and whither is he posting with such
rapidity? His garb seems of the last century, and his grizzled locks
stream on the wind like those of some ancient bard.
That man, replied I, is a lover, and is hurrying away to pay his
devoirs to his mistress, who married another, and has been dead for
many years.
Indeed! you surprize me, he rejoined. He has, it is true, the "_lean
look_" of Shakspeare's lover; the "_blue eye and sunken_;" the
"_unquestionable spirit_," and "every thing about him demonstrates a
careless desolation"--yet I should have imagined, that the snows of so
many winters had extinguished all the fires of that frosty carcase; but
tell me who he is, and what is his story.
His name is Wilson; and that of the lady whom he loved, was Sally
Singleton. I would that I had the graphic power of Scott to sketch a
tale of so much interest. If Sir Walter has immortalized an old man,
mounted on his white pony, and going in quest of the tombstomes, how
much is it to be regretted that the same master hand cannot be employed
to perpetuate the memory of yonder eccentric being, whose love lives
on, after the lapse of twenty years, in spite of the marriage and death
of his mistress--in spite of the evidence of his own senses, and
notwithstanding every human effort to dispel his delusion. Regularly
every morning, for the last twenty years, no matter what the state of
the weather, (alike to him the hail, the rain, and the sunshine,) has
he mounted his horse, and travelled a distance of ten miles, to see his
beloved Sally Singleton. His custom is, to ride directly up to the
window of her former apartment, and in a courteous manner, to bow to
his mistress in token of his continued attachment. Having performed
this act of gallantry, he waves with his hand a fond adieu, and
immediately gallops back with a triumphant air, as if perfectly
satisfied with having set his enemies at defiance. "The course of true
love never did run smooth," and in this case, whether "_misgrafted in
respect of years_," or "_different in blood_," or "_standing on the
choice of friends_," is not exactly known; but the lady was wedded to
another, and died soon after. Her lover would never believe in her
marriage or her death. His mind unhinged by the severity of his
disappointment, seems to have retained nothing but the single image of
her he loved, shut up in that apartment; and he resolved to brave every
difficulty, to testify his unchanging devotion. Obstacles were
purposely built across his path--the bridges were broken down--the idle
boys would gather around him, and assail him in their cruel folly--guns
even, were fired at him,--all in vain! The elements could not quench
the fervor of his love--obstacles were overleaped--he swam the
rivers--the boys were disregarded--balls could not harm him. He held a
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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