The New Hampshire Gazette

THE COQUET'S FATE.

Gertrude Manning was one of my earliest friends and school companions—a romantic, beautiful and accomplished maiden—with an eye of sparkling brilliancy, lips of vermillion, golden hair and a forehead of the most noble and striking expression; in truth, she was all that any one could wish for the heroine of a veritable tale-like this. Besides these personal treasures, she inherited a large share of vanity from her mother, and was heiress to a large mansion house, with stables, horses, carriages, land et cetera; clear of all incumbrances save mortgages upon them for more than their value! This last circumstance, however, not being public—the only one never gossiped about the village by her mother and the knowing ones whose practice it is to distribute facts gratis—she was universally looked up to as the beautiful "rich heiress;" which title was confirmed by the creditable and praiseworthy personages mentioned above in the assemblies of wrinkles and withered roses to which they had access. After due cogitation, my dearest will not. I am persuaded, be surprised that Gertrude was the magnet of universal attention, and the object of universal adoration. It is a fact still fresh in the recollections of many reverend spinsters. that my heroine never set out of the afore-mentioned mansion without occasioning a "rush" of all the village dandies, poets, &c. to her side. But, notwithstanding Gertrude was the reigning belle, and the shrine at which numberless coxcombs worshipped, yet did she remain unshackled by the chains of love, and utterly regardless of the sly god's thraldom. It is not to be denied that many a sombre countenance was oftentimes illuminated by her never to be resisted smile—but whatever it might have elicited in the bosom of him on whom it was bestowed, would die as her dark eyes glanced with the same enchanting sweetness upon another. In this, her smiles were like the broad sunlight of an unclouded sky—they shone on all alike. But it was not decreed that things should be always thus:

Time steals away the cheek's red rose."

and even Gertrude's could not forever remain unblanched. She knew this, and so acted accordingly; and here I would beg leave to ask some of my fair readers if they have ever given this act one solitary thought—that they are getting old very fast and must soon say "yes," or never say it? Gertrude saw that Cologne was fast losing the power to keep her complexion fair: and that, maugre all her arts to the contrary, several silver hairs were fast shooting forth round her pouting lips.—She therefore determined to wed immediately;—her charms had long attracted the attention of a gentleman rich like herself—in the world's report—and to the inexpressible mortification of the beaus, and envy of the belles she soon became his wife. The honey-moon with them as with most others, was a season of uninterrupted happiness; but very soon after, the bridegroom became delicately anxious concerning the estate, bank stock, cash, &c. with which she had been so liberally furnished by the fact-gatherers and reporters of the village. The bride was astonished, and could not imagine how he could be so exceedingly unreasonable as to expect any treasure other than herself in exchange for his hand.—He coaxed, swore and threatened—she raved, cried and scolded, and the scene closed with the gentle evaporation of all the gentleman's air built expectations, and a mutual agreement between the couple to hate and mortify each other. About three months after the marriage. the fashionable community were regaled with the intelligence that Mrs. Gertrude Barnwell had eloped with one of her early lovers, rich dashing, and handsome young officer of the army—and that the mansion house and other property had been put under the hammer, to satisfy creditors. It was five years after these events had taken place—one very dreary afternoon, I was seated at my window-fronting the former residence of my unfortunate schoolmate Gertrude Manning, musing upon the fatal reverses and sad events which had occurred to herself and husband, who had been killed in a duel with the seducer of his wife. It was one of those afternoons on which shopkeepers, unannoyed by the pattern taking tribe, think of heaven—and lawyers think of purgatory—misses read their bibles and poets feel misanthropic—when I observed a woman cross from underneath my window to the opposite side of the street, and leaning with folded arms against a railing which surrounded the house, gaze wildly around. The strangeness of the action roused me from my reflections, and I moved towards the window to discover, if possible, the cause of such strange and inexplicable conduct in the apparition-like figure which had so suddenly come upon my vision. She was clad in a dress which might once have been white, but which could now boast of most any color save that; and on her head a miserable apology for a straw-bonnet with difficulty kept place against the rude attacks of the blast. The covering of her feet seemed worn, but in mockery of shoes, and long bunches of hair, resembling the mane of a horse, floated about her shoulders and completed the picture of her hideousness! A cold, dungeon-like dampness came upon me as I gazed intensely upon the face of the miserable being, and recognized in it something like that of Gertrude Manning Night came. The clouds which had been scattered by the wind, seemed gathering together for a storm, and the last traces of light had faded away—the moon, which had stolen but partial glances to the earth, seemed now to have retired in fear from the sky. One uninterrupted sheet of blackness hung over the earth, and thunder reverberated along the border of the ocean. My house was situated but a short distance from a large crag which overhung the sea, and I retired to a window which looked out upon it and tried in vain to penetrate with my eyes the horrible darkness without. Soon a volume of flame belched forth from the heavens and flashed along the deep—the sky seemed washed with waves, and the crag illuminated by the broad blaze, discovered upon its top a human form, that with upraised arms seemed imploring mercy of the enraged elements—darkness succeeded; presently, another flash burst forth—it touched the crag—the figure was no longer visible. A few days after. some fishermen brought to the shore the body of a woman, which they found floating upon the water near the crag.