HEART-WORDS. BY MAJOR CALDER CAMPBELL. You tell me that you love me now, and I believe you do, You ask me if I prize you well, and in good sooth I do, That such a love can make me glad, though it may make me grieve: The Past to me is rife with pain; and warnings, stern and deep, The love I've borne for others, dear! hath been immers'd in fears, Yet I have never been the first to cause ungenial tears; My fate hath been to find young hearts that changed as years crept on, Whilst time to mine no coldness brought, though all their warmth was gone; And therefore I, by loving you, do for myself prepare In days to come a heavy load of darkness and despair; I know that with such thoughts of you my heart will aye run o'er, You've told me that, at times, a word of mine has made you feel You tell me, too, that, when I'm gone, your feelings then may change- In search of some embracing arm, to which, in grief or glee, From you I cannot try to find another trusting heart; The future shows new loves to you-such joys for me are o'er ;- THE MA KADDESII.* A JEWISH STORY. BY MARIAN MOSS, ONE OF THE AUTHORESSES OF "THE ROMANCE OF JEWISH HISTORY," "TALES FROM JEWISH HISTORY," ETC. ETC. "WHAT is the use of weeping, Jesse? Tears will not undo what folly and thoughtlessness have done, and my temper is sufficiently tried by your father's unceasing reproaches, without witnessing your uncontrolled passions of grief. If you knew how it pained and grieved your mother's heart, my dear child, I feel assured you would endeavour to shake off this weakness, and conquer a sorrow that is unavailing, and can answer no other purpose than to waste your beauty and destroy your life," said a middle-aged but still handsome woman, in a voice of blended tenderness and reproach, and with a look made up of sorrow and vexation, as she stood, in the early summer morning, beside a young girl whose bowed head and convulsive sobs had betrayed her weakness. "I do, mother, I do strive to conquer my weakness," she replied; "and indeed indeed I would control my feelings for your sake, were it in my power. But I find it so painful to do so before others, that, when alone, I cannot place them under restraint if I would;" and she raised her head, displaying a face on which the spirit of oriental beauty ɛat enthroned. She had the faultless features, the olive cheek and lofty brow, with the jetty hair and superb black eyes of the gorgeous East, from whence her fathers came; and though the splendour of the lustrous orbs had been somewhat dimmed of late by tears of sorrow, which her mother had truly called unavailing, perhaps that sorrow had, by softening their brilliancy, invested them with a new charm. Her full melting lips and downy cheek were much paler than usual, but still they were very lovely, and the pensive languor of her features rendered them more irresistibly attractive than a gayer aspect might have done. There was a fulness in the proportions of her exquisitely rounded form which, however it might degenerate into coarseness in age, now, in her early womanhood, gave an air of voluptuous softness that made a principal feature in its decidedly eastern character. Jesse was the daughter of a wealthy Hebrew, whose upright cha Ma Kaddesh is a form of marriage which is equally as binding as that legitimately performed by a priest; the formula of words is the same, and provided a ring, or even a gold coin of a certain value, is placed in the hand of the female, even though she desires it not and is unaware of it, if there are witnesses, the marriage, though it is considered disgraceful, is binding, and cannot be annulled without a regular divorce from the chief rabbi. racter and strict integrity had won him the confidence and esteem of his fellow-townsmen, not only of his own religious and political faith, but of every creed. He was a man whose word might be, and was, relied on with as much confidence as another's oath. He was honourable in his dealings, and just to a farthing and, though he was rich, none accused him of extortion, or of having wrung the mite from the widow's purse. He was, in every sense of the word, a strictly honourable man. According to the custom of his people, he had early wedded, and, as if fortune had resolved to favour him, the wife whom his parents selected for him was young, beautiful, amiable, and portioned with an ample dowry. Every man liked to engage in speculations with him, for whatever he embarked in throve and prospered, and his union was crowned by the blessing of several goodly sons and daughters, who had sprung up to maturity without bringing a blush to his cheek, or casting a blemish on his fair reputation. What marvel, then, if he yielded a feeling of pride an abiding place in his heart. The world called Jacob Morris a worthy man and a good father. A worthy member of the community he certainly was; for, if he was proud of his prosperity, proud of his family, and proud of himself, his pride was of that quiet nature which jars against no man's selflove, and his heart was ever open to the tale, and his hand ready to relieve the wants, of the distressed, without reference to their religious doctrines. And if he was not a good parent, he was certainly very far from a bad one. Morris discharged the duty of a parent with the same clock-work regularity as he did every other social or moral obligation; and if love consists in providing our offspring with food, raiment, and education, suitable to our own station and means, never did man evince his affection more strongly than Jacob Morris had done. But fortune will be capricious, and frown at times on her favoured children, even when she seems to wear her most propitious smile. Rachel Morris, the eldest daughter, was a pretty merry girl of twenty, and decidedly her father's favourite, for she bore his dead mother's name, and he had been greatly attached to her while living, and reverenced her memory with no ordinary affection. Rachel was not as beautiful as Jesse, yet somehow she had more suitors than her younger sister, and, after some girlish coquetry, she yielded to the united entreaties of both parents, and seriously accepted the attentions of him whose suit was most favoured by her father. The favoured lover was a handsome young German, of acknowledged probity, and, if not wealthy, his industry had rendered him independent of others, and Rachel's dowry would greatly add to his means; and, to the great delight of all parties, she was affianced to Judah Gedalliah, and the day already appointed for their nuptials, which were only delayed to afford time for the consent of Gedalliah's parents to arrive from Germany. A proud and happy girl was the fair Rachel, for many a mother had striven hard to gain him for her child, and many a lovely Hebrew maiden had lavished her most winning smiles on the handsome German. It was one bright sabbath day, and the morning synagogue ser 7 vice being over, as gay a party of young men and maidens as ever assembled together met at the house of an elderly widowed lady, who, being an invalid, was regularly visited by the young of both sexes on the sabbath day, who, in turn, were pleased with a meeting-house where they might discuss the events of the week with freedom. Those were the days ere the march of refinement had so far penetrated into the dwellings of the shopkeepers as to banish the cheerful gaiety which gives so great a charm to the society of the young and lovely. Light laugh and merry jest were freely bandied from lip to lip, as freely as if their aged hostess was not there; and she, on her part, was too much pleased with the careless mirth of her guests, in whose society she took no small delight, to put any restraint on their harmless merriment. "What a pretty ring!" cried Jesse Morris, the merriest of that merry group, and, taking the hand of Judah Gedaliah in her own with the easy and graceful familiarity of a sister, she looked admiringly on a beautiful ring, bearing the somewhat common but not untasteful device of two hands clasped over a ruby heart, with the initial letters of two names set in small but valuable brilliants round it. "How very, very pretty! This is for Rachel, I suppose ?" and she bent a glance of arch inquiry on the young man's face. "Do you think it pretty, Jesse ?" he asked evasively, and looking down to conceal the deep flush her words had called up to his handsome features" perhaps you would like to see it nearer?" and, drawing it off, he held it toward her. "It is more than pretty, it is beautiful, Judah. How I shall envy you the possession of this lovely toy, Rachel," and she turned laughingly toward her sister. Try if it will fit my finger, Judah," continued the gay girl, extending toward him one of the whitest, smallest, and loveliest hands that ever terminated the exquisitely rounded arm of beauty. Gedalliah smiled as he took the offered hand of the lovely girl, and, placing the ring on the taper finger, said, in the same tone of laughing badinage which she had assumed, "I wed thee according to the law of Israel, as by Moses commanded," and he pressed the fair hand playfully to his lips. "What have you done, Gedalliah-what have you done?" cried one of his companions, interfering when it was too late to prevent the mischief. "Do you know that you have made Jesse Morris Ma Kaddesh ?" "Good God!" cried Gedalliah, turning as white as the fair hand that still rested in his; "Moses, why did you not interfere while there was yet time to prevent this?" and he sank back almost fainting, while Moses, who was one of Rachel's rejected suitors, turned away with a sardonic grin; and Jesse, the colour faded from lip and cheek, as, uttering a faint heartstruck cry, she sank into the arms of a companion, which were kindly extended to prevent her from falling. Looks of blank dismay succeeded the joyous glow that had lately sparkled on every face, and consternation superseded the merriment that had lately reigned in each young heart. And many a dark eye was bent anxiously on Rachel, to ascertain how she would bear this cruel stroke. Many stood aloof, too, waiting for her decision, to know how to shape their conduct to her unhappy sister. For a moment Rachel seemed like one stunned by a sudden blow, but anger kept her from fainting; and fixing a glance of many mingled passions on her sister, she reproached her in no measured terms for an act which she appeared to consider as a premeditated outrage on her feelings. Jesse lay motionless, but not senseless, in the arms of her companion, and she heard but too distinctly the bitter reproaches of her angry sister, while the large burning drops of agony and shame forced themselves through her half-closed eyelids, and fell scalding upon her cheek, which was now deadly white. “Oh, do not tell my father, Rachel," she cried, throwing herself at her feet, with a sudden effort catching hold of her dress to detain her, and raising her swimming eyes pleadingly to her face, "Rachel, Rachel, do not tell my father, at least not to-day; oh, he will kill me, I know he will; what can he, what will he and my mother think of me?—I shall never dare to look any one in the face again. Have pity on me, my sister, and do not cast me off for a fault that is not mine!" and she wrung her hands in agony. But deaf alike to the prayers of her sobbing sister, and the entreaties of her companions, who were touched by the bitter anguish of the heart-stricken girl, Rachel sullenly tied on her bonnet, and casting a reproachful look at Gedalliah, who had not uttered a syllable, and sat almost stupefied, she left the house. The hour when most of the party dined was approaching, and glad of any excuse for departure, one by one the lately merry group dropped off, leaving the unwilling bride and bridegroom alone in the house of Mrs. Davis. Jesse had not arisen from her knees when her sister left her; but abandoning herself to a passion of grief, she leaned her arms on the chair from which Rachel had risen, and leaning her head upon them, wept bitterly, while Gedalliah sat with his arms folded sternly on his breast, and his eyes bent on the ground, without speaking. "Indeed, my dear child, you must not abandon yourself to such overwhelming grief," said Mrs. Davis, in a distressed tone, and kindly striving to raise the weeping girl, your tears will not remedy what Gedalliah has so thoughtlessly done, and for your own sake you must struggle with your feelings. Do not tell me of disgrace, Jesse, you have done no wrong, and need fear no shame. How can you sit there, Mr. Gedalliah, and see this poor child weeping so grievously?" continued the warm-hearted old lady, turning toward Judah with as much severity as the kindliness of her nature would permit her to assume toward any sentient being endowed with the power of feeling; "do come and assist me to comfort her; we shall then have time to think of what is to be done with regard to Rachel." At the mention of the name of his beloved, the young man, who had raised his head on being addressed by name, started wildly to his feet, and pulling his hat down over his eyes, he rushed from the house. Evil tidings make themselves wings fleeter than the birds of the |