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About The banner of the South. (Augusta, Ga.) 1868-1870 | View Entire Issue (May 8, 1869)
VOL. XI. Parted Once. go we two clasp hands once more, Jamie, Though our youth long since has passed; And none are by to sever us now— Do you mind when we parted last ? Do you mind the tears we shed, Jamie, The tender embrace that clung ? We can look back now with a pity Rtrange On the grief when we were young. But the burnie that trickled then, Jamie, Has grown to a river deep, And none can bridge o’er the dark wide gulf Where the hopes of childhood sleep. The pale ghosts stand on the shore, Jamie, And wail o’er what might have been, But tho world and its waves of greed and care Too long have rolled between. They said we were idle bairns* Jamie— Too young to meet toil and pain; Do you think in the City of Heaven, we two Shall be children once again ? And should we have been worse off, Jamie, Had We risked that toil and care, And learned high lessons of love and faith, And helped each other to boar ? There is gold on this withered breast, Jamie, And gems in this thin, grey hair; But, oh! for the gowans you plucked me then, In my tangled locks to wear! You have lands in tho far-off East, Jamie, And ships on the treacherous sea; Ah ! who can restore the treasures of youth, And love to you—or to me ? For the Banner of the South. THE LAST DAYS OF CARTHAGE} OR A SISTER OF FABIOLA. AFTER XT'i MANNER 01 . . K, FRCNCH. CONTINUED? CHAPTER a 111. THE FALSE HOOD AND TEMPTA TION. Vi via was confined to her loom for .ay* after she had learned the tragic end )‘ her beloved huslajad. Her mother and Felicity were ever by her side .to minister to her wants and console her in ii a' affliction. Tertullian, accompanied j. Optatius, paid her frequent visits, and hie always felt considerably" relieved by their pious exhortations. Her faith was vivid, but it was still more re-animated by the firmness of belief which her hus band had retained even to the last. He died a Christian. He received a crown more precious and brilliant than if he had returned to Carthage with Numidian spoils. A tear would nevertheless trem ble like a dew-drop upon her silken eye lashes, and it was but natural. He who had pledged to her his love and life-long protection, was no more. He would no longer catch her in his arms and look tenderly into her face, and call her “ his love.” The poignard of the assassin had done its fatal work, and had left her to mourn his death. But the consola tions of religion were great for her who bad received already, in a great measure, the rich effusion of divine grace. She bad caught the spirit of her husband when dying, and felt, like him, ready to offer up all that had happened as a sacrifice to Cod. He had desired that they should soon meet in Heaven. This wish she re ciprocated with all the ardor of her soul. Perhaps it was to be realised sooner than she thought. As soon as Afer had pluuged his dagger into the breast of Jarbas, lie tied from die camp. He took care to gain time uuring the short period of excitement, oud though he suffered a great deal from die punishment which had been inflicted ll pon him by the Numidian King, still he continued to urge on his fiery steed for hours. Night came, and he descended ‘ rom his horse to take a little repose, but * oT >g before the sun arose, he was in the saddle and pursuing his way onward. He wos accustomed to the forest, and it was out difficult for him to find his way. In mo day the course of the sun was his obart, and in the night the appearance of lie stars was sufficient to guide him through the trackless brakewood. It ' ,as impossible for the cavalry to pursue "j 111 - He knew this, and a savage grin juayednpon his thick lips as he exulted ■'i his deed of blood. The image of his utive land presented itself before his ' -'-c-itcil imagination and cheered him on- would have plenty of gold likewise. But what if his master endeavored to withdraw from his engagement, and refuse to fulfil the con ditions of the contract which he had made ? He would use the same poignard, and perhaps with as sure an aim. Gold and liberty were the ideas which pre occupied his mind and beguiled the tedi* ousness and fatigue of his march. Five days passed over, and he came within sight of Carthage. It was day when he first perceived the neighboring height, aud his heart distended as he reflected that he was so near the termination of his journey and so near the consummation of a life-long dream. He turned aside, and concealed himself in a shady recess until nightfall, when he thought he could enter more safely the precincts of the city. The sun disappeared in the we c C and the shades # of night closed around, leaving only here and there a solitary star ro shed its dim and uncertain light through the breaks in the clouds. Afer demanded nothing better than this. About mid night he arrived unoerceived at the house of Jubal. “ Faithful servant !” exclaimed Jubal, after he had heard in a fe w hurried sen tences the successful issue of his . r*er. prise. 41 But, thou art; weary. Here is wine. Brink ! drink 1 and let me join thee in this merry hour !” and a wild maniac laugh rang through the room and re-echoed through the stillness of the midnight air. “ But, master, thou must not forget gold and liberty is the price of my dagger.” “Ah! thou art too faithful fur me to part with thee. I shall have need of thee again.” “ Need me again !” re-eeboed the slave, while his dark brows lowered, and a deep scowl of indignation rendered still more hideous the ill-shapen lineaments of his face. “ I will he faithful to thee as thou hast been to me,” replied Jubal, endeavoring to retain his composure, though he felt his hot passion rising within him at what he would call the “impudence” of a slave. “Take this gold,” he continued, “after wards I will give thee more. As for thy liberty, thy services are too precious for the moment. I cannot part with thee. Perhaps” “ Enough !” interrupted Afer, rising to his feet, and displaying a firmness in his tone of voice and manner which some what astonished his master. “ Know that I have the power of life and death over thee, slave !” cried out Jubal furiously, aud forgetting that he was now in the power of the being he despised. “ Life and death ! It is true, most noble master ; but—but”—he did not trust himself farther, but internally he swore an oath of revenge. “He is in toxicated with the fumes of wine,” he thought, “or I might bring him to a sense cf his fearful position. I might reverse the case, and declare I have power of life and death over him, and, by the gods of Olympus, that power shall be exercised before many suns shall have risen and set. The scenes of my native land are not to unfold themselves before me like a panoramic picture and then dissolve into the emptiness of an airy phantom. The promise must be fulfilled. However, I will take the gold. It may be of use. I will dissemble my feelings for the present, but my determination is not the less fixed and decisive.” The slave departed, and when Jubal found himself alone, he began to con gratulate himself upon the facility with which he had been able to resist the pretentions of his accomplice. “Liberty!” lie half muttered aloud, “that boon is too precious for me to give away without mature consideration. Besides, there may yet be complications inconsequence ot the General’s death, and I may need his assistance. Ah! I was near forget ting. It is the time of my appointment UGUSTA, G A., MAY 8, 1869. with the H igh Priest. I must hasten. It is almost light now, and I had prom ised to be with him before the rising of the sun.” Olympian had already heard of the death of Jarbas from Sylvain, who had brought tho news sooner by a few hours than Afer. However, the High Priest did not desire that any one should know this, and when Jubal rushed un ceremoniously into his apartment to communicate to him the news, he feigned astonishment at the quick despatch with which the deed had been accom plished. But there was more semblance of joy in the glistening of his sunken eyes and in the unnatural contortions of his wrinkled face as he listened to the details of the tragedy “ The sacred work has been happily commenced. You and Afei have merited well of the gods and of your country, but it is not necessary that the latter should know just yet the brave individual to whom they owe sc much.” “ Not just yeti You are right. Keep that a secret until the time comes— until the gods present us with a more propitious occasion,” put in Jubal, hy pocritically joining his hands and rais ing his eyes .in the attitude of suppli cation. “ The spouse of Vivia,” continued Olympian, “has betrayed her religion, and she cannot expect to lead a life in which nothing will occur to destroy its tranquility or give her sorrow. But Tertullian is to blame, that execrable apostate! If he is allowed to continue the nefarious course upon which he has entered, our temples will soon be de serted and our altars left without offer ings. But, thanks to you, a step has already been taken in the right direc tion, and it will soon be known that Jarbas was a Christian, and died a Christian, and that this was the reason why the army revolted against him and why they slew him. When the public mind becomes exasperated at his treach ery and base departure from the religious sentiments of that Senate which raised him to the positiou he occupied, then will be the time to raise our voices, and demand from the people a decisive and rigorous policy against the cursed sect of Christians.” “ Good ! good ! Olympian. You dis play wisdom in your thoughts, and you yourself will earn a title to the gratitude of your fellow-citizens.” “ Say, rather, to the friendship of the gods,” “ Well, of both. I meant that,” an swered Jubal, hurriedly. He could not, however, suppress a pitying smile of con tempt as he looked upon that old decrepid form planning measures for the murder of thousands, while he stood trembling as it were on the brink of the grave. He saw not his own faults in so clear a light. His ardor in pursuing any scheme ren dered him insensible to the enormity of any crime which was necessary for its accomplishment. He could judge with unerring accuracy where others were at fault. He could see plainly how the vil laiuy of the old priest shocked the feel ings of humanity, and he could not help but hold him in supreme contempt. He took care, however, to conceal his real sentiments, and gave him to understand that he highly appreciated the saintly motives which had dictated such a course of action. But, somehow, the penetra tion of the old man was too acute, and he thought he perceived too much indif ference in his character where there was question of defending the religion of the state. Perhaps previous interviews had given rise to this suspicion. “ Jubal,” he inquired, scauning his features with an air of mistrust, while his brows lowered, an indication of an approaching burst of anger, “ inethinks you care little as to the fate of gods. I sec it in your listless attention, when I aui treating of this all important subject. ! “ Do you doubt my loyalty to my couu | try,” responded Jubal, scarcely able to restrain his indignation at the suspicion which had been cast upon his sincerity. He knew the suspicions rested upon some foundation, but that did not matter. “ Not directly to your country. I spoke of the gods. But, know young man, that the sentiments of patriotism and religion are identified, and that you cannot fail in the one without acting in opposition to the other.” “ Cease this jargon, old man !” cried Jubal, carried aw r ay by the impetus of his passion. “If you want to know the truth, listen : If Jupiter is your god, and wants to wreak his vengeanee upon his rival Christ, let him cast forth his thun derbolts until heaven is emptied. But, what have I got to do with that? I am busy with other transactions of equal im portance. My dagger has reached the heart of Jarbas, and now the second ele ment in the programme is to obtain pos session of the hand of Vivia. Once that she is mine; I will conquer her pride, and take revenge for the wanton insult which she has inflicted upon me. If I cannot succeed in this, then I will soon send her to the shades to rejoin her hus band. But, if you desire my friendship, if you desire to live in harmony with me, leave aside this ridiculous dispute about religion. Let the gods defend them selves. They' are all-powerful, and can do it better than either of us.” The aged priest cast his eyes to the ground with the air ot one who was suffering from painful disappointment. And, in fact, it was so, for he had de pended upon Jubal as Ids most effective weapon in the contest which he was en deavoring to excite. “ Young man!” he said, at length, raising his eyes and casting at him a firm and steady glance, “ when years shall have taught you wisdom you will think otherwise than you do now. But, if you arc indifferent to the interests of our an cient faith, you ought not to neglect your own .personal interest. The proud Yivia, whom I hate with a hatred only equal to your own, has deeply offended you. She has disdained connection with you or your ancestral name ! But do you know the real motive which she had in treating you with such haughty contempt? Because her heart was already given to another.” “Perhapsyou are right. This might easily occur £n the case of a young patri cian whose only quality was her peculiar tact in covering her corruption with the mantle of heroic virtue. But this, if it is true, is not all. She had another mo tive, and I hare the assurance that ray knowledge on this point is correct.” “ Another motive ! What other mo tive could she have ?” asked Jubal hur riedly, while his brows were wriukled with intense suspense. “ I will conceal nothing from you. Listen, she boasted of it herself—that she reason why she repelled your advances was because you were not a Christian.” “Impossible! She herself was not a Christia* at the time that it occurred.” “ True—that is, openly ; but she had secretly embraced the new religion. Do you not know that her mother has been Christian for a long time past ?” “ That may be true enought, but I know that Jarbas was not a Christian when she married him.” “ Yes, but she laid it down as a con dition that he should become one. He promised her that he would, and even confirmed his asseverations with an oath. Perhaps, you have forgotten the incidents of his death. The old shepherd can tell you how he favored the sect, and how he died in the arms of one of its accursed ministers.” “ I canuot say that I am yet convinced. Who has said that Vi via rejected me be cause I was not a Christian/?” “She herself These are her words : ‘ Jubal is a noble young man, of a highly cultivated mind and generous disposition; his birth is illustrious and the wealth of the family is considerable ; but with his bad habits and the indifferent companions with whom he is constantly brought in fo contact, there is very little hope of converting him to our religion. Its dis cipline would be too strict for him, and the observance of its precepts too oner ous. But I will never choose * any one but a Christian to be my husband.’ Mark these last words, Jubal: ‘None but a Christian.” Noware you satisfied?” The old man lied. He knew Jubal’s impetuous character, and he anticipated for this invention of his own a furious outburst of anger against the Christians. But he was mistaken, and he was not a little surprised to see the young man place his hand quietly to his brow and re main for a c onsiderable time in a pensive attitude. Olympian felt somewhat abashed, but thinking to awaken him from his reverie, he again addressed him in an assumed tone of firmness, blended with a tincture of wounded pride: “ Bo you think that it comports with my dignity to repeat emphatically what I do not know to be true ?” “ I suspect you not. Bo not mistake me,” replied Jubal, turning round and casting at him a penetrating look; but I am thinking of what a change your words have wrought in the depths of my heart. Vivia did not then despise me, it was only my religon. I spoke rudely to her and wounded her quick sensibili ties, but still I find she did not reject me for this. Noble heart ! oil how is it that I have not known her until this moment? I would not have then hated her, and, perhaps, at her side I should have found that happiness which I have vainly sought for in those frivolous and transient affec tions which have wasted the years of my youth.” “ Would you have embraced that abominable faith to please Vi via ? What are you saying Jubal ? Would you sub ject yourself to the contemptuous scowl of the entire population of Carthage, simply to obtain the hand of a fickle minded wretch who has turned her back upon our immortal gods?” ** Don’t speak to me of gods,” cried Jubal, jumping to his feet, while his eyes flashed with rage, “they are miser able phantoms of a diseased brain—the subjective shaping of external operations of nature. I tell you, over and over again, I do not believe in them—for me, the grave is an eternal adieu.” The old man seemed overcome, and ready toyield to the overwhelming vocife rations of the passionate Jubal. He waited patiently until his excitement had sub sided before he ventured to speak. At length, when the young man was seated and disposed to listen, lie began : “ You assert what cannot be. It is engraved in characters of fire upon the heart of man that there is a being above all who is omnipotent and supreme. A life of crime may sometimes stifle the voice of this rational conscience, but it is only a temporary derangement of the in tellect, and Nature when left to itself will escape from this abnormal condition. £o there are two alternatives before you, and one of them you must necessarily choose : Either you must worship the gods or else become a follower of that Jewish malefactor whom they call Christ. To choose the Jot of such a noble creature as Vivia, does not appear at first sight to be any great crime. Besides she is remarked for having an uncom mon elevation of mind as well as possess ing all the accomplishments which can adorn the female character. It is strange indeed that she should perceive no folly in embracing the new faith. Ah! youth and inexperience ! how easily do those tender minds fail under the demoniac influence of Tertullian!" replied the piiest, shaking Ins head with ominous signifi cance. “Say nothing against Tertullian. He taught me rhetoric in the schools, and ther» was no one but admired his sublime genius. It was a valuable conquest for No. 8.
