American watchman and Delaware advertiser. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1822-1828, 1825-06-28
EARLY DEATH.

That " the house of mourning is better than The
house OF feastlng," is sentiment remembered by
all when the cold hand of sorrow is wringing the
brow but the lesson is learned at the death bed,
and is apt TO be left at the grave. The voice that
should speak wisdom from the tomb, is drowned in
the closing Of its portals; and the coffin and the
monition descend alike into the darkness of forget
fitness. Death is always clad in terors, even when
it is the aged head that bows before him but there
is something peculiarly melancholy VIXEN his shaft
strikes the young and the beautiful, and the happy.
1t not to be expected that the ripe fruit should
fall that the full should not be gathered into
the garner but not that the young and tender bud,
opening and poisoning amid the summer breeze,
should shrink and wither as before the blast Of mil
dew 1t was not to be expected, when the scar leaf
of autumn is falling, and the full blown rose scat
teing its leaves, when the hoary grain is gathering
to the harvest, that the hoary head too should not
Ilie low But when the arrows of the destroyers
strike the young in their youth, and the happy
mid their happnes, and those whom we love, in the
bloom of their loneliness /; when the warm tide oil
our affections, as it swes purely up from the foun
tans of the heart is chilled and chained in its flow,
how difficulty do realize that those whom we
loved are indeed but as the dust-how chilling the
feeling that the unuttered and unutterabe thoughts
of our bosoms must seek refuge again in their ST
lent sanctuary-that our affections that rose pure
as the exhalaons of the dew, like Them before the
chill atmosphere of death, must fall back upon the
heart in GOODNESS and tears!
Such at least are the feelings with which have
lately revisited the grave Of one, rendered equally
dear by her virtues and her sufferings. 1t is now
between two and three years since young English
man with his sister, beautiful and accomplished
! girl Of sixteen, arrived in this country. Having
business to transact here, and thinking that change
of climate and sea air might be beneficial to her
delicate health, he had brought her with him, and
having placed her in retired and beautiful situation,
he left her to attend his business in another part OF
the country But soon learned that This beautiful
female, was the victim of that disease which in its
desolating march sweeps so many OF the young and
the beautiful to the grave. Consumption had fas'
tened upon her delicate frame and though for a
time ii appeared to have been checked it suddenly
re- appeared with all the symptoms of rapid and
speedy dissolution. Her brother was Immediately
sent for, but the letters did not reach him till
too late. then learned too that she had lover
whose anxiety for her health had induced him to
leave his country to follow her here, and that he
was actually on his passage.
/ Her situation was now truly distressing her
brother ABSENT her lover not yet arrived stranger,
in strange land, the hand of death upon her and
conscious that it was dealing with her-yet never
did murmur escape her lips. / visited her con-
stantly, till thought her too ill to receive me. when
reluctantly discontinued my visits till informed
that she had expressed regret at my absence. |
Immediately called to see her. She was sitting in
a chair, her head reclining on the back with
that unnatural but beautiful bloom SO peculiar to