Northern star, and Warren and Bristol gazette. [volume] (Warren [R.I.]) 1826-1830, 1826-07-15

4
ticipations, towards home.
I II was on the last evening of the old
year that | arrived, alter long and
4 hard days journey, at a log house. a.
bout fourteen miles from home. This
was The nearest human habitaton 10
[ours, and ] thought i'll made good
haste might reach home yet in time
to share in the plcdssatesr Of that so.
ciai season, so dear TO the hearts OF
the young, and to those whose labors
give them the truest enie ynent of gal-
Fety and reiaxatiou. My dear father
always loved holidays; he used to
say there was 50 little happiness in
this world, that people shuuldbe some-
times. pat 10 mind of itby the setting
apart certain days for. the express pur.
pose Of being happy.
lknew therefore, if / could reach
homcGy midnight, should find tho
iariiy still up, and pleased myself
With, the hopes Of giving them an a.
greeable surprize. ], therefore,
much against tho wishes oil my old
servant. proceeded onward.
AdmidSt thousand thronging
images Of horror which crowd on
my memory, / still recollect that
night, so still, SO clear, so sublime.
Nature seemed sunk in her last sleep,
and hot a whisper Of tho woods, or
mdrmcr OF the stream, disturbed hcr
astul l.rcposc. Nothing. was hea ltl
| to break the dead silence but the
| distant bowling of 4 Wolf; ol: some
times, at long intety ;ils,|qhc crack
ing VI tie ice, sshootng "A hollow
sound across the river. ,aGI,e suow,
,giiitcrius in thseb moonlight; was
lwrrib.y tonnasl@l Wy the black So
ie.nul'y oil tho lcatriess w,o.ls aud
"a i,eczing, bitter silence pervaded
The wholc sceuce, that inevitably
disposed the mind to iolty contcm-
/, plati6n.' The absence Of al! anilna-
ted beings the total traction of veg
c,ablc i,ic tire analogy between ST.
icnco and death, struck me with a
mingled sensation Of devotion and
fcar.- At was in the midst of this
lonely Solitude, that l received the
must powerful impiession OF tho ON
nii,otcnce OF that great Bcing whose
| viii had cstopped tho gentle current
lof life that flowed through the veins
| Of tI- forest, aud encha,ned, for a
while, tho all-pcrvadnrg principle Of
vegctatiun. d. e
At length, after a heavy journey
through tue deep SNOW, 1 drew near
10 our little ark, and every other
feeling WAS lost in the anticipation
of the meeting which was soon to
take place. My heart swelled with
all tue tcndeiCst emotions which ma
turc has implanted in the heart of
man, and which arc called Forth by
Inc ns,ne and remembrance of home.
It was a little before twelve, when,
emerging from the wood through
which our journey lay, looked To-
twards the weil-relnembered spot
where our honse stood, but could see
nothing but a cloud of black smoke
issuing from the place. A horrible
thought came like lightning which
haunis nc wherever / so, embitters
all my hours, and, sleeping or wax
ing, exercises an influence winch
consumes me.
Icannot describe it, should go
| mad again, if l did. Our house had
been surprised by the Indians, set On
fro, and every soul perisheu in the
flames, or was bu.Chered IN atlem pit
ing to escape tllem. saw my gen.
tie sisters their puro blood had
stained the snow, mot more pure itself
my father, whose grey hairs had
been torn from his head--and, in The
last moment Of recollection, l saw
my poor mother scorchcd and man.
gied to death. The power OF man
could not support it: my heart that
a few moments before had been op-
cned to receive the full current OF
happiness, shut again--l believed
forever---and stunning sensation
lcIl on my head with force that os-
erwhclmed rly reason,
From that time until the lapse Of
more than a year | was as..nothing---
| remembered nothing--I believe l
felt nothing, l wandered, they say,
from place to place, without motive
Or end, attended by the faithful SER
1 want who was with me that fatal
night; and was only released irom