The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1826-11-02

of that sylvan prison into plain OF mead
ows and corn fields, alive with the peace
ful dwellings, of industrious men. Here
the bases of the mountains, and even their
sides high up, are without heather, rich
sward with here and there deep bed OF
brackens and little sheep-shetcrlng
grove. Skeletons of old trees, Of prodg-
ious size, lie covered with MOSES and wild
flowers, or stand with their barklcss trunks
and white limbs unmoved when the TEN
pest blows; for Glenfnglas was anclcntly
deer forest of the Kings of Scotland
and the echoes of Benledi answered 10 the
hunters horn. II is the property OF the
Earl Of Moray, and from time immemoral
it has been possessed by tenants OF his
own clan, the Stewarts, who, living in this
sequcstered situation, III q sort OF rural
village are connected with one another by
inter-marriages, and passing their days in
case aud comfort, furnish one Of the finest
examples o' yatrarchal felicity that occur
| in these times.
Not a more beautiful vale ever inspir-
ed pastoral poet in Arcadia, nor did Sicl-
Ian shepherds Of old ever pipe TO each
other for prize of oatcn reed, in a loylier
nook, than where yondcr cottage stands
shaded, but scarcely sheltered, by few
| birch trees. II is IN truth not cottage
but shielng ofturf, part of the knoll ad
herring TO the side Of the mountDln. Not
another dwelling--even as small as itself
within mile in any direction. Those
goats, that seem to walk where there IS no
footing, along the side of the cliff, go Of
themselves TO be MIXED at evening, TO
house beyond the hill, without any bark
ing dog TO set them home. There are
many foot paths, but all of sheep, except
one leading through the copplce-wood to
the distant kirk. The angler seldom dis.
turbs those shadows, and the heron has
them TO himself, watching often with mo-
tionless neck all day long Yet the shiel-
ing is inhabited, and has been so by the
same person for good many years.-You
might look at 1t for hours, and yet see no
one so much as moving TO the door. But
| little smoke hovers over it--faint as
mist---and nothing else tells that within is
life.
at is inhabited by widow, who was
once the happiest of wives, and lived far
down the glen, where it is richly cultivat-
ed, in house astir with many children.
1t so happened, that in the course of ma
turc, without any extraordinary bereavc-
ments, she outlived all the household, ex-
ccpt one, on whom fell the sadest atiction
that can befal human being-tbe utter
loss of reason. For some years after the
death Of her husband aud all her other
children, this son was her support; an
there was no occasion to pity them IN thel'
poverty where all were poor. Her nature
cheerfulness never forsook her; and al
though fallen back in the world, and obile
ed in her age to live without many com
forts she once had known, yet all the pa
GRADUALLY was softened into peace, and tn
widow and her sor were in that shiellp-
as hapr.. SSny family in the parish, an,y ~,
She t sot sni%mn al Kinds OF wa8ffn wa8frfning to ns6
within--a constant occupation sootbiAg to
one before whose mind past times might
othe-'";~, L"vo come too often, and
I'saGmHehess ana ".!titn!ent, by, ussI6n. If not
always at meals, the widow saw her son
for an hour or two every night and
throughout the whole Sabbath day. They
| slept too under one roof; and she liked
the stormy weather when the rains were
on--ior then he found some ingenious en-
poyment within the ,sheling, or cheered
| her with some book lent by u friend, or
! tive hills. Sometimes in her gratitude, |
SHp ouiu SHp was HaPpitI HVW lbul WHcu
she had so many other causes 10 be so
and when occasionally an acquaintance |
dropt III upon her solitude, her face wei. |
coined every one with smile that spoke |
OF more than resignation; noi was she
aversc to partako the socially of the |
other huts, and sat sedate among youthful |
mcrrimcnt, when summer or winter festi-
val came round, and poverty 'ejoiced in
the riches of content and innocence.
" But her trials, great as they had been,
were not yet over; for this he only son
was laid prostratc by fever; md when it
left his body he survived hopebssly strick-
en- in mind. His eyes, so clea and intelli-
gcnt,werc now fixed in idioy, or rolled
ing or dead. To him all wather seem
ed the same--ond if suffered, he would
have lain down like a creature void Of un-
derstanding, in rain or IN snow, nor been
able to find his way back for many PAGES
from the hut. AS all thought and feeling
had left him, so had speech--all but a
moaning as of pain or woe which none
but mother could hear without shudder-
ing but she heard it during night as well
as day, and only sometimes lifted up her
eyes as in prayer to God. An offer was
made to send him TO place where the at.
tlictcd are taken care OF; but she besought
charity for the first tme--such aims as
would enable her. along with the earnings
OF her wheel, 10 keep her sen in the shel
ing aud the means were gwen her from ,
many quarters to do so decently, and with
all the comforts that other eyes observed,
A. n. x..,. ,.,tt