Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1839-07-26
From the Portland Magazine.
TIE DAUGHTER.
BY MRS. ANN S. STEPHENS.
Concluded. I

settled in death.lke calm. Nancy, who
had never seen grief expressed but by tears.
was surprised at her seeming resignation,
ard while the drops gathered in her own
bright eyes, she threw her arms about The
sufferer. whispering, oh Grace, dear
Grnce YOU can't tell how feel for vou.
There was no answer, no motion IN the
sufferer.
Grace. oh Grace. yon arc cruel won't
you take notice of me what have done
that YOU won't speak p
'iIu-h. hush not so load, you disturb
me- know you, know you all, bet i,
hurts me to speak-opeu the window--I
want the ait my breath pains me- whs-
pered the mourner, but without turning
her nves. or moving o limb.
Nancy raised he sash, and seated herself
beside It. She saw Grace press her hand
to her forehead and, after few moments. |
sink back to- her pillow. She was uncer-
tain whether she slept or not; but Fnr four
long hours. there was no word spoken be-
tween them. The sun was down--lts tlnts
of gold died slowly from the horlzon--the
stars came out in their spendor- moon
rose as it had done the preceding night
all without remained The same: and yet
III IUdi UUusts iltTb was lIDl IL n'u'l WITH
had not been changed, rs with years of
sorrow. How insignificant we are! The
very flowers we tread upon, bloom as
s'vee>lv, when our hearts are broken, as
when The music Of happiness is thrilling
through them. The moonlight falls alike
on the lovers IN their bower. and the widow
by the tomb Of her husband. But. Oh
how different are vs. cfl;crs! To the first.
1t Is the dcepener Of joy; to the other,
mockery of sorrow. Our hearts are
strrcher, withered. blasted. while the rose
bursts It. germ, and smiles itself out of life;
yet the world goes on. as needless of our
agony. as Of its ia len leaves. We die. q
few tears are dropped. few means are
made-the heart which our hearts chung
to, droop for an hour. and this is all. No
other thing IN nature is disturbed, save the
few green c|ods, which are torn TO admit
us to The bosom Of The earth. The waves
Of time roll over our empty places and all
things are as # we had Oever been. Alas I!
how insignificant we are.
It was late when the hum Of voices,
which had assembled from below, all the
evening. died away. One by one the
people from the nclghborlng village, depar-
ted, and Macy Human. sad almost for
the first time IN her life, sat alone by the
little window of her friends chamber.-As
the gathering Of the last departing horse
died on .he air, she arose, and went to the
bed side Of The sufferer. She lay slll, as
if asleep. Her eyes were closed, but there
was a tremulous motion IN the shadowy
lashes sweeping her cheek, and working
OF her features. as the moonbeams lay ful
upon them. which would have dsproved al
appearance Of recent s|umber, had Nancy
Hnman been a close observer. She-klnt
slrl-heDt down and kissed the pale fore
head Of the mourner, wept over her for
time, and then stole softly back to her seat
where she soon dropped into heavy stun
Der.
As the young girl lay with her arm
folJed on The wIndowsill, her bright cheek
pl,!owed upou them, aud her frank brov
exposed, by her crtls, as the night win,
hired them pIayfully from her temples
Grace arose and stole softly from the room
The poor girl had been awake. listening /
the voices from below, as culprit with
sound o: the hammers which rlvet his sea
fold thin partition only divided he
from the women who were making he
fathers shroud. She heard them consu
on Inc form aud measurement she hear
Mrs. Human caution them to speak soiil
that they might not disturb her she knew
bv the hustle. when those below wei
laying out the dead; and yet she did NJ
move, nor unclose her aching eyes but la
four long hours, with her intellect qulcl
ened to painful acuteness, aud her hea
cramping within her, like thing Of ds,n
life. When all was still. ard her youu
,potrhpr n slppn she siDln dawn
by the dead. She passed through the kl
chen; two men were stretched along Il
chairs asleep, while another sat in sh
dowy corner. with his face turned iowa
the wall. Grace was too wretched
notice them, and gllded unseen to the pa
ior. She opened the door, and the corp
of her father lay before her. The face W
uncovered; the grave clothes gllmmered
sho dim light and were slightly rusllcd
a current of air. which swept over hone
\ suckle at on open SASH and filled the roc
l with fragrance. The poor orphans he'
grew faint il was the same vine she y
nalled to the easement IN the mornlr
The dewey blossoms she had 'rfled W
then, were now breaking the moonlight.
it uembled through them. and flicker
over the face of the deod.-Slowly
orphan advanced; she started, and
\heart leaped within her. for the light qu
erlug over the face of the corpse gave
the appearance of life. She bent
check; it met one cold and stlffened
heart contracted itself again. She 81
on her knees, and strove to pray
throat was dry and agony almost cho
her. With locked hands, and large Or
breoking over her upturned brow.
strue gIed FOR words of prayer A pa'l
effort, and they broke from her llps;-'
God oh God help me to bear this
aMiniinn., StraightWaY warm tears rus