Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1843-08-30

i \
GRANGE overpowered every sense, every
breathing blossom spoke of the rocks
which we used to climb in pursuit of it,
and of the rough, falling waters that fill
ed every pause in our merry voices, and
then suddenly my playmates stood beside
me, their baskets overfowing- with the
gifts Of early spring, themselves still
young and spring-like, though on the
heads ofsome, knew that the frosts had
settled, and that over others rested the
green sod.
Still more eloquent was slender
plant ofthe rose-geranium, which accom-
panied me, somewhat more than two
years since, on my way to an Older
World. 1t was taken from her quiet
in her. garden, by my little daughter, as
the parting time drew near, with the re-
mark, that something green might look
pleasant on the sea- And SO it did
But imagined not then the depth 81
communion it might call forth. For the
home-spirit was 10 its heart, and it be-
came to me as friend. Sometimes
when evening closed in over the deep,
with these heavy signs Of the wind,
which often betoken coming storm,
and the ship leaped and plunged amid
the pillows, as ifseeking for place to
escape, or depth to hide in, have
drawn closer to that weak plant, as if
love might comfort me. Or at waking
in the morning, and raising my head from
the coffin-like berth where the dark
hours had passed in such broken slum-
bers, as the hoarse lullaby of the surge
induces, have 6xedmy eyes first upon
that solitary plant, and spoken softly to
it as a child. Yet it was evidently in an
uncongenial atmosphere. and the deli
cate branches grew sad, and faded. |
numbered its leaves, but almost every
day some of them grew sickly and fell,
until, at last, only few were left clus-
teriEg round single, graceful stalk.
We had been thirteen days and nights
upon the great deep-and accomplished
nearly two thousand miles of our watery
journey, when awoke at the grey hour
| of dawn. | remembered that, the first
anniversary of the death Of my beloved
father, and beckoned the solemn imagery
to meet me amid the waves. AT once
every circumstance Of that scene gleam-
ed forth as in picture. His venerable
heal, resting upon its white pillow, the
brightness of his beautiful hair. on which
four score and seven winters had sea :
tered no snows,his heavy breathing min
Cling with the slow dropping ofthe sum-
mer shower upon the vine leaves at its
easement, and the steady ticking OF the
clock through that lonely night, while
bending over him, hoped against hope,
that tie sudden illness might not be
mortal, and the form, which but the day
before, had moved with so vigorous a
step, would yet rise up, and lean upon
its staff. and come forth ts bless ma
The rain ceased "a circle of faint bright
ness foretold the rising of the sun =
whose precious lips uttered again the
sound OF kind words-the opening eyes
told their message Of sanity loye-then
huttered, and closed. There was no
more breath.
A wall !-another-piercing and pro-
tracted-deeper even than that which an
only child mourns the last parent. 1t
must be the wall of a mother. No other
sorrow hath such voice Yet so a5-
rubtly it burst forth; amid surrounding
silence, that, for moment, memory was
bewildered, and the things that had
been, mingled their confused tissue with
things that are.
Among our passengers WAS di9nlfied
and accomplish lady, returning with her
husband, ali officer, from residcace of
several years in Canada, 10 England, their
native land. They had with them three
little daughters, and in the course oflbose
Conversations which beguile the tedium
Of sea-life, she had sometime spoken OF The
anxiety with which her aged mother
waited to welcome these descendants, born.
in foreign cline, whom, Of course. she
had never seen, and so exquisite was their
beauty, that it would not have been SUE
prising had thrill Of pride, heightened
the pleasure with which she painted the
JOY OF such meeting. The youngest
was blbe of less than year, and we,
who often shared its playful vile, fancied
that it had grown languid, as i! fr, M
some inherent disease. YET its large
black eyes still beamed with strange lus-
:er.so that neither parents nor nurse would
allow that aught affected 1t, save what a.
rose from the change OF habits, Incidental
tothe confinement of the sop. YET, that
night the mother, more uneasy than she
was wiling to confess in words, decided
not 10 !eave It's cradle. La the saloon adj
joining our state room, she took her place
add when we retired, the fair inlant lay
in troubled sleep. Yet even then, the
spoiler was nearer TO it than that watch
ful mother and ere the morning, be smote
il in her arms. We found her cIaspng it
closely to her bosom. as il fam 10 revivdv
| II win her breath. Masses of oloSsy hair