The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1844-01-05
From the Present.
THE REMElsBENE HOME.
HI LYDIA MARIA CHILD.

THE REMEMBERED HOME.
III LYDIA MARIA CHILD.
Our birth Is but sleep ard forgetting:
he Soul that rises with u.s. our life 5 Star,
Hath had else were its setting,
Aud cometh from afar;
nor in entire forgefuness,
And not in utter nakedncss,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home.
Wordsworth.
A child lay sleeping by the sea-shore.
Inc tide was coming in so fast. tha! the
foam OF the great waves already dashed
near the feet Of the sleeping one. A
white gull came riding thither on the top
oi huge wave. lie flew high,up IN the
air, and screamed as he flew.
Whereat the sleeper awoke, and look.
cd around him. The place was wild and
lonely; but the red. round sun was rising
up out Of the ocean, and as the sea-
nymphs danced up to meet him, the
points Of their diamond crowns gli,,ered
among the green pillows.
'Nhere am 2 said the child. He
rubbed his eyes, looked all around with
wonder. How came here ? he said
'Ihs is not my home!
Suddenly, he heard soft, sweet voices,
they came from above his head, and the
caves of the rocks echoed them.
Then he remembered that he was
Kings son, and had once lived in a glori-
Gus palace. How had he wandered
thence Had gipsies stolen him, as he
slept in his golden cradle? Those
soft, sweet voices sounded like old times.
Il heard them in my fathers house, said
he; 'oh, | wish they would sing to me
again
In the simplicity Of his little heart, he
thought some one among the rocks sung
IN reply to the voices in the air. He
crept into a cave, and asked, Where is
my home T! Ye that sing here SO sweely
the songs Of my fathers house, can ye
tell me where is my home 2
The waves dashed loud against the
rocks, bu! there was no other sound on
", as he ceased to speak, echo, with hol-
low tones, answered, home
Where is my home?' he cried with
passionate eageruess; and echo again
answered, 'home.'
81 Afraid Of the loneliness, and of the
knocking sounds. the child crcpt on, of
the cave, and came into the morning sun
shine.
lie walked on and on, and 1t seemed to
him as if the smooth, hard beach would
have no end. The great waves, as they
came tumblng and roaring to his feet,
seemed 10 speak into his heart, with
deep loud voice, home home !
Then the tears rolled down his cheeks;
for he felt as if he were wandering alone
in strange place.
As he went along, crying bitterly he
met lame old woman, who said to him
sharply, well John, where have you
been A fine piece Of work is this, for
you to walk IN your sleep, and so DO
whimpering by the sea,shore at break of
day :! ! must tie you to the bedstead and !
then all the walking you mus! do in your
Dreams st.
81 The boy looked timidly at her, as she
took him by the hand and he wondered
within himself if she were the gipsey
that had stolen him. Then he remember
ed the melodious voice, and the echoes,
IN the cave, and how the great laundering
waves seemed to speak into his heart.
"sn'Why don't you talk 2 said the old wo-
man; Il should think you would be glad
to 60 home nW a.sa m 7rs
'''The boy answered, 1T sometimes
scenes to me as if once lived in beau |,
tllul palace, and as if the hu. where we
are going were not my home
THAT comes Of walking in your Sleep
said the old woman these are dreams.
Come home, and go to work, for dream,
ing will get you no breakfast. /
So the lille boy went to her hut; and
when lie had MIXED The COW, and drawn
Che water, and split wood for the oven,
She made ready for him a nice breakfast.
She was very good to him according to
her way and when he had done his
work, she was always willing he should
FUN in the fields to play with other child
Zen. t'~'