Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1845-04-18
MISCELLANEOUS.
THE POOR GIRL, AND THE ANGELS
Sleep, sanity poor one sleep, sleep on,
And waking, find thy labor done.

We never remember seeing any notice of the
dear old legend we are about to relate. save in
come brief and exquisite liues by Charles Lamb
and yet, simply and quantity it confirms our child.
hoods faith, when Heaven seemed so much nearer
to earth than it had ever been since; and we veri-
ly believed that angels watched over the good and
pure Of heart!
Once upon time there lived in far off coun-
try place. girl we shall call Alice, with an a.
ged and bedrd MOTHER dependent upon her exer-
tons for their sole support And although at all
periods they Jared hardly enough, and sometimes
even wanted for bread, Alice never suffered her.
self TO be cast down, placing her whole trust in
Him who 'tempers the wind to the shorn lamb
And when better days come again, who 50 glad
and thankful as that young girl?
1t may be all very pretty and picturesque for po-
cts and artists to picture to themselves calm peace
full scenes OF rural loneliness; in the foreground
of which they generally place some happy village
maid, sitting in the cottage porch at the sunset
hour, and singing merriy at her wheel-even as
bright-eyed and glad hearted damsels of our own
times toke up their sewing only as a pleasant eX-
cuse to be silent and alone, that they may indulge
In sweet and gentle musings. But let not for
get, that what is pastime to the few, may be to
the many weary and never-endlng toll - en-
crossing the day that seems SO long, and yet it is
not half long enough for all they have to do break
ing into the quiet hours set apart by nature for rest
and mingling even with their troubled dreaus-
Thus it was, often-times with our heroine And
yet she sang, too, but generally hymns, for such
sprang most readily to her lips and seemed most
in harmony with her lonely and toilsome life
while her aged mother would lie for hours listening
TO what seemed to her as gush of sweet and pray
ertul music, and not questioning but the songs of
the good upon earth might be heard and echoed by
the angels in Heaven Poor child it was sad to
see thee toll so hard-but beautiful to mark thy
flial devotion and untiring ove-thy thankiulness
TO have the work TO do, otherwise both must have
starved long since thy trust IN Providence, that
for her sake it would give thee strength for thy la
borious tasks-the hope that grew all the brighter
and purer through trials-the store Of sweet and
pious thoughts, that brought thee such pleasant
comfort, and gave wings to many weary hour of
earthly toll.
For years Alice had contrved to lay by enough
to pay the rent of their little cottage, ready against
the period when it should become due but now
either from the widows long illness, or the hard
ness of the times which presses in seasons of
national or commercial difficulty, most heavily up
those least able to struggle against its addition
al weight, the day came round and found her I'M
prepared. 1t 50 happened that the old landlord
was dead, and his successor one Of those stern
men, who without being actually hard heaned,
have peculiar creed Of their own with regard to
the poor, which they never weary of repeating
holding poverty to be but another name for idle
ness, or even crime; a baneful error, which has
done much to plunge its unhappy victims into their
present fallen condition; and yet even he was
touched by her tears, and meek Geprecatng words,
and consented to give her one weeks grace, in
which she reckoned to have finished and got paid
for the work she then had in the house. And al
though the girl knew that in order to effect this
she must work day and night, she dared ask no
longer delay, and was grateful to him for
granting her request.
8 1t will be lesson to her not to be behind hand
in future though her stern companion, when he
found himself alone; no doubt the girl has been
ldlipg Of late-spending her money on that pale
coored hood she wore, -although, sooth to saw
nothing could have been more becoming to her del
lcate complexion, instead Of having it ready as u.s.
ual. And yet, sleeping or waking, her grateful
thanks haunted him strangely almost winning him
to gentler thoughts-we say almost, for deep-root-
ed preiudices such us his, were hard-very hard TO
overcome. Alice returned home with light heart.
'Well ? said the widow anXousy.
'All right, mother with Gods blessing, we
will keep the dear old cottage in which you tell nc
you were born
'And hope to die
Not .yet-not yet, dear mother3 exclaimed the
girl passionately; 'what would become of your
poor Alice, if she were to lose you?
'And yet am but burden on your young life
No, no-a blessing, ralhern
Alice was right; labor and toll only ask an OBJ.
ject-something to love, and care, and work for to
make it endurable, and even sweet! And then.
kissing her INQUIRER, DuI saying not word OF all
she had to do, the girl took oil the well preserved
hood and cloak, which had given rise to ouch I'M
Just animadversions, and putting them carefully H.
way, sat down in hopeful spirit to her Wheel
The dark cloud which had hung over her in the
morning, seemed already breaking, and she could
even fancy the blue sky again in the distance.
All that day she only moved from her work to
prepare their simple meals, to wait upon the help
less but patient invalid, who, but for the eyes of
watchfu love ever bent upon her, would have striv.
en- painfully to perform many little duty for her
SELF rather than tax those willing hands, always so
ready to labor in her behalf And when night
came, fearing to cause that dear mother needless
anxiety, Alice lay down quietly by her side, watch.
ing until she had fallen asleep, and then rising
noiselessly, returned to her endless tasks. And
yet, somehow, the harder she worked the more it
seemed to grow beneath her weary fingers; the
whole truth Of the matter was, she had overrated
her own powers, and was unaware Of the much