The Columbian fountain., 1845-11-11

You mark them twinklng out with syery light,
And wonder how they could elude the sight y
Sand this - ~. a.,..... ....s
&" No sound is uttered, but deep
And solemn harmony pervades
The hollow vale from steep to steep,
And penetrates the glades. -nH
Far distant images draw nigh,
Called forth by wondrous potency #
OF beamy radiance, that imbues
Whateer it strikes with gem-lke hues
In vision exquisitely clear
Herds range along the mountan-side; ra
And gstening antlers are deserted;
And gided focks appear. hh s.t
Thine is the tranquil hour, purpureal Eve.
But long as god-ike wish, or hope divine,
Informs my spirit, meier can believe
That this magnifcence is wholly thine!
From worlds not quickened by the sun
portion Of the gift is won.'' .
" How calm and elevating to the heart, like
the hourhe describes Ellen said, in musing
tone, as she satwith her eyes fixed intently
on the slow--tading glories of the many col
cured clouds.
The influence Of the tranquil hour grad,l-
ally subdued them into silence; and as the
twilight began to fall, each sat in the enioy-
ment Of pure and refined pleasure, conse-
quent upon true appreciation Of the beau
tiful in nature, combined with highly cult
vated tastes, and innocent and elevated
thoughts. @
S'There comes Pa, believe,n Anna re-
marked, breaking the silence, as the hall door
opened and then closed with heavy Jar !;
and the well-known sound of her fathers
footsteps was heard along the passage and
on the stairs.
None Of her children observed the hush
ed intensity with which Mrs. Graham listen
ed, as their father ascended to the chamber.
But they noticed that she became silent and
more thoughtful than at first. In about ten
minutes she arose and left the room.
Something seems to trouble Ma, of late,''
Ellen observed, as soon as their mother had
retired.
So have thought She is certainly, to
all appearance, less cheerful" May replied.
sWhat can be the calse Of il ?''
/" ! hardly think there can be any ya-y Sc
rious cause. We are none of us always in
the same state Of mind.
"But have noticeIa change, in Ma, for
some months past-aad particularly in the
last few weeks" Anna said. s.She is not
happy"
81 remember, now, that overheard her,
about six weeks ago, talking to Alfred about
something-the company he kept, ! believe
and that he seemed angry, and spoke to
her, | thought, unkindly. Since that time
she has not seemed SO cheerful - Ellen said.
'That may be the cause; but still hard
ly think that it is" Anna replied. "Al-
fred's principal associates are William Gray
and Charles Williams and they belong to
our first families. Pa, you know, is very in
timaie with both Mr.. Gray and Mr.. Will
liams.n
1T was to William Gray and Charles
Williams, believe, however, that Ma par
ticularly objected.
'!upon what ground'" ....
"Upon the ground Of their habits, | think,
she said.'
"Their habits What of their habits,
wonder?" vN
8 ! do not know, ! am sure. only re-
member having heard Ma object to them on
that account"
s"That is strange'' was the remark OF Anna.
am sure that have never seen anything
out of the way, in either Of them; and, as to
William Gray, | have always esteemed him
very highly"
$50 have ~ Mary said g Both of them
are intelligent, agreeable young men; and
such, as it seems to me, are in every way
fitted to be companions for our BROTHER"
But Mrs. Graham had seen more of the
world than her daughters, and knew how to
Judge from appearances far better than they.
Some recent circumstances, likewise, had
quickened her perceptions of danger, and
made them doubly acute. In the two young
men alluded to, now about the ages of eigh-
teen and twenty, she had been PANIED to OBJ
serve strong indications ola growing want of
strict moral restraints, combined with a ten
dency towards dissipation; and, what was
still more painful, an exhibition of like per-
versions in her only son, now on the verge of
od.-that deeply responsible and dan
gerous period, when parental authority and
control subside in degree, and the individ-
ual, inexpc .ienced YET s2l(-confdent, assumes
the task Of guiding himself ta
When Mrs. Graham left the room, she
proceeded slowly up to the chamber into
which her husband had gone, where all had
beensilent since his entrance She found a.ii.r.
lyinU upon the bed, and already in 4 soun6