Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1847-06-02

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4 -and to secure their own happiness, to b
r married before their arrival at c..
] Lucy remained insensible for some hours
When she revived and had apparently re
gained her consciousness, she still main
tained her strange silence. This continu
ed sfof many weeks, and when It partially
passed away, her friends saw with mex
! Epressible grief that her reason had fed
she was hopelessly insane! But her mad
ness was Of mild and harmless nature.
She was gentle and peaceable as ever, but
sighed frequently, and seemed burdened
with some great sorrow which she could
Not herself comprehend. She had one pc.
culiarity, which all who knew her in after
years, must recollect;-this was wild feal
and careful avoidance of men. She also
seemed possessed by the spirit of unrest -
She could not, she would not be confined,
but was continually escaping from her
friends, and going they knew not whittier.
While her parents lived, they, by their
watchfnl care, and unweary efforts, in some
measure controlled this sad propensity; but
when they died, their stricken child be-
came wanderer, homeless, friendless and
forlorn.
Through laughing springs and rosy
summers, and golden autumns, and tenn
pestuous winters, it was tramp, tramp,
tramp-no rest for herof the crushed heart
and the crazed brain. sstI go
remember her as she was in my early
CHILDHOOD, toward the last of her weary
pilgrimage. As my father and my elder
brothers were frequently absent, and as
my mother never closed her heart or her
door on the unfortunate, "Crazy Lucy
often spent an hour or two by our fireside
Her appearance was very singular. He
gown was always patched with many col
ors, and her shawl, or mantle, worn ant
J torn, until it was all open work and fringe
The remainder of her miserable wardrobe
she carried in q bundle, on her arm, ane
sometimes she had a number Of parcels Of
old rags, dried herbs, &c,
In the season offlowers, her tattered bon
net was profusely decorated with those
which she gathered in the wood, or by the
way side. Her love for these, and her
sweet voice were all that were left her OF
the bloom and music of her existence.-
Yet no,-her meek and child-like piety
still fingered. Her God had not forsaken;
far down into the dim chaos Of her spirit,
the spirit, the smile Of His love yet CLEAN.
ed faintly-in the waste garden of her heart
she still heard His voice at eventide, and
she was not "afraid." Her Bible went
with her everywhere "a torn and soiled
volume, but MS holy still, and it may be as
dearly cherished, my reader, as the gorg-
eous copy now lying on your table, bound
in "purple and gold" and with the gliding
untarnished upon its delicate leaves.
remember to have heard my mother
relate touching little incident connected
with one Of Lucy's brief visits to us.
The poor creature once laid her hand on
the head Of one of my brothers, and asked
of him his name. civilian Edwin" he
replied, with a timid, upward glance. She
Caught away her hand, and signing heavi-
ly, said, as though thinking aloud, II knew
an Edwin once, and he made me broken
hearted"
This was the only instance in which she
was ever known to revert to the sad event
which had desolated her life.
Thirty years from the time Of the CON-
mencement Of this mournful history, on q
bleak autumnal evening, rough country
wagon drove into the village ofC. Il
stopped at the alms-house, Ian attenuated
form was lifted out, and carried in, andthe
wagon rumbled away. This was Lucy
Duiton, brought to her natius tom to die.
She had been in decline for some
months and the miraculous strength which
had SO long sustained her in her weary wan.
derings, at last forsook her utterly. Her
sister had died some time before, and the
widowed husband had soon after removed
with his family 70 the far West:-so Lucy
had no friends, no home but the alms-house.
But they were very kind to her there.
The matron, a true woman, whose soft
heart even the hourly, contemplation Of hui
man misery could not harden, gave
herself with unwearying devotion 70 the
care Of the quiet sufferer. With the eyes
Of Christian faith, she watched the shattered
bark Of that life, as borne down the tide Of
time it neared the great deep Of eternity,
with an interest as. intense as through. 1t
were royal galley. MI. ,% n.
One day about week from the time Of
her arrival, Lucy appeared to suffer great
ly, and those about her looked for her re-
lease almost impatiently; but at night she
was evidently better, and for the first time,
slept TRANQUILITY until morning. The mat
ron who was BY her bedside when she q
woke, was startled by the earnest look
which met her own--but she smiled, and
bade the invalid 'sgood morning!'' Lucy
looked bewildered, but the voice seemed TO
re.assure her, and she exclaimed:
s"Oh what along, long night this has