The Middlebury galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1848-1850, 1848-10-10

Dtller " lucH. DcueT, lar, 10 Qie
What is death, after all? Life, having lost all
The world is little better that such as we have
lived, and will be no worse that we die. Its
soil, indeed, will be somewhat richer
"No, NJ" said calm, deep voice, some
what broken by age; "no, no you reason
wrongly. If the world is no better that we
have lived, we should live longer and so make
it better
| could hear nothing more of the converse
ton as they passed, but l was again wonder
ing who the lady could be, when Joe rose and
broke on: into one of his strange comminglings
of truth and dream, poetry and fact
81 wish | could live in it" said he, in a mu-
sing tone, as he looked at the sea; al wish
could live in it. To lie down quietly on some
green bank under the water and sleep. All
one might sleep well. | say, W"
We'll, Joe :" said !, rising and looking at
him.
"Do YOU see that large wave out yonder
that seems hurrying as if anxious TO dash on
this beach,"
"Ido,' said /, waiting his continuance
"And do you see that foam cap on it break
ing even now, and now gone. Is it not beau
tiful Well. I'll tell you what l was fancying:
That that wave was like some lives, as it comes
shoreward, dark in the main, vet calm, deep,
steadily pressing on. Once in while bright
CLEAN on its surface gladens it, but those
CLEANS are gone on the instant, and the wave
at length comes on and breaks, murmuring the
story Of its life as it rolls up the silvery beach
1t breaks in brilliant foam, and the stars SPAR
kle on the thousand plumes that dance along
its ridge, and plumes and jewels and all are
swallowed up by the great tide of life that fol-
lows. Yet few bubbles, bright and beauti-
| full, float seward over the next waves, and
come again on shore with others. These are
like memories of the departed, which last with
us till one by one we follow them bearing all
such memories with US. Why don't you lis
ten, w."
81 am listening, Joe -, and I was think
ing of this ocean, in which you and are now
so pleasantly floating side by side; and what
waves sometimes lift us to The stars,-waves of
buoyant hope and life and wild AMBITION
and how some stormy night in the uncer-
tain years to be, sudden wave, blue strong
wave will take one of US shore-ward, and leave
the other floating alone. 1t will come sud
denly, Joe. You Will hear me shout; may
hap amid the roar of the breakers | may not
be heard distinctly vet my old friend, / will
call aloud to you and the thunder of the surf
will not wholly overpower the last words Of
my love for YOU"
al cannot mistake that voice. II must be
my old friend Mr.. W."
! started from my position at this Interrupt
ton, and saw standing near me the unknown
lady of the Kursaal. Still unknown. l could
mt for my life have recalled that face, beautiful
as it was. al see you do not know me-" con.
tinued the lady, "yet remembered you three
hours ago. Shall need to remind on of the
highlands, or have you forgotten them? OF
the Fawn's leap, or have you so long been alb
sent from it that you have even forgotten Ell
lens glen ?"
"Ellen B-p'
"The samc-only my name changed wher
I was married. Allow me to introduce IN,
husband, MIR. s."
/ bowed as politely as possible to the hus
band of one of that little company, now wide
ly scattered that made glad the days of ou
childhood on the Hudson, and straightwa,
commenced a conversation in which al
the past was recalled. We remained on the
beach half an hour, when she babe US good night
Unjust return. Mr. S is not well,ant
we have but walked out TO breathe the coo
air after the confinement CT the evening Yor
will call on me in the morning"
readily promised this, and Joe and mysel
resumed our places on the sand. A long 81
lence cnsued, broken at length by myself
"Joe,-I loved man once whose life wa
like that wave you were speaking of awhile
. ago,-only it was all dark, save that once, fo
an instant, star cleaned on breaking crest
, and oh, how holly And that wave is some
, where rolling yet in this great ocean of life
and am sure no CLEAN ever gladdens it.
That lady had brother. You heard her sa,
she did not know where he was. Nor do l.
D Years have passed since he was in America.
; He was born near our old home, and grew
! to manhood by my 81 lie. You knew him well
but see Won have forgotten the family. Die
YOU not recognize Ellen -
' "Is it possible? Ellen B? / am sur
prised. did not hear her name when yol
were speaking. Well, 90 on. What becam
> of Frank ? | never heard of his fate after
e left the Highlands.
l continued my story. lie loved -"
). "And was disappointed of course, as thou
sand have been," interrupted Joe, with sud
den sneer.
Yes, my cynical Joe, he was disappointed
and when he thought to have held her to hi
heart, another embrace was around her; sh
slept on another's breast She was not tn
first whom death has won from the embrace Q
Il affection"
n "Ah, she died, did sle-better for her tina
: she did. Her love would some day have prov
, ed her agony"
:, "Joe, YOU are in queer humor tonight
s. You are not often so much Of an old bachelor
II What has come over you 2"
:, Nothing, nothing; go on with your histor
d of Frank"
al have no history to tell you. You kno1
d how devoted he was to study. lie loved moth
= ing but books for years, until one summe
d morning fairy startled him as he lay on til
r bank of the creek with an open volume {
if Plato by his side. He looked up and was los
II He tried to read on, but found that every lei
J. ter was blue eye, and every page myster
k of beauty which he had never before dreame
c. of, and he walked home to admonish his siste
d by asking her who lady was that had passe
a him on the bank that morning.
&c Thenceforward there was rival IN b
e head to his books, and at length she had tn
victory complete. And well she might: Oh
$ was as beautiful as dream. Sweet sixteer
Of blue-eyed, and very small. Frank was ia