The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1849-02-03

on and on increasingly. Weary with
gazing she closed her eyes. and when she
re opened them the maidens had vanish
ed; only the strange lazy in her shining
garments was be side her, and she heard
d low, siivery voice saying:
"They who are called to fulfill a mis-
sion among nations must find their sons
and their daughters beneath the roof-tree
OF the poor and the oppressed. Childless
art thou, Barbara, yet the maidens OF
Saxony through yet uncoanted ages shall
call thee mother"
Ia bara awoke from her dream, but so
strongly was it impressed uron her memo
rv: that she could not ban sh it from her
thoughts for many days. Blu, il had d,ue
its wo.k upon her gentle spirit, for rom
that hour she felt that Heaven had some
ecompense in store for her, and though
utterly unable to interpret her Wis on, she
endeavored by redoubllng her charities to
find herself children among the needy and
sorrowiul.
But year after year fleeted IN, a d Herr
Uttmans coal-black locks had become
almost silver white, while Bar ara's cheek
had lost nothing, of its sraoo!hness, and
her golden locks, though gait e ed beneath
nations coli. were still as GLOSSY and
sunny as in her girlhood. For time seem
cd to have spared her gentle beauty, as if
in reverence for the gentle spirit which
1t had clothed in fitting garb.) She had
long since forgotten her youthful repln-
inrs, for from every cottage IN the hamlet
had blessings gone up to heaven upon her
who was the friend 10 the friendle>s, and,
though her dream were S Ill vivid in her
remembrance, she faucied that she had
already attained its fuIfllment in the
gratitude of the poor
"Colne with me sweet wife. and l will
show thee new wonder in the mines
said the good Herr Uttman, one sum-
mers morning
Barbara looked up with pleasant
smile:
"IIavcI not thr eaded with thee all the
mazes OF the dark mountains, and gath
cred the glittering spar, the many-tinted
stone, and the rough gem2 Are there yet
more marvels in thy dark domain"
NAY, don the wimple and hood, and
thou shalt see."
So Barbara went forth wi h her hus-
band, and he led her 10 the yawning
mouth of dark cavern in the mount .ins.
Carefully EMBEDDING her in thick cloak,
to protect her from the jagged points OF
the rocks, he took her in his arms, (for
he had lost none ofhis gigantic strength
ana bore her like child, into the cav.
ern. For time they wendell theil way
in what seemed 10 be total darkness, and
she was only conscious Of being carried
along winding PASSAGES, where she felt
the spray Of subterranean torrent, and
heard the dash of its waters in some I'M
fathomed chasm. At length her husband
setting her feet upon broad ledge Of
rock, lifted the cloak from her face and
babe her look upon the scene before
ner.
Barbara found herself at the entrance
of long gallery in the mine, in the roof
Of which an aperture had been made up
to an outer surface of the mountain, and
through which fool Of sunshine was
pouring down into what seemed glitter
ing corriIor, hung with festoons OF the
most exquisltely wrought tapestry New
er had Barbara beheld any thing so fan
tasicallv beautiful. The sides of the
shaft were covered with a half transpar-
ent fabric, enwrought with patterns like
rich embroidery, through which the
gleam of the metal shone like gold, as
the sunbeam danced into the cavern
depths.
L was a gallery in the mine, which
years before had been closed up and for
gotten, The workmen, while digging
an air shaft, had struck into the disused
chamber. Cut in the solid ore, the pill.
lars which supported its roof were carved
into grotesque shapes, as the whim ofthe
old miners had directed the stroke Of
their tools During the years that it had
been closed, the spiders had taken pos
session OF lis walls, and their webs, spun
over and over again, for more than hail
a century, had produced tapestry rich.
er in design, and more airy In fabric than
ever came from the looms OF Ispahan.
1t needed but little stretch of the i'm
aglnation to behold the vine with its tiny
tendrils and dropping fruit, the rose with
its buds and leaves, the fantastic a'abes
que border, and the quaint devices of an
cient embazoning in that many tissued
yet translucent web. No where else
could the same humble material have
worn the same magical BEAUTY, for the
mingled colors OF the ore which formed
the walls, and the golden sunshine pour.
ing through the roof. tinted the wover
tracery with all the kues OF the rainbow
Barbara stood entranced before thi.
strange spectacle, but while she gazed
dim and vague recollections came throne
I inv unon her mind At LENGTH all wa