Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1850-01-24


it might have seemed the face Of an angel
Its exprsssion was that Of sadness. and \ d
tear trenlpled in the soft blue eyes, without
escapingsfrom the fringe Of their lids. j. T
RpsvE4hal said the mother, gently
The young girl started, and passed Her
hand ever her brow
" Tits late, my daughter, and thy father
has asked for thee .l.f
II via come presently. my MOTHER +
z Thou hast been weeping, Roswitha ln|l
az 49, = II /
" Thoa are wont 70 sing all day, Ikea
bird Oh the mountains And now | mark,
thy clinekI is pale Hath evil CHANGED to
thee, Roswitha It would break thy moth
CT S heart III Hf'E IJd
The young girl pressed her lips to- til
hand Of her parent and answered, after Id
II hare nothing to grieve me, dearest
mother, save the thought that you and nily
must howItol like peasants And my flthi
CIR .hassno wine to-checr him when he is fiipt /
| heed not poverty tit is bitter 10 him.
!" It's our lot, and we must submit, said
the dame, mournfully II /
Madame Perota, the rich lady in tic
hamlet-wishes young girl, like me, for anI
attendant if / might 60, and earn MONEY.
for you and my father ~ - - FI
aSPeakEn not oft, Roswitha thou wouldst
find the great damc's minors harder than
labor And couldst thou leave us Np4-.
no-z-weiwtll bear perjury together Better
days liavcbeen, and may come again" q:
So saying, the dame wiped her eyes, AHA
returned towards the cottage followed WI.
her daughter Roswitha bad not told aiI
her Thoughts She said net how the,old taIc
she had heard so oft in childhood of tr4a1
sure bnri{a in the mountains Of the Schalk-
stein, had Of late dweit dpdn5her mind SHE
told not how she had dreamed twice Of walk
ing on Tho mountain, and finding tile mys-
FERROUS flower, and the treasure; and hQw
happy III blade her parents Nor how She
had watched for Tho Eve Of St.John, aad
prayed I'LL day to ST. Agnes, till her heart
was sttSng within her, and shewa resolved
to faceSveFy danger for the sake Of thosetoE
whom she 9Eed life. All this, and her rSs-
olutiou, Roswitha kept within her own
heart SHE smiled as She babe her father
good eve and meekly bore his pqtulant Chi
ding 3rlfngcring 50 late, and assisted her
mother t.ih household work, talking che4r-
fully the while until her parents, atterl eYe-
ming, prayer, retired to their rest Her own.
little chaihber was next to theirs She saat,
ed hcrkGlf BY the easement, haning her head
on her fir hand, and watched tine glorious.
moon g3iug up the sky, till the orb sliuug
like er9Mn Of silver over the nouutainI-
Then Rbs3itba softly opened the door, and
went fbaih The whole valley was light as
day She walked rapidly without looking
round hAr, till she reached the mountain Of
the Sch4lkkteip. The woods here were not,
dense Who moonlight strcamed through the
foliage tp the ground and bending forward
as she walked, the maiden sought the strange.
flower. There were pale marigoids in aHln-.
dance, and blu. bells, and the golden. but
tcrcupk,l aud ST Johns wort, and the l8wlyI
daisy, and phlox, and the wild violet \; but.
all these were familiar. In yarn she sopglt.
one sAe had never seen. Intent onf tic.
search she wandered for hours upon the.
mountain At last the blcached, bareback
Of the Scsalkstein rose full before her, white
in the moonlight All was still as death i
and as tha utter loneliness of her situation, /
miles frsai home, occurred for the first time
to RosWitha, she felt her heart sink within.
her. nhs spot was banned by spirits Ill
was tlieIhour of their sway What dia she,
Wandering alone in their domain, seeking.
treasure over which they alone had power
Or might not eyil. men be lurking at mid,
night Id these lonely woods How Gould la
helpless grl,if she CHANGED upon rpbbers.
escapes rf fy Then her parents should
they awake aud call to her--what would lie
their alarm s.srhen she answered not, and
they found a#her chamber solitary Poor.
girl her courage had departed she only.
wished ltd reach home in safety. Walking
as fastas possible, she took the nearest way
homewarlsi but bcwildercd and frightened,
lost herself in the woods. After wandering
about some TING in uncertainty, she silt down,
utterly exhausted and weeping bitterly, at
the foot of s tree Nature soon yielded to
fatigue and sorrow, and she fell int9a pro
found slumber.
Thefmodn was Just descending behind the
mountaiii opposite, when dark figure, wrap
ped ina cloak, entered the woods II was
the stranger from the hamlet Hctoo had
bccI wandering around the Schalkstein, ~
his philosophers search. Beguiled BY the
beatty Of Tie night, and the romantic views
thatIpFesentcd themselves at almost every
turn. He hadsroamed farther than he intend
ed The sight Of a white object dit little
distance paused him to quicken his pace
Ee1kath the shelter ola tree a yon1g aud
bcaHtifuIgiri lay sleeping Her clIedE rest
ed ons the. dark moss her loosehed| hair, in
long. light cnrls, lay on her fair neck aud
bospin Tears still hung ON the silken eye
lasBcs, ard aow and then though Her sluIn-
<berI was dsep as an infants sigh heaved
4 her breast, as if even Id sleeping sid had not
forgottenihcr grief Never had 50 exquisite
picture pf youth and grace and lSyelineks,
met the gaze of the stranger. Taking Of
his mahtk, lie laid it softly over tile uncon-
sc;ous maiden, and seated himself beside
her Ef
Hours :passc Md still the stranger watch
ed tic slim hcr u the fair girl AT length,
the gray DAMN began to steal over the sky
the lAountaif - were crimscnedEwith The
frst fayssofth1 lii. RosWitha opened her
eyes. started up, and shriekcd When she saw
nan solpcaF her.
A 1 Be n6s alarmed, fair maiden, y said be,
HIS d found thee sleeping, and made bold 10
guard tbs rest, and to shelter theclWith my
mantle from the night air /"
\ RpsEitha aimidly murmurrd her thanks.
and Begafs I'd walk quickly homeward. The
stranger fplIowed her. They soon passed
out 81 tha woods but the sun Had risen
when thego9ng girl came III sight Of the
cottage Ger parents had already missed
her, and we're calling her name inRtones Of
ferror ana aYtStffsh -