The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1850-03-01

sounds of tile wind among the tree-tops made a
pleasant music, and we listened and were silent.
''fhe Stiffness was broken by the voice Of Joseph
S..
You will pardon me ifl pass over that scene.
] dare not attempt the description of it. 1t
was my first lesson in human suffering, and
though have learned, it over and over since
| then, though the iron has entered my own
soul and scared and SCARED it, yet have never
seen, nor do believe have ever felt, more
agony than those felta they parted that night
to meet no more on earth
= He bowed his lips to her forehead, and mur-
INJURED the solemn word Forever
= She woke at that word, and exclaimed, with
startling vehemence, NO, no; there is no such
word, joe
'We shall not meet again OIL earth, my gen.
tie one And what is earth?
! Her tall form grew more queenly, and her
dark eyes flashed divinely as she rose and ex-
Claimed, in a clear and silvery tone:
sAnd what is carthl These things must
end. will name a tryst, dear Joe, and you
shall keep it. If you pass first into. the other
world, wait for me on the other bank; and if
20 hence before you, I Twill linger ON the other
shore until you come Will you remember!
E"I will live and die in his memory.
She lifted her face to his. end her arms to
his neck, and they clung together in long and
passionate embrace. Theirlips did not separ-
ate, but were pressed close together, until he
felt her form cold, and her clasp relaxed, and
he laid her gently down on the old seat, bowed
over her a moment in prayer, and was gone.
Iheard him say, Take care of her w.,
and so strove to recall the life that had gone
from her lips, and checks, and eyes. 1t came
Slowly, and she woke rs we wake in the morn
ing after death has entered our charmed cir
Gle, with an oppression on the brain, and a
swimming, swollen senselessness of soul.
At length she remembered all raised her
self with half.articulated exclamation of ago
ny, broken by a sob; then fell OH her knees by
the bench, and buried her face in her hands,
and remained thus for nearly half an hour
When she rose, her face was us the face Of
an angel It wore that same exalted look un-
til she died.
think she took cold that night, she was
never we'll afterwards, and the next winter she
passed at the South, returning in the spring very
fragile, but very beautiful.
Joseph s. was sent abroad by one of
the Boards Of Missions of the Church, but his
health failed, and he resigned his commission,
while he travelled through the Eastern world.
Three years fled with their usual swittncss.
To Sarah D they were very slow and
painful years, yet she was happy III her quiet
way, aud no one dreamed of the strange tryst
she was longing to keep Oh the other side OF
that dark river which men so shrink from She
grew ircblcr ,Ia y us the summer and autumn
advanced, and in December she was evidently
dying.
Ore lav her mother had been out the house,
perhaps making calls. She returned at eve
ming and, among other incidents of news which
she had learned, she mentioned to Sarah the
death of her old friend, Joseph s..
The fair girl WAS reclining in her large arm
chair, looking out through the closed windows
at the snow on the ground, and the pure moon.
light which silvercd it, There WAS no startling
emotion visible as her mother mentioned the
fact which to her was the most solemn yet most
ioyul news the world could give, for now, how
much nearer was their meeting! saw Il
smile flash across her face as the joyful news
reached her ear | saw her forehead raised to
feel the caress which | know she felt! She
was silent for nGany minutes, and then spoke in
feeble vet very musical accents, and !, boyishly,
went aloud Then she smiled, and looked at
me with finger upraiscd, and said, WHIT Il little
while longer, dear W. And then after Il
moment, she said, Mother is the SHOW very
deep"
Not very, dear Why did you ask?'
Because, if it were deep, I thought it would
be difficult for old Mr.. Smith to find our lot in
the grave yard. Are all the hca,l-stoncs cov-
cred, mohcr!'
'What is the matter, Sarah? What if they
are covered"
Mother, dear il is useless to conceal it from
ourselves, or from one another. You know,
and quite as well, that an dying have
not wished to live, only for one thing did long
for lie. and dreaded to meet death all alone
But now shalInot. W. will tell you what |
mean when am gone. Yes gone, dear mo-
ther. shall not be here amy longer This
chair will stand here, and 1 shall not be
any where near it, You will be here, and
Gather, and you will rise and walk about, and
visit, and 90 in an out, and sleep, and walk IL
gain, and so on day after day, and shall have
no part any longer in your cares and joys
dear mothcr;' and, as she uttered the last two
words, she put her arms around her mothers
neck and kissed her iondly, and sank back in-
Han T,,t ,tf,,i intr