Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1850-04-04
VOL. w..

ot the same sedate happiness winch prevad :
ed the spirit to Mary. They talked together
for long time, and at last sunk into silence.
Henry, sat musing, and Mary involunlarily
sazed upon The varying expressions that
passed over his sightess but eloquent face.
sometimes lighting it almost with smile,
sometimes fading into sadness. oetraying
the changing tenor Of his thoughts, which
flowed on, guided only by The mysterious
laws OF ASSOCIATION, and unchecked by the
movements of outward objects. AT last he
asked with mourntul tone
Mary, do you thlnk it would be hard
| thing IT | We're 10 die young 2.
Mary shrtInk from question which SEEM
ell so natural Tor one in h's situation be-
cause she did not imagine that such thoughts
had ever entered The mad of the gay aud
laughing boy. She was startled, too, al the
coincidence between rilelr reflections il was
as If she had looked into his mind and
found it mirror of her own. But she
asked Henry quietly, if he were weary OF
the life God had gwen him.
. no., returned the blind boy 'but il
would not frghten ine,or make me unhappy,
Mary, if knew that were gong to die,
| | know must be burden all nv life TO my
parents, and can be of little use to any one
even TO you think : know not why
II was not meant | should stay here long.
God will soon see whether | am patient,
amabe and pious he will take me away,
when ! have been sufficiently uled.
Mary made no answer. She 100, had mos
ments when the conviction that her life was
not TO be long one, came upon her most
| powerfully, aud TO her, too, il brought that
same gentle, melancholy satisfaction which
seemed stealing over the mind of her blind
brother. He had once asked her, when
very little boy, if she thought he should see
10 heaven; aud the question had made her
shed many tears. She welt now, while She
listened to his plalniIve voice, and heard
nun talk with humble pIety. of his wiling
ness 10 die IN the first bossonIng of youth;
yet her tears were not tears OF bitterness, Tor
she saw that the frame of mind in which
he spoke. was one calculated TO make hum
| happy, living or dying.
She told hIm SO at last, and strove 10
strengthen in his mind that feeling which
dsarms all vexation and sorrow-,a perfect
confidence thar there is a secret good in
every event that befalls US. Her own spir-
It was SO deeply lmbued with this conviction
thar il gave the colorIng TO her whole char
acter II was the idea, which occurred to
her habiuaily and necessarily II was the
secret OF that peace Of mind which neither
trouble, poverty, nor sickness could ruff1e.
She taught HIM how to exercise his mind in
trying to discover the good shrouded in SEEM
ing evil and how, when the justice and
mercy OF any event, were past finding out,
give up the search in undoublIng conf
deuce thai all was right, suffering not his
soul 10 he disquieted.
! Mary was still an invalid, and soon felt
| that she had made more eXertIon than she
| ought 10 have done. Sne paused momect
al the foot OF the hill, because there were
! two ways which led home. They had
| come by cIrcultous path, leading through
! pleasant fields and lanes and The road by
which they now proposed 10 return, would
conduct them across the mill brook straight
to yhe village. She was weak and faint and
they took the shortest way. Silently they
walked on ill they Tad almost reached
small rising ground which lay between them
aud the milI-stream, when Henry suddenly
exclaimed, Sister Mary, where are we P
| hear the water running! Mary listened
moment with a surprised and anxious
countenance, aud qnickeued her pace as
they ascended the aill. As soou as they
came in sight of the stream, she stopped,
astohlshed and almost terrified. The heavy
rain OF the previous day, and the melting
| OF the snow among the hills, had swollen
the miil-brook into deep and rapid stream,
and It now rushed by them with lhe sound
OF many waters. bearing on its rurbid bosom
marks of the devastation IT had already
wrought IN its course. The young buches
and alders that had shaded its green banks
the preceding summer, torn up by the roots,
were whirled along with the current and
amid the white foam Mary descried the wet
| black planks and beams which told the de-
structlon of an old mill OF her fathers higher
up the stream. The bridge. and the new
| mill just below it, were YET standing, but the
waters rose turiously against them, and both
shook and lotrered. Sounds came up every
moment amid the rumut, which told that
something unseen had given way and Mary
looked around 10 VAN for help or counsel
There was not human being III sight. She
did not try to conceal from Henry their true
situation and though the hand she held did
not trembe with The natural fear OF one SO
young and helpless, she saw by his counte.
nance that he was awed. A short but fer
vent prayer was in her mind. There was
no time 10 he lost. She grew weaker every
moment; and summOning up all her strength
for one effort, with quick firm step, looking
neither 10 the right nor left, she FASTENED
|
They had already half crossed it, when
Henry, bewIldered by the noise and the
shaking under his feet, shrunk back invol-
unfairly. Mary flung one arm around him.
and ieebly stTove TO drag him forward,
when, with a tremendous crash, The main
supporters Of the bridge gave way under
them. and IN an instant they were precipi-
tated amid its wrecks into the raging waters.
There were hose who beheld tais spccta-
Gle, and wild cry of agony arose anld The
DIN of destruction hut II came not from The
lips OF The struggling sufferers. William
| Ralleck had come forth 10 look tor his chill
| dren, and warn them Of the ireshet. Just
As he reached the tip of the rising ground
| opposite the one they had descended, he be-
held them with horror attempting 10 cross
the lettering bridge. II was but for mo-
ment as he sprang forward at the sight. u
fearful sound broke OH his ear. aud in another
moneot they were snatched from his gaze.
There was IA short interval OF confusion.
shouts, and cries. Friends and neighborS
came running over the hill to the scene of
| destruction, and there were pale. dI>mayed
| faces, hasIy ggesIions, and wild efforts 10
d scover and save the drowning victims !;
| bur all 10 vain. Suddenly the frantic father
deserted llIs Henry sitting apparently in Sc
curIty, upon some of The wrecks of the
bridge. which had become jammed together
and were arrested in their progress near the
,nliI. Al the same moment the whole group
caught sight of Mary, carried alive and
struggling over the mill dam. Win one
impulse they rushed down the bank and
'ouhu thp mill 10 her re>cua Tic r,th.r