Windham County Democrat. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1836-1853, 1851-08-27
THE BLIND MAN AND THE BLIND COZ
BY MISS BREnER.


e Providence. The heather believed in favoritisni
!, exercised by the GODS in their protecting and favor.
i ing certain individuals, to The exclusion of Others
1t is the privilege Of the Christian TO believe in the
o special providence of paternnl God manifested to
every child of man, and which sooner latter, dur
ing his wanderngs through the many mansions of
,f his existence will clearly be disclosed to him "God
l. enters by private door to every individual" says
modern and most genial writer. So ia his heart so
,, in bis house. or outward world. And though that
v divine visitation does for many persons not take
place during their stay EARTH there are several in
stances in which it is clearly SEEM even here that
we cannot help exclaming, at is the Lord Such
nh Instance we would give in the following story of
two yet living individuals. And that the blind god
IS here made the messenger of the seeing one, will
not impair his reputation.
The young Charles A. followed as physician
with the Swedish army, when that in the wear 1914
with threatening movement entered the valleys of
= Norway, then resisting the annexation TO Sweden
resolved upon by the European monarchs at the
+, Congress at Vienna. dangerous disease of the
: eyes broke out IN the camp The young and talent
ed physician exerted himself lii its cure with rs much
assduity as good luck. All the patients recovered
but he himself finally caught the disease and to him
alone proved fatal. No help would help him
; HIS eye-bals burst, and his sight lost without
remedy. lie was about hye-andtwenty years of uge
when he thus was bereft of the light of day. iIe
was young man of the highest PROMISE handsome
in person. ardent, aspiring, and gifted with rare fac
ultles for his profession. He was ambitious and
stars, beckoned him onward. To be- from these
sunny heights, cast down and shut up in the abvss
of utter darkness, was a dreadful shock to such a.
mind II was TO be buried alive. So he felt it, Life
I was to him a blank and worse than blank His
active soul preyed upon itself And though he
grappled sternly with his destiny bearing without
complaint what he must bear black mechanically
seized upon his mind and made him savage and
! solitary. He shut himself up from the co.npany of
his fellow-creatures and seemed to waste away.
at must not be so !" said to him, one dav. kind
and earnest friend "t must become otherwise with
you! Come let us go together into the country |
among forests and birds and people there and see if
they will not give better feeling of life Than tb;s
close and smoky city, Come, am going TO see INV
relations in Wrmand, and that is about 6undred
miles from here; come with me--be my compau-
ion; we will make friends with nature and men and
forget all our sorrows"
The good friend carried his point and went off
with Charles oil his journey. On the second dnv NJ
ter their departure, they stopped at n little country
town TO change their horses. swat for Inc here. n
moment" said Chares's friend TO him. after having
led him up into room at the tavern 81 must cali
on an acquaintance of mine here hut | will he hack
within hall an hour, and will proceed on orr
journey" lie went away, and Charles waited half
an hour and then another, and yet another hal hour
and still the friend did come back Impatient |
and anxious the blind Young man bepan m wall
about the house, feeling his way with his stick He
found his way out in the vestry, and hearing Iight
footsteps on the staircase, lie called out asking who
was there.
"Who is it that cells Z" answered young female
voice.
The blind man named himself his condition, his
! friend and his anxiety about him.
"Charles A." repeated the voice: "ob then
your are my cousin, and have heard of you and |
dare say. you of me and my family, though we
have never seen one another My name is Maria
| w. My father and myself are going on our
way home TO our country place, in the vicinity of
this town, after n Journey of some weeks Permit
me to lead you TO my fathers room while we will
make inquiries for your friend"
CharesS hand clasped by that of Maria md
he was led by her TO her father.
Inquiries were made for the friend which brought
back the melancholy tdngs that he had, in the street
been seized by attack Of apoplexy, taken into MI
apothecary's shop, and expired an hour afterwards
without recovering his Senses.
Maria and her father took Charles with them 10
their home in the country. Maria felt MS il broth
err was given unto her, whom she ought to comfort
and care for. Her whole wonan's heart was moved
for the solitary sufferer. She led him about in the
| forests, on the green meadows around her home
She made him feel The fresh, sweet, perfuned air
made him smell the flowers of the field listen to the
birds and singing brooks. 1t spring then, and
the brchwood putting forth its leaves filled the air
with fragrance. The skyark, that wonderful bird,
circling in the azure sky, made the space ring with
song; and every little rvulet in the fields warbled
joyousy, winding its way through moses and
grasses. Charles and Maria wandered hand in hand
in that beautiful and happy and expanding nature
US TWO penutllui ana happy spirits. linen they were
happy there, in the company of one another Charles
awakened TO new life Near Maria, he felt as if he
saw the green fields the sunshine the blue sky, tha,
she saw. His sense of smell, his feelings, his eur
opened with delight to the fragrance the winds, the
sounds which surrounded him. like loving minister
ing spirits. And the lovely girl his faithful COM
panlon, shared and heightened still more every hap
py feeling. She brought TO him the flowers, the
grasses and the MOSES, and described them TO him.
tie told her their names their qualities, their life
told her much of the great, mysterious life immature
In the evenings she read 10 him, or he played 10 her
piano and that talent, which he had early acquired
developed itself at once with power and beauty
which was surprise as well as delight to himself
The harnonies Of life, of creation, which now dawn
ed upon his soul, were embodied in his music and
his soul seemed to rise and expand its wings
Even his intellectual powers acquired new strength,
and thong hts and words came to him which made
him poet His health, his strength, came again =
he was again, though deprived ofhis eyes, the hand
some Charles A..
So passed year. Then came a crash, which
threatened TO destroy the innocent happiness of the
two overs,-for lovers they were, though they had
never said il, thought of il. Maras father died.
and his creditors seized upon his fortune. All debts
being paid nothing remained for his only child but
, small annuity, scarcely enough for her support.
"What shall we now do !" said Charles and with
a smile which only served more set off the deep
melancholy of his feeling he added; a can only
{ play for you"
J sand shall work for you p exclaimed Maria with
sudden inspiration, and with cheerful frmness she
went on: "Cbarles, we must not part shall work
for you, for us both. i can-l will When was
very young, used to make dolls, representing our
peasantry in different provinces, in their povncial
costumes, and other toys for children and had them
sold at the fairs, TO procure neede-money be-
yond what my father allowed me, and it was aston
/ ishing how much made by il. Now, will again
take up the play of my childish years. aud make
earnest of it, And have the feeling that shall
e succeed, and by that means get livelihood for US
a both. Then we must not part"
9 "Maria, my sweet companion, my dear Maria, how