Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1851-05-16


o ing. vet the very birds were silent The par
j., sonage, as he etoppcd before it, seemed deser
d ted. lie entered the drawing room no on
Y was there, but in a moment Alice came in wit
her face pale and anxious, and tears standing
| in her sweet blue eyes.
t Dead = be said with sorrow as he rose an
2 took her hand and poor Ellen =
;. There is something in sorrow which max
a young hearts yearn to love each other stronge
e than before; and Alice trembled, but did no
e start away when he kissed her forehead ant
! said:
1T shall be ours to love Ellen and to cheet
r her stricken heart! And where is she p ht
, asked.
r. 'She is asleep, poor thing thought it woult
t kill her to see her mother de--i did almost
] You know how for nights she has not slept, anC
now all is over, from mere exhaustion sh5 is r
r n deep. almost too deep, Sleep
] 'And do you think she will survive her moth.
er long Docs she not already look as if she
} must soon die 2
i fear so, at times replied Alice; 'but she
, is young and perhaps you will think me an
, cgotst, but think she loves me very much
aud if | love her like a sister and watch over
her, she may live and be happy yet
Two days after, and the whole village fol-
lowed the remains of the old pastors widow to
1.-The crave. Every BODY had loved her while
alive, and mourned her now sne was dead.
There is ALWAYS something peculiarly touch
ing about a country funeral, where all the
. nelghbors gathered together and follow the
corps to its final home, while the solemn vii.
| lage bell tolls mourntully; but this scene was
sadder than any the villagers had witnessed
r since the old pastors death.
It was the custom then and is now in that
place to open the co!fin-id at the grave. and
let all present take Il last look, and last of all
the relations razc upon the face of the departed,
, and tine dearest friend of the deceased folds
; down the muslin over the dead face, and shuts
it away from human siuht forever. The Gus
tom is a strange, almost cruel one, but is still a
, custom in many parts of New England. When
the coffin rested beside the open crave, the lid
was raised. and one by one the VILLAGERS looked
. upon the widows face, some with tears and
, s05s. some with sirhs, and some without any
visible emotion, thoi rh they were few.
: Charles Davenport stood not far from Ellen,
, who was leaning upon Alice in state of wild
sorrow. lie walked W to the coffin with An
t ne Withors upon his arm she gazed down Ut
( or tina, placid face, for through all the sorrow
S OF the countenanco there cleaned a look of ho-
" happiness, without a tear. Bat Charles burst
into Hood of tears as he looked upon the touch
: ingy beautiful face before him, aud thought
OF her suffering aud Eien's bitter sorrow.
: Ellen came last, leaning upon the farmers
, daughter, kind Alice. who would not let her &c
up alone TO take the laSt--lta look. Her face
was very pale and sorrowtul, and as she reach
: ed the coiin.side she sank upon her knees
> There WAS look of agony intense and bitter
upon her face, and the tears ran down like rain
y from her eyes. She kissed the white forehead
, ana stretch out her trembling hand to replace
the muslin over her mothers face 1t was more
. than sle could bear, for throwing herself into
. A.ice's arms and whispering, 4 cannot! | can
I not !! she tainted away. Charles was at heI
side in An instant, and covering up that sorrow
p fu vet sweet deac face, bore Ellen away tc
! fresh air and cool water. The lid was shut
r. and the coffin lowered into the grave; few
remarks, which sounded strangely cold were
f made by the fashionable young clergyman, and
people turned away to their homes.
It was IN vain that Anne Wlthers waited tor
Charles: he and Nice had borne Ellen to the
farmers home, and were doing all thew could
ia soften her agonizinr sorrow. In the evening
he came back TO ilr Wlthers, but started the