The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1851-07-05
; TIIE BItOKEN-IIEAaTED.
ny 1uns u, WHITTIER


strickcn flower TO the grave tho strong man
ficrcely breathing out his soul upon the ieId
Of battle the miserable convict standing up
on the soAdold, with deep curse upon his
lips. ! have viewed death in all its iorms of
darkness aud vengeance, with a fearless eye /;
bat never could hook on woman--young and
lovely woman-fading away from the earth
in beautiful and uncomplhining melancholy,
without feeling the very fountain Of lifc turn
ed 10 tears aud dust Death Is always tirri-
BILE, but whom a form of angelic beauty is pass
ing OF 10 the silent land Of the slcopers, the
heart feels that something lovely is eeasing
from existence, and broods witfisa sense of
ter desolation over the lonely thoughts that
come like spectres from the grave 10 haunt
our midnight musings-
A few years since, | took up my residence
for u short time in country village in the
eastern part Of New England. Soon afor
my arrival, became acquainted with love
ly girl, apparently about seventeen years OF
age. She had lost the idol other pure hearts
purost love- aud the shadows of deep and ho-
ly memories wero resting like the wing Of
death upon her brow. ! GutSsaw her in the
presence Of the mirthful, She>NaS.ipdcod a
cTPaturc to be worhipcd; her brow was
garlandcd with the young years sMecicst
flowers; her young locks were hanging beau
tiully and low upon her bosom, and she
moved through the crowd with such float
ing and uncarhly grace, that the bcwildcrcd
gazcr almost looked TO see her fade away in
to the air, like the creation Of some pleasant
dream. She seemed cheerful Al ! even CAV,
yet | saw that her Eayety was but the mock
cry Of her feelings. She smiled, but there
was something in her smile which told that
its mournful beauty was but the bright rchcc-
ton of "A tear; s,Ill her cyelids at times closed
heavily down, as ifstruggling to rcprcss the
IL alarl- HAT WAS Lnrsting up from her
iit,'r-t -rr-rt -ir1rr.yr-i she
could haveIcn the scene Of icstiyity and gone
out beneath the quiet stars, and laid her fore
head down upon the fresh green earth, and
poured out her stricken soul, gush after gush
till it mingled with the eternal fountain of
life and purity
A''fo oiiA NN'h1 Illa"ti VIZ anu lllhL hNttt
girl gave me her confidence, and became to
her brother She, was wasting away by
disease. Ihe sni y upon her lip was fainter,
the purple veins upon her check grew vsi-
Bile, and the cadence of her voice became
daily more week and trcmulous. On a quiet
evening in the depth of June, wandered
out with her in the open air. It was then
that she first told mo the tale of passion, and
the blight that had come down like mildew
upon her life. Love had been the portion
of her existence. It's tendrils had been twin
ed around her heart in it's earliest years and
when they were rent away, they LEFT wound
which ilowcd TIL al tbe springs OF her soul
were blood
Il nm passing away, she sairi, land it
it should be so. ThGwinds have gone over
my life, and the bright buds of hope, and the
sweet blossoms of passion are scattered down,
and lie withcring in the dust, or rotting away
upon the chill waters Of memory. And yet
| cannot 90 down among the tombs without a
tear. 1t is hard to leave the friends wholovo
me it is very hard to bid farewell TO these
Mon from childhood and which from day TO
day have caught the color of my life, and
sympathsed with its joys and SORROWS. That
little grove, where / have so often strayed
with my buried love, and where at times, and
even now tre sweet tones Of his voice come
stealing around mel till the whole air becomes
one intense and mournful melody-that PEN
sve star, which we used to watch in its early
rising, and on which my fancy still can pic
sure his form looking down upon me, and
beckoning me TO his own bright home-eyery
flower, and tree, and rivuet, on which the
memory of early love has set its undying seal
have become dear to me-and can, not
without sigh, close my eyes on them forev-
err
have lately heard that the beautiful girl
Of whom have spoken is dead. The close
of her life was calm as the falling of quiet
stream-gentlo as the signing of the breeze
that fingers for a time around bed of roses
and then dies, "as I were from very sweet
ness
1t cannot be that earth is mans only abid
ing place. 1t cannot be that our life is q
bubble, cast off by the ocean of eternity, C
float n moment upon its waves, and sink into
darkness and nothingnessr- Else why's 1t
that the high and glorious ASPIRATIONS, which
leap like angel from the temple Of our heart.
and forever wandering abroad unsatisGcd p
Why 10 it that the rainbow and the cloud
como over US With beauty that is not Of
earth and then pass off, and leave us to mus,