The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-12-25
WHOLE NO. 260

| by
"When - said Miss Ophelia
"Oh, one of these days
What if you should die first
Cousin what's the matter 2" said st. Glare,
| laying down his paper and looking at her. Do
you think show symptoms of yellow fever or
cholera, that you are making post norton ar
| rangements with such zeal l'
80 in the midst of life we are in death, >" said
Miss Ophela
St. Clare rose up, and laying the paper down,
| carelessly walked to the door that stood open
on the verandah, to put an end TO a converse
ton that was not agreeable to him. Me
chemically. he repeated the last word again
Death !"-and as he leaned against the rail-
ings, and watched the sparkling water as it
rose and fell in the fountain, and, as in dim
and dizzy haze saw flowers and trees and
vases Of the courts, he repeated again the mys-
tic word so common in every mouth yet of such
fearful power" DEATH Strange that there
| should be such word, )" he said, and such a
thing and we ever forget it that one should
be living warm and beautiful, full Of hopes, de-
sires and wants, one day. and the next be
| gone, utterly gone, and forever"
1t was a warm, golden evening and "a he
| walked TO the other end of the verandah he
saw Tom busly intent on his Bible, pointing,
as he did so, with his finger to each successive
word, and whispering them to himself with an
earnest air.
"Want me to read to you, Tom :" said St
Clare seating himself careessly by him.
IF mass'r pleases" said Tom, gratefully.
Mass'r makes it 80 much palmer"
st. Clare took the book and glanced at the
place, and began reading one Of the passages
| which Tom had designated by the heavy marks
around N IL ran a. fellows
"When the son Of man shall come in his
glory, and all his holy angels with him, then
ban = J, .uuau the taraEs IS -" ~'"~~- -Tod
before HIM shalt be eSthered all nanis<--and
arsS,s so,,,i ,,nv ,x>,.. ,..s>.-.lt ~
| shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats"
| ST. Clare read on in an animated voice till he
came 20 the last Of tho verses
| Then shall the King say unto them on his
left hand Depart from me, ye cursed, into ever
lasting fre-for | was an hungered, and ye
gave me no neat was thirsty, and We gave
me no drink was stranger, and we took
me not in-naked, and we clothed me mott
was sick and in prison, and ye visited me not
Then shall they answer unto Him, Lord where
saw we thee an hungered, or athrst or naked,
or sick or in prison, and did not minister unto
thee? Then shall he say unto them mas
much as We did it not TO one Of the least of
|
| St Glare seemed struck with this last passage,
| for he read il twice-the second time slowly,
and as if he were revolving the words in his
| mind.
| Tom" he said, "these folks that get such
hard measure seem to have been doing just
what have-living good, easy, respectable
lives, and not troubling themselves to inquire
| how many of their brethren were hungry or
| athirst, or sick or in prison
Tom did not answer.
ST. Clare rose up and walked thoughtfully
up and down the verandah seeming to forget
everything in his own thoughts 80 absorbed
was he, that Tom had to remind him twice
that the tea beh had rung before he could get
his attention
St. Clare was absent and thoughtful all tea
time After tea, he, and Marie, and Miss
Ophelia, took possession of the parlor, almost in
silence.
Marie disposed herself on a lounge, under
! silken mosquito curtain, and was noon sound
asleep. Miss Ophela silently busted herself
3 with her knitting. St. Clare sat down to the
piano, and began playing Il soft and melancholy
g movement with the Eolian accompaniment.
y He seemed in deep reverie, and to be solilo-
b quzing to himself by music, After little, he
opened one of the drawers, took out an old
f music book whose leaves were yellow with age,
b and began turning it over.
t There" he said to Miss Ophelia " this WAS
. one of my mothers books-and here is her
handwriting-c0me and look ut it, She
: copied and arranged this from Mozart's Re-
QUEEN. Miss Ophelia came accordingly.
ut was something she used to sing Often
said st. Clare. al think can hear her now
He struck few majestic chords, and began
singing the grand old Latin words, the Dies
lre"
Tom who was listening in the outer We
randall, was drawn by the sound to the very
door, where he stood earnestly. He did not
understand the words, of course, but the music
and manner of singing appeared to affect him
strongly, especially when St. Clare sang tho
more pathetic parts Tom would have sympa-
thized more heartily if he had known the mean
ing of the beautiful words
| Recordare Jesu pie
| Quod tu@ vfs
No mo pordas lila die
Querons sedisti lassus
kedcmisti crucem passus
Tantus labor non sit cassus.*
st Clare threw deep and pathetic express
sion into the words, for the shadowy veil Of
years seemed drawn away and no seemed to
hear his mothers voice leading his Voice and
instrument seemed both living, and threw out
ethereal Mozart first conceived rs his own dy-
ing requiem.
When St. Clare had done singing, he sat
lesning his head upon his hand a few moments
and then began walking up and down the
floor
"Wbat a sublime conception is that Of n last
judgment" said he--"a righting Of all the
wrongs Of ages IA solving of all moral prob
lens, by an unnnswerable Wisdom--it is, in
deed, q wonderful imagen
at is fearful one to us" said Mrs Ophelia.
1t ought TO be TO me, | suppose" said st.
Clare stopping thoughfully, II was reading to
Tom this afternoon that chapter in Matthew
that gives an account Of it. and have been
quite struck with it, One should have expected
some terrible enormities charged to those who
are excluded from Heaven, MS the reason but
no-they are condemned for not doing positive
good MS il that included every possible harm"
"Porhaps," said Miss Ophelia, it is impos-
sible for person who does no good not to do
harm"
"And what" said St Clare, speaking alb
stractedly, but with deep feeling "what shall
be said Of one whose own heart, whose educa-
ton, and the wants Of society, have called in
vain TO some noble purpose who has Aoated
on, a dreamy neutral spectator Of the strug-
giles, agonies, and wrongs Of man, when he
should have been worker"
al should say" said Miss Ophelia, that he
ought to repent and begin now
Always practical, and to the point" said
st. Clare, his face breaking out into smile.
I" You never leave me any time for general re-
Elections, cousin you always bring me short up
against the actual present; you have kind Of
eternal now always in your mind.
"Now is all the time have anything to do
with" said Miss Ophela
" Dear little Eva-poor child,' said St. Clare,