Semi-weekly Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1851-1852, 1851-11-28
THE FLOATING ISLAND.
LEGEND OF LoCH D0CHART.

| A LEGEND OF LoCH DoCHART
One night in midsummer, a long, long time
ago-so long ago that may not venture to as
sign the date-the moon shonc down as it
might have done last night, over the wild, lone
sLore of Loeb Dochart Upon little promon-
tory on its southern margin stood girl mcanly
clad, wasted, and wayworn. In her arms she
bore little babe, wrapped up in the folds OF
plaid; and as she bent her thin pald face
over that of the child, her rich, long, yellow
hair fell in shower around her, unconfned Ell
ther by snood or curch. One might have taken
her for Magdalcne, in her withered beauty, her
penitence, and her grief; but other than Mag
dalene, in her passionate despair. She looked
around her, and shudder shook her feeble
frame Was it the chill of the night mist +! it
might be; for rs her eye wandered away to.
wards the hills beyond, northward, the mists
were creeping along their sides, and she saw
the moonlight cleaning on lowly cot, amid
fire grove. Twas tn. home of her parents.
the home of her happy childhood, her innocent
youth. She looked again at the little one in
her bosom; it slept, but spasm Of pain wruns
its pale, pinched sharp features. 1t appeared
to be feeble and pining, for sleepless nights, and
days of grief and tears had turned the milk OF
the mother to gall and poison, aud the little in
noccnt drank in death-death, the fruit of sin
in all climes and ages. Gently She laid the lit
tie one by the margent Of the water, amid the
green rushes and the breeze Of night sweep
ing by murmured plantively to them, and
caused them to sigh, and rocked TO and fro
around the infant. Then the poor mother with
drew space from the babe, and set her down
upon a white stone, and covered her face
with her long, thin, hioodless hands. She said
in her heart, us Hagar said, :" Let me not see
the death of the child" And she wept sore,
for the poor girl loved tho babe, as mother,
like her, only can love her babe, with wild,
passionate, absorbing love, for it is her all, her
nearl of great price, which she has bought with
name and fame, with home aud friends, with
health and happiness, with earth, and, it may
be, with heaven. And she thought bitterly over
that happy home, where few months siIce, in
the gsoaming of the autumns eve, she sat ON
the heathery braes, and tripped along the brink
of the warLling burn, or MIXED the kline in the
bvre, or sang to her spinning wheel beside her
mother, near the ingle. Next came the recol-
lee ion of one who sat beside her in the braes,
and strayed with her down the burn; who won
her heart with his false words, and drew her
from the holy shelter Of her fathers roof, to
leave her in desolaton among the southern
strangers. And now, with the faithfulness-
though not with the purity or trustfulness-of
the dove, she was returning over the waste Of
the worlds dark waters to that ark which had
sheltered her early years from which no father
had sent her forth. The ark is in sight; but
the poor bird is weary from her flight, and she
would even now willingly fold her wings and
sink down amid the waters, Tor she is full OF
shame, and fear, and sorrow. All! will her
father "put forth his hand and take her in, and
pull her in unto the ark" with the glory of her
whiteness defled, her plumagc ruffled and
dropping? All! will her mother draw her
again to nestle within her bosom, when she
sees the dark stain upon her breast, once so
pure and spotless The poor girl wept as she
thought these things-at first wild and bitterly,
but at length her sorrsw became gentler, and
her soul more calm, for Eer heavy heart was
relieved by the tears that seemed to have gush-
ed straight up from it, as the dark clouds are
lightened when the rain pours FROM them. And
so she sobbed and unused in the cold, dreary
night, till her thoughts wandered and her vision
sumber like that of childhood, sweet and deep.
And she dreamed that angels, pure and white,
stood around: and, oh strange and charming.
they looked not on her us the uufallcn ones OF
the world the pure and the sinless i'll their own
sight-looked upon her through the weary days
of humiliation-seorniuly. loathingly, pitlless-
ly; but their sweet eyes were bent upon her
full OF truth, and gentleness; and love; and
tears like dew pearls fell from those mild and
lustrous orbs upon her hrow and bosom, as
those beautiful beings hung over her. and those
tears calmed her poor wild brain, and each,
where it fell upon her bosom, washed away a
stain. Then the angels too k thes little one
from her breast, and spread their Wings as if
for flight; but she put forth her ay.ns to regain
her child and one Of the bright bhngs repressed
her gently, ard said,
:" 1t may not be-the babe goes with u.s."
"Then said she to the angel, that may be
with it and tend it forever"
But the angel said, in a voice of sweet and