Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1852-09-15

e the mountains /; the winds howled, the luriC
!; llghtnings flashed from peak to peak of th,
. hills, the thunders rattled in startling crashes
through the mountain gorges and the rain des
cended in fearful torrents. 1t was a fearfu
r night, and the next morning it was found tha
the streams were greatly swollen and even tht
little mountain rill had been surcharged will
the avalanche of waters that had gathered il
the mountains and had greatly overfown the
banks.
:. Early the next morning word was sent out
tor the neighbors to assemble themselves al
Moss Rose Cottage for good old Ambrose
Wingfeld was dying. A messenger was dis.
patched for Allan TO come and see his father
die. Allan was found at the new tavern in
AZ, and quite drunk-when told his faith
er was dying, he said, she hoped so.o and
went cursing away o.stand at the. bedside d
his dying father. He reached the Cottage an6
staggered in at the door, cursing the friends
who had gathered there for not glFing way te
hlm-staggered up to the side of the death
couch where his father was struggling and
gasping for breath in the stern conflict stag
gered up and seizing the bed post he reeled
around and confronted the dying saint. Allan
said
"Why dang, it you, are off at last, old man
hey 20
The dying man turned his CLASSY orbs slow
ly and sternly upon his wicked child and rails
ing his long, bony finger he pointed and wag
ged it at him with significant emphasis and
4 spoke words that sent chill of horror to the
hearts of those who heard-the heart of every
one except Allan, he felt it not Allan acas
drunk The old man said, with death dasp
between every word
Allan-the curse-the curse ofin.
Ijured innocence-the curse Of dyng-dyino
father-both- rest upon your guilty
guilty Soul !! They-they shalt wther-with
er you like the parched- -crisped grass after the
harvest of the barley corn J! Furies-furies-
terrible-terrible as Hell possess your blackeu-
ed Allan-ttere to keep you in reent-
less talons and finally to offer YOU to the wrath
of coming damnation p
Why come old man, said the hardened
Allan ''why dam"
The words stuck in his throat and he was
struck to the floor in a temporary fit When
he arose his father was stretched on the death
couch, cold and clammy corpse, and the, ,gIis-
tening orbs that shone out from beneath the
fabby and wrinkled lids seemed to be silently
reproving the wicked son. Allan staggered out
OF the death chamber and set down under the
boughs of the old elm and shut his ears against
| the agonizing cries of his brother and sister in
heartfelt lament for the loss of their father.
grave was shaped and opened and the
cold remains of old Ambrose Wingfeld were
placed IN their silent resting place-the cold
grave-chamber At the funeral service. when
friends were gathered around the dead and the
grave, Allan was standing little way off pro-
tanHff Heft t4 tie ft fnnaEs 9efes R we're 61e te SAD
and melancholy Emma went and sought the
company of crazy Nelly. She found her in
her quiet Cottage and the two walked out a.
mong the hills Crazy Nelly seemed to sym
pathize with Emma for the loss of her father in
a strange, mysterious manner. and when she
saw her friend weep she laid back her curls
with her hand and bid Emma not to weep
and with an unusual fe1vor kissed the gushing
tears away, saying at the same time
"Don't weep child, Emma, dear; for dom
YOU think we shall meet those we love in Hea
ven vet? | do Emma, I shall surely see moth
er in that other world. and old uncle Ambros
: and YOU, Emma Then don't cry for it i
! better world there than this, and all happy
Emma !"
:. : While they were talking thus, seated o
: the cliff near the spot where Nelly was th
: dav she saw Allan deposit the Box under th
: stone, and lust as Nelly had finished her wore
- - of comfort, she saw Allan hurrying down th
= stream in the same direction and she forcib
e crashed the slender arm of Emma and exclaln
20 ed:
= Look look see! The Devil!
= Emma looked in the direction indicated
"a the slender finger of crazy Nelly and she sa
. her brother Allan, rapidly walking down Il
Of stream on the slippery banks. He stopped
.. the spot where he had concealed the Box
os kneeled over the stone that was tore from
n bed-scraped away the mud that the flood frc
no the overfowing 1ill had left there and then
,er if convinced of his loss, he sprung to his te
mr. and snatching tufts of his hair from his he
ms he cursed God for sending rain to rob him
IDS what was of so much value to him lie ours
yer God and hurried away towards the city. +
hv ma was astonished at what she saw and Tor!
ills for the time the presence of crazy Nelly. i
[el- ming to seek her mysterious companion
,ite saw her concealed in clump of bushes hlg
the up the cliff, intently gazing after the reced
and form of the distracted Allan-she was bend
sed over the precipice on the eastern SIDE OF
brit cliff intenty gazing after the object OF her
the tired, and whenh was nearly out of sight IN
was distance she heard bursting from the lips
the crazy Nelly strange and incomprehens
ures laugh OF defiance Ii was loud anu pea
er." laugh that seemed the consumation of Joy
mingled with the chuckling glee of defanc'
It of 1t was strange laugh-Allan heard itsrins
tage notes and if a tremendous crash of a Il
unit. sand thunders had suddenly burst over his
to in the blaze of MONDAY sun, he would
and have startled more convulsively- Ia
per- startled him-he looked around for the orig
i the it but he could see no one, and yet he was
ulIy it was sent after him. Allan continued
few steps towards Az, and the two fen
ound on the cliff came down and crazy Nelly
and ted that her kind friend Emma should not
fully on the account of her father ''for," said
"Heaven is land of flowers and endless ST
in where winter nor sorrow never cometh;
steep Emma, when we get there we shall be u
.ough in bonds that never break and live an ct
Iitous day of happiness that shall never grow dim
sigma the night of bitter anguish" With this
1t all parted.
9 his
: that CHAPTER ".
him Matrimonial alliances and Crazy At
fear thoughts on Earthly Happiness.
d tear The events which have been recorded
nicely preceding pages of our story all OCCUR
stone the last five years of Ambrose Wingfeld