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

surgng around you you too must see tht
cables cut loose that bind you to the shore
you too must see the anchor lifted you toc
must be dashed from the shore oflife and sent
adrift upon the awful waters of eternity, anC
oh Allan, where are you bound, where YOU
port Remember, Allan, you too must b,
Judged by the Ruling King of Heaven, and
what, my son, o what shall be thy doom 3
Prepare to meet thy dread account, | am dy.
inc now, Allan, and you too must die %
Ihe sainted woman after exhorting her wick.
cd sont TO reform his wicked life camly breathed
her last and was in eternity. Her remains were
deposited in their long resting place and MANY
tears fell in sacred memory of her goodness
and her worth: but from the red and rum bur-
ned eyes of Allan no tear was seen to fall the
spring OF sensibility was dry and parched-
where the wayelets Of generous sensiblity
should be found, there the hotand scathinr lava
of inSensibiity rolled
The family at Moss Rose Cottage was bro
ken the eldest born was, it seemed, doomed
member and one was not; the wife and moth
er was sleeping in death. Allan still continued
to pursue his habits of dissipation with renew
ed Vlgor, and, contrary to the usual course in
cases like his, he did not waste what his chca.
merry had gathered, but on the contrary he man.
aged to constantly accumulate wealth by some
means. 1t was suspici0ned that he, together
with the gang he associated with, was engaged
IN some unlawful pursuits, but of this there
was no evidence, it was only coniectures and
suspicious, and there was but little said concer-
nlng 1t for a citizen come Hear getting into
trouble from speaking his sentiments upon this
I point, he being threatened with the law by one
OF the gang who felt his character and dignity
insulted.
Ambrose WingfeId felt the weight of decli-
ming years bearing him down to the grave, and
he felt it his duty to g set his house in order''
and be ready for the coming of the Angel of
Death to go with him on .he voyage to eterni-
| ty. With this view he had an Attorney called
from the city 49, and requested him to
execute his last Will and Testament, which
was accordingly done. By that Will ne left
Moss Rose Cottage and his other lands TO his
son, Walter, the greater portion of his funds TO
his daughter Emma ;and the sum of one pound
to Allan. The Will was executed and witness
sed by the Attorney. Allan was at the cottage
the day the Will was made and so contrived as
to hear the Attorney read it over to his father
previous to affixing his seal to it. This bust
hess was done and the Will was laid away in
secure place in the cottage there to remain
until the old man should be no more, and then
to be brought forth and made to declare the
wishes of the deceased father which was to
put his well beloved children in possession of
his property to the exclusion of the base son
who had dared to strike his father Allan was
aware of all this and it greatly enraged him.
but he was careful to say nothing about it.
Some months rolled on and in the meantime
Allan was daily becoming more unpopular.
mqra 4PtAb st. e-rr1rs
feeble as day after day placed him nearer the
hour when his frail mortality should crumbe
and fall to dust and thus give up his "spirlt to
God who gave it." And yet another of our
actors we must not fail to notice just at this
pont. and that is "crazy Nelly" She was be-
coming more and more mysterious in her strange
retirement and had upon several occasions been
absent from her cottage for some two or three
days together and where she had been no one
: could possibly tell, not even Emma her only
friend for she carefully concealed this from
her. There were but few who could boas
that they had ever seen inside Of crazy Nelly''
cottage for she rarely invited any one to SET
her, in fact few had any desire to have an,
! communication with the strange being; for sh'
had become the terror ofthe mountains, espe
caly so to. the children, and even some of tn
! grown persons in the neighborhOod had begal
! to regard this strange being with amysterlou
q horror On several occasions she had hee
: the cause of an intolerable fright to the hunter
!, in the mountains, seeing her they did at ever
!, tide clambering over the craggY submits {
the hills in floating robes of white and tlllln
% gorges and mountain passes with the strang
a and unearthly music other voice as she ansWe
- ed her own wild echoes with strange ar
in drre like lamentation which she had set to
ofl monotonous, and at times startling, notes
81 music Many times in the day and not unfr
of ouently at night, in the still and silent watch
o. of midnight, this strange and soul chilling a
it them might have been heard ringing, echoi
IN and reverberating among the hills around Il
n, cottage, and for some time it was strongly
in red that the particular locality in question W
= haunted. from the fact of the unearthlY soun
he and the spectral image seen clambering o'
hid the cliffs but this superstition was set aside
~ an old hunter who was roaming amongt the h
nd one evening and came directly upon crazy n
III " seated upon a rock clothed in her WI
of robes. and the momenthe saw her he heard
nc air trembling around him with her strange
,ot. thrilling music This circumstance disabu
rod the public mind in respect to its being sE
"a that had become restless and was roaming
inr hills about there in quest of peace ; but it
inc considered bad omen by every hunter in
mn mountains to meet with this strange Great
ing "Crazy Nelly and good luck don't go togeth
With Mas comuio saying with the hunters
nan !, 1t has been said that but few could boas
ex- ever having seen inside of crazy Nelly's cot
and why this was, none were able to acco
. p, 1t was equally strange why she was GLAD
sbri- see Emma Wing6eld at her dreary home,
fell equally strange TO Emma why yshe was not
him mitted to see the interior ofa little room il
cottage which Nelly always kept caref
art locked When she left her cottage for a
INV days the curious ones who went there Il
the the doors and windows strongly bolted
any insight into her mysterious home care
nent prevented.
nt to Crazy. Nelly was one evening sitting
ullen clump of bushes that hung on the side of
!, TO cliff that jutted over the narrow valley thr
1 the which the mountain rill wound its circu
come way, and while concealed In the place des
ted she saw the wretch who had brougl
tance her misery upon her, cautiously wendini
: laid way among the bushes and shrubbery
con- grew on the bank of the little rill-saw
earth stop and cautiously look around him as i
alities full he was seen, and then stoop down an
sband. from its bed large stone and drop
le and vanished box in the hole made by the