The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1853-08-11

yet under the seal that lies so heavily or
; all living lips. Some day, perhaps-but
we, none of us, like to think of that
strange hands may overhaul them. Pity
it is that so few of us have strength Of
soul enough, or, it may be warning-time
enough, ere the Great Revealer steals up
on us, to enable US to put beyond the
reach of sacrilegious eyes our most dar-
ling secrets! Oh, could we but summon
the nerve to place them with our own
moving fingers upon some funeral pyre!
Could we but watch them slowly consum-
ing! But no; we cannot do this. While
we have life they are ours. 1t would
seem like bidding an eternal farewell to
our protecting genius, to put away the
guardian spectres of lost hopes, dead
loves, and mystic memories. No! Let
us treasure them while We yet walk a.
mong the living. But, oh, may some
kind and plying hand, when we lie ST.
fenced, bury them with US, unprofaned
by single look!
A singular instance of this silent
treasuring up of one solitary thought,a and
in the breast of a child, fell under my
knowledge not long ago, while staying
by the seaside, at the house of some old
friends. They were at the same time
visited by little girl of about seven years
of age, who had been confded to their
care, in order that she might have the
benefit of the sea-bathing, recommended
for some weakness of the spine, under
which the child suffered. She was the
loveliest little creature I ever beheld-
quiet and shy, too, though least so with
me, for whom she at once took strong
liking. Our hostess, who every night
made point of seeing her young charge
put comfortably to bed, always remained
in her room until the child had said her
prayers. When her ordinary devotions
had been gone through aloud, the child
invariably bent down her head upon the
bed, at the side of which she knelt, and
offered up some prayer within herself
What this prayer was, nothing could in
duce her to reveal. Her parents were
questioned about it; but though perfectly
aware of the fact, they were unable to
solve the question. 1t was, of course,
thing altogether too sacred to be intruded
on by any forcible appeal, and all parties
remained in their ignorance. own that
when first was told of it, the secret ap-
peared to me to be of so strange and un-
earthly a character, that [ trembled as
one who suddenly stands faced by
spirit. 1t seemed like silent commun-
ing with angles. Feeling very anxious
to witness with my own eyes what inter
ested me SO deeply in the telling, one
night, with my little friends consent, ac-
companied her to her room. As usual,
the prayers were repeated aloud; and
then followed the silent offering up of
that pure young heart. So holy was the
hour, that 1 held my breath for yer
reverence, the tears springing to my eyes
with sudden emotion. Surely angelic
hosts lowered about that small bowed
down head, on whose golden locks halo
seemed to rest! Whatever was that ST.
lent, guarded and mysterious prayer
and sometimes it struck me that it might
possibly have relation to either dread
of dying or to her anticipations of her
near heaven, as she was at that time out
of health-whatever that prayer might
/ be, that it was beautiful and pure one
l am sure-the purest and the best, per-
haps, in all long catalogue of guard
| ed secrets.
One secret, which every age has been
most carefully and religiously guarded
guarded in terror and dismay, through
inconceivable wrong and suffering, thro'
life and up to the graves brink, not per-
haps even then to be rendered up to
those who stand around scattering their
last tears with the dust to dust-is the
secret of birth. Instances Of the kind al
luded to are SO numerous and SO start
ling, that it would be difficult to invent
any story surprising in interest the al
ready written and attested records of that
most dangerous secret. Such tales [ re-
member to have heard in Scotland. One,
in particular, struck me as most singular,
because, though generations have been
born, and have passed out of being since
the occurrences narrated took place, no
clue was ever found to the secret SO eau
tiously and mysteriously guarded. The
following is an outline of the tradition
A couple, coming whence no man
knew, arrived one sharp winter night a.
mid the smoke of Edinburgh. The wife
was younger than her husband by some
years, and possibly from the fact of this
disparity of age, looded up to him with a
feeling of reyerential devotion belonging
rather to daughter than to wife. 1t
was noticed, indeed, by all who knew
them, that she had even thus early in
her welded life, laid down for herself
law of more strict and unquestioning obe-
dience than is usually practised by the
best of wives. The result of this blind
submission, as will be seen, must have
borne hard upon a pure heart and tender
conscience, such as hers were represented
to have been, chough not perhaps until
added years brought home the lession
rightly understood by few-that no NOR