Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1853-12-14

kODf 10 AN CLOOu bACAfDiiilS UGiOIG AAlCs DUD
had been searching field and forest for hours,
having escaped while his father slept.
LilIia lost l rushed from the cabin and
Bob after me and the ~neighbors for miles
around gathered in groups and searched for
the lost. All day through snow and ice, and
wind and rain, we beat the forest. The shad-
ofthe dark day began to gather and our
search had been f~rnitless.
I stood alone in the gloomy forest and the
loaded trees creaked and groaned under their
glistcning burthen, and the wind shook the
fragile icicles from the boughs down at my
feet. Lila lost! and the truth wbirled through
my brain till l grew dizzy, and | leaned
against an old beach treo and rested and lis
tened. Away towards the shaded nook on
the creek, where Lila and / had spent many
a sunny afternoon, / heard n low plaintiyc
cry. How my heart throbbed as leaped for
ward and answered it! After a long inter
val | heard it again, and ran towards the
nook | knew it was there and that it was
Lillia. Again and again | heard the same
cry of distress and | hurried on. More and
more distinct rs | drew nearer our favorite
retreat. answered the cry andit responded,
] thought, with hope. / may as we'll tell you
Of the place was going. 1t was a favorite
place with Lilia. 1t was walled in on three
sides by high brown rocks, over which wild
grape vines had clambered and hung them
with tcndrils and moss. A silvery creek
gurgled along the open side where the TROUT"
and horned dace" played and frisked among
the white pebbles in the summer season. A
wide and shelving rock leaned off from the
southern wall of this retreat, and beneath
this was a wide poplar 'puncheon,' on which
Lillia and | had sat together and talked of
love and happiness, and | had carved letters
in the soft wood, some of them wrong end up,
the honey suckle hung out from the crevices
Of the old rocks, and for days together in the
summer season VIC had there watched the
hu~mming-bird kissing the flowers for a mo-
ment and then fly away.
/ knew Lillia was there, and | shouted as
! ran towards the spot and the p~laintive cries
of distress urged me on. How my heart
throbbed as if it would burst from my bosom
Us the tops of the rocks came in sight through
the dusky shadows Of the coming night !
| shouted her name as | wound my way
along the little path on the creek bank through
the cracking vines and hazel bushes. The
lutter of an old lays" wings among the
beech boughs overhead, flying from its night
perch at my approach, was my answer. All
was quiet within and lonely, yet l felt that
Lillia was there. 1t seemed l should never
get through the tangled and ice loaded shrub
berry. Madly l ~trampled them under foot,
tearing clothes and flesh in my eagerness to
get through.
/ sprang into the centre of the retreat, be-
wildcred and half blind. There sat Lillia on
the old poplar "puncheon," where we had
sat an hundred times together. Her long
hair had fallen over her shoulders and hung
there in frozen shreds Her hands were
clasped and her head laid over against the
cold rocks, and n mOveless smile rested upon
her blanched face as she looked up to the
drifting clouds. | shouted again, and my
words rang out and trembled on the air. ]
heard the answer of a neighbor far off.
shook in every fibre. The strongest woult
nave trembled there at the side of my poo
frozen Lillia Linn crouched the terror of the
forest, an Internal, half famished Panther
lie it was that had been answering my erie
while he sat by the corpse of my lost angel
Who would not have trembled! Alone, with
out q weapon, and the wild wretch within
half a leap of the path that led out Of the en-
/ closure.
!. saw the beast rear up and place its we
paws on Lillia's shoulder. l grew dizzy
the CLASSY rocks whirled before mel hrieB
ed know no MORE must have fallen
2 An age of torment was crowded into a fe,
moments there. | reckon it was a trance
spectres the most horrible-sights the mos
y SNOAbAh HiSoAch GAO SANAu AeStA
n
-hail-dcath corpse gauntand grim, BLOOD
struggling, and hell seemed painted in a COZ
= fused pile with cOlors glaring and sombre on
y the terrific diorama whirled before my b.
C wildcred vision. | heard n sharp crash an
l awoke to consciousness with the hairy MOI
t. ster rolling and struggling over me. A HI
liquid flew in my FACET brushed it with m
Il hand-it was blood and the panther w;
w%rithing in death at my feet! A. little clou
. OF blue smoke was floating away over Il
tops OF the rocks and on the cliff above stoC
d n neighbor and q friend. Waldron's Ri
t. had saved me! All this time Lillia had S
unmOved and unterrifed with her blue ey
gazing calmly up towards Heaven.
. Isprang to her side and took her head fro
= the cold rocks and held it in my arms. IL
eye was yet blue as it ever was when we s
W there together, talking of the future and
r promises to us, but her check was bloodle
and her lips were a curious blue. | preSst
her cold cheek to my bosom and shook t
ice from her long tresses. l kissed her col
stiff hands till it seemed my heart won
break, and washed them with hot tears, al
u begged her like a little child to awake al
smile, and tell me she was happy again.
ly told her | thought the sun was shining doy
Id through the green bOughs Of the old ced
g, tree over the seat BOD Quilt TOR US, a.
"a begged her to go there with me and talk
e love and listen to the singing of the birds
the hedge by the meadow.
III 1t seemed that Lillia would never ava
lg and love me-. How could she!
to The Lillia of earth was gone-gOne!
lg The Lillia of Heaven was at rest!
And all that time she had been singing
90 her new homc
:. The next day the Preacher and two of 0
= good noighbOrs laid off a burying ground
n sight of the school. house in a little dell, a
Ut a kind old man was appointed sexton and
ne dug a nice grave there for Lillia. That W
the first! A nice coffin was made by t
n Carpenter, and good women smoothed Lilli;
w hair and laid her in it. They told me Il
the panther had not left q mark upon my !
q one and | thanked them for telling me tn
Ae and blessed God too!
ST. That day the sun shone out and the
re trees looked as if they had dressed the
IL selves for a great ball in the forest, so brig
nd ly they shone with the ice cleaning on tn
I'm tall cres.s. Such was the day when I'll
laid Lillia in the new grave yard.
They carried her down to the dell an
followed after them. There was the lii
~ grave ready for its Tenant, and they let
'o down softly without suffering the coffin
CRATE harshly against the sides, as | hi
sometimes heard with a chill. l stood at
he "head" Of the grave watching the coffin
ing DOWN with it's treasure and my he
went down with it. Don't you kn0W 1t do