Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1853-11-16

soft, doye-llke expression in it, and again there
burned from its center deep, soul-fraught brill.
fancy, and its vision seemed prolonged far into
eternity, but it too full of thought. Her full
round forehead was too severely intellectual, and
the rich, heavy braids which bound her magnii-
Gently formed head could not compensate for its
singularly lofty developments. The lower part
of the face was of a different mould. Ida had
never possessed regular features, although in
childhood she was strikingly beautiful. Her
mouth had been made lovely by sweet smiles
which habitually clustered around it, rather than
by the chiselling of the architect but now the
character of the smile was changed. Like the
one centered in the eye, it was heavily laden with
thought. Ida had bosom full of light and love
and in rich, heavy clusters lay upon her heart the
closely folded blossoms of genius. Upon her
heart. That genius would ever build its altar
there! But Ida had her hand closely on her bo-
SONS door, lest these treasures should escape
She had placed it there at the first stirring of the
swelling buds, and, as they gradually struggled
more for freedom, she pressed her hand down more
and more closely, and whispered to herself-Fnev-
er-never-never, but in heaven J! And this
struggle made itself visible upon her face. The
smile there, but it was thoughtful the sweet
ness had not vanished, but it was unusually over
shadowed by reserve sometimes there was soft
ovingness fitted to her lip, but it could scarce be
recognized before it retreated, as though chilled
or scared back by the cold world it looked out up
on. 1t would not have been singular for stran-
ger to imagine her gloomy ascetic common ac-
quaintance considered her merely uninteresting !;
but, despite the prisoned genius, with II its swell
ings and with all its strugglings, her friends, those
who knew her best, took her to their hearts and
felt that there was an angel there, although they
did not see beyond her wires of the cage. Ida
was not morose, nor misanthropic, nor sad, nor an
enemy to mrth she was only too thoughtful and
too much reserved. 1t did not materially affect
her intercourse with those she really loved, for
love covers multitude of short comings, and Ida
had enough to satisfy common friendship without
encroaching upon her sacred treasure. Few would
believe that Ida was happy; for though she look
ed with an interested eye on mirthful doings she
never mingled in them. She had seen but little
of the outer world and though she had studied
closely the few pages within her reach, she was
OuL slightly IFS lu1uCuCO lOl JOY VI
sorrow. However dense the clouds above her,
the rainbow always spanned her heart Her world
was within and as it was too sacred to be look
ed upon by other eyes, she shut up with it the
bliss it brought, and carried every where her Eden
with her, Oh, Ida was deeply, purely, silently
happy. Misery is not, as worldlngs havedeclar-
ed, and the pulling sentmentalst labored to es-
tablish, the twin gift of genius 1t is not so--it
cannot be! Let the whole world frown let Fate
work her deadlest ban the fires of adversely will
burn away only the dross, and in the midst of all
will walk unseen the white-winged angel. And
that holy angel spreads its shield over the sensi-
tive bosom, and holds always to the thirsty lips
the cup of bliss. Are my true words doubted, be-
cause there many examples of different
seeming! Oh! there are men drunk with vain
glory, and with ambition, and other earthdistlled
draughts, whose lips never touched the cup of in
spiration. Men Sometimes hear voice in the
air and mistake its tone. There are many false
angels abroad, and they deceive many. Some,
too, have filled their bosoms up with defements,
and from such the angel turns away to weep, cast
ing her protecting shield at her feet, while the
shafts of misery fly thick and fast. Genius can
not dwell apart from purity, and when her temple
grows dark with earthliness, she flies away-thank
God, not forever! Repentance comes now and
then to every human bosom-oftener to that bles-
sed one which has sheltered an angel. Repent
ance brings another sweet guest, and genius nes-
ties in the arms of meekness, and love encrcles
both. Oh the gifted, the God-gifted, are the lit
tie children of this world and little children have
received at the hands of the Holy One peculiar
blessing So the thoughtful-eyed, sober-lipped
Ida was supremely happy. T.
Their voices-those of Ida and the brother-spir-
it that she had so early recognised-had met with
each other in the upper air, and mingled tones
Long since had the twain linked themselves in a
relationship which only the blessed little children
gifted with spirit pulses can understand. Why
could not this be enough Ida thought it was
and yet lovers in spirit, in person strangers they
met. q
It was cold, dark, dismal, cloud-curtained NOR
ming when Ida Ravelln was called to confide he1
heart-worship to the less romantic eye. She had
been conscious of strange shadow hanging over
her head for days, and now she whispered with
white lips it is falling-it is falling - and
to obey the summons. sa# -a-
l.. Ugh how chillingly the hurrying wind SWEEP
around the corner and what dismal tone it had
like the midnight howl which comes to tell the
invalid tales of the noisome grave. Heavy was
the slow dragging step of Ida Rayelin, and heav
ier still her heart. She knew that the eye of Gu
riosity, the earth taught tongue could not link clo
ser together two spirits which had need of such
mediums. One by one, stair after stair, her steps