The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1854-12-06

The next morning the knocker of the house
was we were told shrouded in white leather
; and the lady had brought her husband a child
We drank to its health in wine.
''For few days quiet hung upon the house
And it was doomed speedily to depart. Hurry
and alarm came again Lights were seen once
more tiickering to and fro The physician
carriage was heard. 1t came, and departed
The maid now held her apron to her eyes. The
husband, buryng his face in his hand, strove
how vainly!) to hide a world of grief Ere
long the bed room window was thrown open
the shutters of the house were closed, and in
d week a hearse was at the door, The mystery
was at an end, she was dead! ..
I "She died! No poet ever wove around her
the gaudy tissue of his verse. The grave she
sleeps in is probably nothing mere than the
common mould Her name even is unknown.
But what Of this? She lived and died, and
was lamented. The proudest can boast of little
more. She made the light and happiness of one
mortal creature, fond and fragile as herself
and for name, a tomb! Alas! for all the pur-
poses of love, nothing is wanting save little
earth-nothing but to know the spot where the
beloved one rests forever. We fear, indeed, to
give the creature whom we have boarded in our
hearts to the deep and ever shifting waters-to
the oblivion of the sea! We desire to know
where it is that we have laid our laded treasure
Otherwise, the pilgrimage is as easy and as
painful to the simple church. yard hillock, as to
I the vaultln which the king reposes. The gloomy
arches of stately tombs, what are they to the
grandeur of the over hanging heavens! and the
cold and ghastly marble, ho"spoor and hideous
it is, in comparison with the turf whereon many
a daisy grows!
''The child survived. The cares lately ex-
hausted on another were now concentrated on
a little child The solemn doctors came. and
prescribed for it, and took their golden fees
The nurse transferred to it her ready smiles
The services which had been purchased for the
mother, were now the property of another
claimant. Even the father turned towards it all
of his heart which was not in the grave.
''But all would not do. A month, "a little
month" and thesshutters were again closed
Another funeral followed swift upon the last
The mother and her child were again together
From this period marked change rose in
the mans character. The grief which bowed
him down at his wIfe's (relieved little by the
care which he bestowed upon her Child now
changed to sullen or reckless Indifference. In
the morning he was clouded and oppressed, but
at night, madness and dissonant iolitv (thc
madness of wine) usurped the place of the
early sorrow. His orgies were often carried
into morning. Sometimes he drank with wild
companions, sometimes he was seen alone, stag
gerng towards the window stupid and boated
ere the last light of the autumn sunset concealed
him from our sight. There were steader inter.
walls indeed when reflection would come upon
him-perhaps remorse, when he would gaze
with a grave (or oftener sad look upon few
withered flowers that had once fourished ii
this gay window. What was he then thinking
of? OF vanished hopes and happy hours? 0
her patience, her gentleness, her deep untiaine
love? Why did he not summon up more cheer
full visions? Where was his old vivacity, hi
young and happy spirit? The world offered thu
same alurcments as before, with the exception
of only one single joy. Oh! but that was all
That was the one hope, the one thought, tha
had grown vast and absorbed all other Tha
was the mirror which had reflected happiness
thousand ways Under that influence the
present, the past the bright to come-aIl haG
seemed to cast back upon him the picture O
innumerable blessings. He had trod even il
dreams, upon sunny shore. And now!
"But why prolong the pain and disgrace Of
the' story? He fell, from step to step. Sickness
was on his body, despair was on his mind. He
shrank and wasted away, old before his time,
and might have subsided into parayzed Grip.
pie or moody idiot had not death, (for once q
friend, come suddenly to hing and rescued him
from further misery.
s.[Jo IiaJ N;r ,,J .L;1J Ana
him. Tie same 81 gns were there-the unnatu-
raj quiet-the closed shutters-and the funera
train. But all, in their time disappeared, and
in few weeks workmen came tbnnging again
to the empty house, the rooms were again
scoured-thc wall beautifed. The same board
which two years before had been nailed to the
wall, with the significant words 'to let,' upon
it, was again fixed there Itseemed almost as
though the old time had returned again. and
that the interval was nothing but a dream.''
"And that is all? Yes, that is ALL | wish
that could have crowned my little tale with a
brighter ending But it was not to be. sI wish
even that could have made it more heroic, or
have developed some grand moral for your use.
AS 1t Is. 1t contains little beyond the common
threadbare story of human life-frst hope, and
then enjoyment, and then sorrow-al ending
quietly in the grave. It is an ancient tale. The
veins run through man ssnany histories Some
of them may present seeming varieties-a life
without hope or joy-cs career beginning
gaily, and running merriy to its close. But
this is because we do not read the inner secrets
of the soul-the thousand, thousand small pull
sations, which yield pain Or pleasure to the hui
man mind. Be assured that there is no more
an equality or stagnation in the heart, than in
the ever-moving ocean.
You will ask we, perhaps, to point out some
thing from which you may derive profitable
lesson. Are you to learn how to regulate your
passions? to arm your heart with iron precepts?
bto let in neither too much love nor sorrow? and
to shut out all despair? Some wise friend will
tell you that you may learn, by precepts, never
to lean too much on Others; for that thereby
you lose your independent mind. To be the toy
ola woman-to rest your happiness on the exis-
tence of a fragile girl, whom the breath of the
east wind may blow into dust-it is any thing
but the act of a wise and prudent man. And
to grieye for her after she is dead!
For nv part, | can derive nothing for you