Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1854-04-06
CHAPTER ii.


was bequeathed to the young couple.
CHAPTER ii.
The triumph and the vanity,
The rapture Of the strife
The earthquake voice of victory,
To thee the breath of life;
Are quelled Dark spirit what must be
The madness of thy memory p
The pastor of a church in a remote village
was one day sent for to visit female, said to
be dying. In an obscure chamber of miser-
able dwelling, he found a person apparently
near the grave yet she was conscious and
had strength to talk. The kind pastor soon
learned that she had seen better days, and was
still deserving of them. After ministering to
her wants, both spiritual and temporal, he
left, promising to call on the following day.
He did so, and found her better
At his request, she gave him brief history
Of her life, which was deeply interesting, and
more than once drew tears to the eyes of the
listener. They had, she said, been reduced
to the most abject poverty by the intemperance
of her husband who was then in prison for
larceny and she to avoid the sneers of the
wicked, had sought that quiet village in the
hope of finding employment by which to earn
a support during her husbands Imprisonment;
but the journey which was performed on foot,
had proved too much for her. The day after
she arrived she was seized with fever and had
been there among strangers, (who though
very poor were kind TO her) for near two
months.
! The kind pastor offered her the hospitalities
of his house, whittier she was Immediately
conveyed. Physicians were called, but said
it was too late. Consumption had laid its
fangs upon her, and few short weeks would
end her mortal career. This decision was
communicated to her, but she was not alarmed.
She seemed rather to receive il as welcome
intelligence, and only grieved that she must
leave her husband alone, for degraded as he
was she still loved him with all the strength
of woman's affection.
| For three weeks the pastor and his excel
lent wife watched by the bedside of that poor
invalid, and tried every means in their power
to restore her, but all in vain. Her physicians
now said she could last but a few hours. She
was conscious Of her situation, and clasping a
hand of each of her benefactors, she kissed
them again and again, saying, 'Oh how
good you are, may God reward you, tor am
unable. know that am dying, and shall
soon cease to trouble you, but what will be-
come of my poor Orlando 7 Orlando = said
the pastor, what is his other name .
- And yours!' Ida And
mine,' continued he, is Gustave.' %, Godl'
was heard TO escape her lips, her eyes closed
and no motion was perceptible, but soon the
tears were coursing each other down her
cheeks, and hers were not the only ones that
| flowed.
Soon after she revived, and opening her
eyes, fixed them with wild stare upon Gus
tave Thinking that she doubted his state
ment, he related an incident of their school
days, which fully satisfied her that he was the
same Gustave that she had loved in former
years. Turning to his wife, she said, Dear
lady, you are blest, and SO was l. but intem-
perance has blasted all my hopes, and made
me the miserable outcast you see me- Do
not say outcast, said the lady, you are not
friendless nor an outcast, and if you will only
live for US, and with US, you shall be as happy
as love and kindness can make you. My hus-
band has often told me of you, and 0, how l
have longed to see you, and although / would
fain have seen you more pleasantly situated,
it is still pleasure to see and be permitted in
the smallest degree to minister to your wants
Ida was overcome by this sudden and unex-
pected pleasure, and lay motionless for some
time.
She then whispered, Gustave, raise me,
and as he did so, she drew from her bosom a
locket, which contained her own and her hus-
bands iikenesses, and placing it in Gustave's
hand, Give that to Orlando, if he lives, if
not, keep IT. and then taking Gustave and his
wife by the hand, she thanked them many
times for all their kindness, and bade them
farewell. She remained quiet for few mo-
ments, and those near thought her dead, but
she again opened her eyes, looked smilingly
upon all, whispered the name Of Orlando, and
ceased to breathe, and spirit bright as the
seraphlm that surrounds the throne of Omnp-
otence assembled to God,