Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1854-05-10

IL that great throng pursuing some invisible
Object. He called out:
What are you all doing, friends?
Making money said they all, without
looking up, don't your never make mon
ey?
And he went in with his chosen and to-
gcther they struggled along the highway
with the tramping thousands. 1t was hard
struggling-this making money-and the
woods that was SO green in the land they
came from was turning brown-and the trees
began to look like trees after the first FROST
Sometimes there was fallings out and conten1
tons by the way, and not much wonder eli
Their; for it SO happened several times that
when one had oyertaken the chased idol or
image, another tried to wrest it from him.
and in this way they had more pain than
pleasure along the way. There were a thou
sand other things along that highway which
| have not time to tell. Take it all in all, it
was rather the hardest place to live %happilyS
N that Viator had ever seen they were all
the time hewing wood, drawing water or car
rying heavy burdens.
But Viator kept moving, and the sun kept
getting higher and higher. At length he
left his busy companions, or they left him,
and IN afternoon of the day he came sudden1
ly upon a sorrowful scene. The trees, the
grass, and fields were unlike those in the
blessed land he came from. All were with
cred The sun fastening away and looking
red through the l~eafless trees And a great
!. group seated on a desolate heath midst little
hills, and cedar bushes, and white stones,
and withered grass, and weeping and bow
ing down as the heart was breaking. And
Viator and his wife both cried out at once:
! why what are you all doing here?'
Seeing trouble replied an old man, who
sat Winning his hnllnw nvno ot tho cato
don't you never sec trouble p
Viator felt unwilling to go in on the heath,
o but there was no other way, and the sunset
. was not far off, and his days journey was not
> finished yet. So he went in with his. Pre-
sently one of the little loved ones, that had
been given them on the way, and | had for
gotten to mention it before, but Pll tell you
now that they were loved oncs-only two Of
e them at that, who had all along called Via
=, - tor, Father and his wife Mother. AS | was
u u saying one of these grew pale and sank down
4 in the mothers arms and asked her if it
u might go to Heaven.
u Viator begged that he should stay till the
~ sun went down, but the child said:
y The Angel has ceme!'
y. And it went up with the Angel through
~ the air above the heath
soIp And Viator bowed down, and his compane
"a ion had tears on her face.
In the same hour the other child crept clcst
to Viator's bosom and said it was going b
"a go with little lost Mamie.
- And its spirit arose in the blue air an
AZ vanished =!
oi Then the children were laid in a little nc,
l' grave dug in the heath and covered with tn
sod from the vale.
And Viator and his companion planted
y green willow there and sat down and WHp'
~ and, with the rest, Sda0 trouble.
~" And then they arose and went away an
yo travelled till they could see the sunset shin
ing behind the hill. And they came to whe1
the last rays were falling from the soft rHOl
. " pect in the west on the wrinkled faces of tia
old and %shimmering among silvery locks
lnS Viator called out in a low voice:
was WI -, L.. - .oo1 c:oa1r.
Remembering said an old man, who's
trembling chin rested on a long staff, don
you never remember
And Viator sat Town in the midst and r
membered with his companions, who hi
! wrinkles on their faces and locks like s10N
First, the green garden with its howerSaG
nav toys; then the white house on the hilAsd
VIC with its books and its companions around t
ell .v1r5 n
:niy and loved and Troubles Heath.
And so he sat there remembering aE t
10 - time till the sun went down-the last sha
ow crept away-and the Great DAYS Jol
wy ney was at an end.
~n And now, Reader, who was Viator ?
!. tno Yourself, or your Grandfather?