Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1854-06-28
JUNE g..
Original Sturg.
For tie Spirit of the Age.
LIFE IN GLIMPSES.
BY THE ASSOCIATE EDITOR.
Alice of the Hills.

vale boyOnu tue Big MEADOW, she trough
u smile with her from her mountain home
that cheered the school all the day long
The good Mistress loved her, and at noon
spells she used to sit with her under the
shade Of the great oak in the yard and
comb out her silken hair and lay it in curls
around her pure white brow. And we all
loved the Mistress the better for that; for
/ say again We allowed Alice, for she was
80 good.
Her home was in the Hills beyond the
creek. A narrow path led up to it from
the cross roads and by the big rock. An
hundrcl times have we toiled up that path
with Alice clingiug to our hand until our
young blood was hot, for the way was steep.
One morning Alice came down to the
school later than usual, and there were big
tears ~dimming her blue eyes. We gather
ed around her and whispered with her to
know the cause during the morning school
hours. Her little heart, that had always
been the lightest in school, was now run
ming over with trouble. We gave her the
best apples we had brought that day to COM
fort her, but she would not be comforted.-
At times she would bend over her book and
try to learn her lesson, and then she would
hide her face in her little white apron and
weep rs If her heart was breaking. The
good Mistress tried in vain to get Alice to
confde the secret of her grief to her, but
she begged her not to make her tell. It
was nota happy school that day for Alice
had not brought her smile with her and we
were all unhappy. No wonder; for Alice
was our Angel.
At last the "noonspelp' came and we
went out to the playground, but none felt
like playing for Alice was left behind. We
were glad when we saw the good Mistress
coming down from the school-house lead
ing Alice along the path that led to the
spring. We wished to 90 with them but we
dared not. Soon they came back again and
they went to their old seat at the root of
the great oak in the yard and we %instinc-
lively gathered around them. Alice was
weeping yet. She sat at the feet of her
good Mistress and laid her curly head in
her lap while she told her sorrow over
Her tale was quickly told. 1t was this
Her father, Anterior, had, that morning
whipped her mother. And for this hel
heart was breaking. He had been a daily
visitor to the new dramshop that Devlir
had built down by the Lake and had sud
denly become a drunkard. He had been
sober industrious man,, a good husband anC
u kind father until Dcvlin came from the
City aud settled in the neighborhood, and
built u dramshop to curse the people. More
than one youthful heart burnt with revenge
against Devlin when Alice told how he haC
made her father drunken; that he whipped
her mother and the hot blood swept t
the finger ends of that boy-crowd then
though the rum-curse was not regarded il
the same light then as now. Such was tn
simple tale that Alice told.
Time fed on. One by one the obi
scholars" left school, some to the farm an
some to the marriage altar. We remen
-hAs4ha4Wins DID &p~-1Uuu - } er;4
Judson and Nellie Brooks were marie
both on the anne day; big Charles fe
from the swing and broke his back an
little Henry Stuart died during harvest
n feyer-all these never came to the scho
again. Alice Anterior was still among u
but her eye had lost its laughing light an
her lip its old.time smile. For hours v
have sat ut her side on the grass under ii
great oak, and heard her weep and tell no
her poor mother was abused, how she W;
beaten in her home in the hills and ho
wicked her father was when he was drum.
until our heart swelled with bitterness
gainst the demon that had blasted her your
hopes and made her the unhappy child 81
was. That bitterness yet fingers in o.
breast, and it has run over q thousand tim
against the curse.
At length Alice came to the school l
more. And then the next Sabbath we ere
up the path that led to her home and soug
her. Long before We reached the cottaa
half hid in the trees, we heard her cri,
We ran as for life to her relief. When
came to the fence we saw her demon faith
towering over her with a heavy rod inf
ting blow after blow upon her tender for
and cursing like a 6end. Our blood sh
in hot currents along every living arter
and we would have rushed upon the wret
aud throttled him for his cruelty, but
were but a STRIPPING while he was a stro
man and could have crushed US in his gra.
We skulked away into the thicket aud ST.
ped our ears that VIC might not hear t
shrieks OF our school mate aud friend.
ceased his torture and sent the child aw;
We saw her crossing the narrow mead
beyond the house and We hurried around
meet her. We met at the willows on
brook and she sObbed as she took our hai
She sat on a messy rock and told us theI
iful story of her sorrows. We chafed
bruised arms and wept with her. She
counted her griefs and those of her mot
TO us how they both were beaten nea
TO death by drunken Anterior of h
he would no longer send her to
school and Of how they went hungry
bread day after day, 1t was a history
of damning evidence against the man, d
lin, that kept the rumshop down by
Lake. We would have stolen her az
from that living hell where she was tort
ed and shared our own home with her,
she dared not incur new wrath from
demon parent. A thousand times have
wished we had forced her away with us
For long hours we sat there together
the messy rock by the willows, and Il
she said she must hurry home. She ar
and took our baud and bid US a sobb
farewell Her last words, farew
-; | must 60 now or he will b
me again. are burnt in our memory
shall never forget them-'twas the last Il
we ever heard her voice-we watched
as she crossed the meadow, and that
the last time we ever saw our loved A