The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1854-04-03
Ben Bolt and Sweet Alice.
BY AMANDA NJ. DOUGLASS.

And trembed with fear at your frown?
In the old church yard in the valley, Ben Bolt,
In the corner secluded and lone,
They have fitted slab of granite so gray,
And sweet Alice lies under the stone"
THOMAS Dunn ENGLISH.
Don't YOU remember? Are those three
magic words-a key wherewith we may un
lock the hoodgates of the heart, and send
the sweet waters of the past over the plains
and down the hills of that fair land, known
in our heart experience as by-gone? Even
so. There rises before us visions of time
when the bright deep eyes of the young
Spring gazed shyly at us from beneath the
ermined mantle, of Winter--when the blue
violets stole their first tint from the bluer sky
above: when the cowslips of sunny May
and the golden hearted butter-cups first jew
eled the slender blades of grass; and the
hawthorn grew white with its blossoms );
when we roamed the woods the whole of
that long, warm, loveable June holiday,
weaving garlands and listening to the con-
cert of birds in that dark, mistetoewreath-
ed oaken forest The was one in years agone
that prayed" Lord keep my memory
green" and the clnging tendriIs of our
hearts 90 ever back yearning to this prayer.
But green and fresh as the poets prayer,
had the heart of Ben Bolt been kept--from
his early boyhood to the hour he sat by his
old friend, and listened to the song of by
gone days. Not " through glass, darkly,"
did he review those scenes OF the past, but
it was the going back of the boy-heart 10
other hearts of childhood.
There was the little old red school house,
with its dusty windows and desks that had
been nicked many time trying pen-knives;
its TALL stern-looklng teacher, whose heavy
voice caused the younger ones to tremble ;
its rows Of boys and girls, with their heads
bent attentively downward to their books
and states. The wild Winter wind sang and
whistled without and though some few
childish hearts tried to find words for its
moumful notes, they were too young and
happy to know that it carried desolation and
heart-ache in its wall; yet did they learn
1T in after days.
Then there came a few light, round snow
balls, so tiny that it must have been the
sport of the storm spirits in their eldrich
revels--changing by and by to feathery
flakes, that danced about ever so gaily. How
the childrens eyes grew bright as they look
at one another, and thought of the merry
rides down hill, and the snow baIling that
would make the playground ring again =
The last lessons were said, books and states
IhI dSlNic, dHu III ploSC VI 'ilC SilNhNS
reigned gay and glad voices. Kate Ashley
shook back her jetty ringlets, and laughed
through her sparkling eyes. as she gave Jamie
Marvin that bit of curl he had so longeC
for. because she knew Jamie had the pretties
sled in the whole school, All, bit of {
coquette was the same gleeful, rompins
Kate; and there was Sophia Dale, looking
as demure as a kitten walking from pan o
milk, and as playful as kitten too, wa
she, in spite of her quiet looks; and tn
stately Elizabeth-queen Bess they called
her, and question if England's queen had
laughter carriage but apart from thos
who were eagerly looking for friends to taxi
them home, stood Alice May--sweet Alice
Very beautiful and lovely was she, with he
winsome, childish face, blue eyes, and soft
brown curls. She was so delicate and frag
lie. you might almost fancy her little snow
child or lost fairy babe.
Nearly all the children had departed, ami
the joyful shouts and jingling of bells, bu
yet the sweet little child stood alone, unit
a rich, boyish voice startled her by saying
"No one goes your way, Alice, do they?'
No, I guess not, Ben," she replied, in he
fine, bird-like tones.