Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1854-06-01

sno vas iutensipte 10 al her surroundings,
and lay stricken b; disease like . trampled
flower, slowly hiding, notwithstanding the
dew Of mourning hSsrss and The sunlTht ii
kindness, whirk y: she eleventh hour fell 50
lavishly around hel
None Of Us Goals lock upsn her without
tears she was eyes now SO levely in cur
eyes = and to feel that suoh lcEeIiness might
/ Be doomed fer the grave Her poor mother
vas as one struck sfaechless b. her erea.
sorrow the ligEs o. life was gene from her,
never to return !sgEn for If parent. ever
cherished 90 iasl, il; sas the msthsr Of So
pLie Gray
0ns night anbagstAe latest sf December
~ neser have 'tof8etten that, Il showed
sstsly and silently isztine II the lonR llours
Hattie Wilder an myseIf were watchers
over the sick enc. for We had plead so ear.
nestlyi with Mrs. Gray to take her place, no.
vices though We verb in ministration upon
the sick, that late in the evening she had
consented to retire fhr a few hours rest II
was very cold, bur tha FIRE burned veil ia
the large fre-plaee.supsu tAe shelf, over
which, remember was somedryea life-ever.
lasting, whose silyery iblossoms showed pref
tily in the dark earthcna vase. Beside this
lay small Bible, which We recognized as
the in which Sophie always read At school
The sembre patch curtains were let down
closely to shut cat q shudder from the air
without, andfrem scratching mysterious, We
scarcely knew what har chairs we're draws
together, near the bed head, while occasion
ally hand IF our sufEsring friend was press
ed within eur own. BY and by We ceased
to whisper, and frena tacit consent sat almost
hreathless, as the cid fastened clock seemed
to tick mere heavily than ever in the shadows
O.the corner Sophie lay unusually still.
and cur labor was almost entirely reduced
to care :k
! When theEhour oatrN round for the admin
fsteriug of the medicine from certain phials
With varicusly hued. liauids, that stood be-
side me. Hattie Whispered softly fer me to
observe Sophie. presently saw that her
eyes were opened upsu US with 4 lock Of in
telligeqce, natural And altogether unlike
tho loak she lad vora during her illasss. /
gave her the idraueht when she smiled just
as of I'D, aud in ouE.:sy, we each pressed
a fervent kiss upon hes forehead.
'Oh how glad I dr,stba you are better,
Sophie said I'VE in a; breath
Thank you she res!tisd calmly i shall
/be very much bettor sbon'
'Yes,' l said, and What joy il will give.
your mother /
But the tears came now ono after another
quickly, and dropped ,dbwn upon her thin,
folded hands My poor, dear mother she
murmured. fWho wNl love her when am
gonel Yes,l said she, in reply to our lsok
of astopishment, L have revived but to die !;
the angels have csnie for me even now
| we thought for moment her mind wan.
dered, and Hattie glided out to summon her
mother to our aid. Mrs Gray came and
locked upon her child, thsn wrung her hands
in unutterabls anguish fpr she could see what
We had not seen--thst Sophie was dying 81
The clock just then struck until twelve
times had been told, oh how slowly and
solemnly, and soon we heard gust Of rising
wind sweep dismall5 around the house, and
alter moaning against the trembling win
dows, die away far dewh the valley even to
perfect silence.
BE calm, dear mother speke Sophie with
some difficulty pow, foI her breath came
with an effort. but still ID the sweet, loving
tone of Did i 60 to Gdd, who knoweth all
hearts. But Jas sure as God liyeth, and /
shall appear before Hira soen, / am innocent
not even from what cause it arose. And all
ask, sbe continued. turning to us, IS for
you, girls, to tell our teacher this for the
thought that be would hear such thing Of
me. broke my Iheartp n,
'Oh, my good, my own darling child stay
yet with me TIL ! gnl they have All left me
aud must too lose the last. the best belcy-
ed 3 cried the agsnized mother, throwing her
arms aboat Sephie's neck Thusshe re-
manned for few minutes, which seemed
hours to US, when We say her start sudden
" back and gaze once more upon her darl-
ing Instantly she sunk down insensible,
for Sophie was gone M
The next rnbrning dawned calm, and clear,
aad cold, and the frss object that met my
eye on looking from the window, was Sophic's
| favorite white rose bush, with its withered
stalks bent lew upon the snow crust under
its weight of ice Like aer,' / reflected, st
has gone down.to the Earth beneath its ehil
ling burden, and the! snaw will soen blow
over it and hide it wbSll{ from sight Like
her, too, in the resurrection Of Spring, it
will be clothed with a fresh garment Of YER
dare, and bloom in renewed beauty
When the Villagers learned Z. fast that
Sophie was dead, and hes latest solemn as
servatiop Of innocence, many hearts. even
strong hearts hardened with years, bowed
themselves for grief and one Of these who
spoke and acted with authority, resolved for
the nonor of the surviving mother, and for
the indenni6ca,ioa Of fuenre peacs. If psssi-
bic to trace the false .spqrt to its author.
| From one ID another it went backward
through intricate windings Of tongues, I'M
til, alas it rested and cosIid 60 20 farther,
notwithstanding many efor,s to parry the
untimely responsibility
.The Hast one who{5shauld hare started
| such SANDER was ElnirA Morse said one
Of our seh6ol girls, .fot overheard her my
self ask Sophie Gray tb write all her compo,
sitions for her. aud when Sophie hesitsted
| for fear it would not be strictly honest, FL.
mira told her she would use Der influence
with her father to get het1 mothers rent as
low As it had been for preceding years for
be was going u rise upo1 al bis other ten
ants the next qharter Md Sophie was 50
alarmed at this she imt5sdiately consented
AT this intelligence TIE people Of Cash
mere were generally sdmbyed with displeas-
ure. that a Subscription Twas Immediately
! started. by which means tIe cottage WIS prr-
chased frefa Esquire MOiss and presented
/ 10 the vidoz 0tss rel Of all ineunihrauce
On the following sabbath, = The esrnes;
solicitation of many. the iernains Of Sephis
GRAY we're borne int iheseharch where ths
funeral exercises were conducted, that al