Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1854-04-14
ne was thin, and ha.i q transparencr In

y through, and her eyes were large and
hollow---the white of them pearl-colored
and clear. She complained little; suf-
fering no pain, and dying away one
scarcely knew Why. There was gen
eral look Of fading and a shadow of las
situde and weakness, as if the essence of
her life were slowly evaporating; as if
she were resolving back to the ethereal
clements which had met together for
brief season in her. She was diving, she
often said, from the desire to die; from
The want of motive of life; Sue had moth
ing to live for.
Mrs. HILBERT nursed her daughter as
any such woman would nurse fading
girl-with con,cientiousness, but with
hardness; doing her duty, but doing it
without shadow of tenderness. She
had the best advice Brighton could af-
ford, and she took care that the medi-
zines We're given at the exact hour pre-
scribed, and without fraction of differ
ence in the mode prescribed. Fruit and
good books were there in abundance;
but all wanted the living spirit.
On Estella the weight Of consolation
fell, and no one could have fulfilled its
duties better. 1t was the spring-time
now, and she would 60 ont into the
fields and lanes, aud bring home large
lunches of forget-me-nots, and primro-
ses, and daisies, with sprays OF the wild
rose and of the honeysuckle; and she
sang to the dying girl, and sometimes
brought her sketching- book and sketch
ed the costumes of Italy, the palaces of
Genoa, and the glorious watersheds of
Venice; and she would sit and talk to
her of Italy, and tell her all that would
most interest her, being most unlike the
life of home. And she would tell her
anecdotes of italian history and wild sto-
ries of Italian romance; and then they
would talk of graver things the po-
etry OF the Old Church, of its power in
the past, of its marvellous union of wick
edness and virtue; and then they would
speak of the angels and of God and both
felt that one of them would soon be face
to face with the great mysteries of the
future, and would soon know of what
nature were the secrets of the world to
come. And all of poetry, Of warmth,
ofglorious vision, and high souled thought
all Of the golden atmosphere of relig
ion, in which art and spiritual beauty,
and spiritual purity, and poetry and love
were twined as silver cords set round
with pearls; all that lightened Jessie's
death-bed, and seemed to give voice
to her own dumb thoughts, form to
her own unshaped feelings, Estella shed
there.
1t was impossible that even the Ever
cit world could reject her for ever. 1t
was impossible that even Mrs. HILBERT
could continue indifferent to the beauti-
FIJI young woman who gave peace to her
dying child; and though the fact of Miss
Este, as she was called being her disown-
ed niece Estella never struck her some
thing that was not all confessed admira-
ton, but which afterwards she believed
to be natural instinct, drew her nearer
and nearer to the girl, and made her ut
last love her with sincerity if not with
warmth. And when Jessie grew paler
and weaker hour by hour-when every
one saw that only few days more stood
like dusty spirits between her and the
quiet future-when Estella'S prayers were
for peace no longer for the restoration
which had become a mockery-whcn
sleepcss eyes AMI haggard looks spoke
of the shadow of death that was stridlng
on-then Jessie. taking EStella's hand
and laying it in her mothers said
! Mamma, You have another daughter
now to fill my place! EStella your neice
and my sweet sister in consolation. will
comfort YOU when | am gone. and viii
take the place in your heart where have
lived"
( 1t was too solemn moment, then, for
Mrs. Hilbert to fall back into her old
fortress of pride and hardness. BY the
side of her dying child, she became wo-
manly anu Christion; although even then,
/ the struggle was hard one. and the eff
I fort cost her dear She bent over Estcl-
la. kneeling there and weeping. and say
ing slowly and with still gravity not
wholly ungentle--
/ Il except the trust now E>tella, and
forgive your father for the sin he commit
ted and for the shame that he wrought.
Your place shall be as my dear child has
said, in my heart; and we will mutually
forgive, and pray t. be forgiven"
/ Jessie smiled.
( THAT is all have hoped and prayed
for" she said, family; "be a mother to
her as YOU have been to me, and let the
future make up for the short-coming of
the paSt!2
And she turned her face towards the
last rays of the sunlight streaming in
through the open window.
\ bird sang on a tree just opposite; the
waves murmured pleasantly among the
shells and >eaweed on the shore; the sun.
sinking down in his golden sleep, flung
one last stream of glory on the marble
brow ana long locks of the dying girl. 1t
was word of blessing for the past. and
of baptism for the future. Jessie held
her mothers hand in one of hers; the
other claSped PaufS and Estclla's held
together.
Blessed by love" she murmured, IRE
deemed 10y l"ve-O God, save those who
trust in Thee, and for Thy sake pardon
lothers-rhou. whose name and essence
are love and mercy!n
GERR!T SMITH ON THE HOMESTEAD.
] hat honest man and faithful public
servant, Gerrit Smith, in 4 recent letter
to Frederick Douglass paper sets forth