The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1855-02-14
selett MllsteIlaup.
A WINTIR's EVENING TALE.

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"A WINTERS EVENING TALE.
Two old men sat together over their
wine on New Years eve. Two old men
SO different rarely sit in social converse !;
for one was tall, and his shoulders were
, broad, and his loud " Ha, ha - rang
out merily now aud then, and healthy
bloom was still upon his cheek; only
the first frosts of life's Winter whitened
his abundant hair, and a CHEEKY, good
humored light still beamed from his
bright blue eye. The other, so pale
and wrinkled, so bowed down, so hum
BILE in address, in utterance so feeble
and indistinct that his companion turn
ed his ear patiently toward him in good
natnred, close attention. Only few
scattering looks of gray were lift to stray
over his furroEed brow, and his dim,
halfclosed eyes, burrowing under the
shaggy eyebrows, wandered listlessly
over the table aud the floor, while his
words fell huridly aud trembling from
his tongue. The two were talking over
the storms that had swept over the
oceans of their lives; but while one
spoke of tempests safely outriden, and
rocks and sholes well scaped, the other
told of long fruitless wanderings in far
off lands, under scorehing suns, tormen-
ting spirits urging him on, and vain de-
lusIye hopes smiling if mockery before
him 't Come, come Phil. - said his en-
tertainer, 4 you and are too old now
to mind much the raking up of old
schoolboy pranks. Pray, now, what
L L
atrocious plot against the staid decorum
of virtdous society, was it that drove
you forth into the wilderness of the
world where, in truth, you seemed to
have culled goodly bundle of sage ex-
periences what was it, Phil, that sent
You on your travels Phil Hode's
nervous mouth twiched more than ever
and his hand trembled as he raised his
glass and shook half the contents out up
on the marble table; but he took heart
when the last drop was emptied down
his throat, and again the glass flowed
with the dark red wine, aud again it
was drained tc. the bottom. Then Phil
Hopes eye was raised till it met that of
his employer, and it wavered moment
and wandered OF along the froscoyered
walls, and over rich gilded frames of
great mirrors, and back again till it
fixed upon the Brussels carpet. " tits
hard, Mr.. Willard he began thus, low
and TREMENDOUSLY, - hard to open ones
lips so late in life to a secret they have
kept so long locked up within them, but
there is something within me now that
drives me to confess against my Will,
and that tears my secret from me,
though I hoped it should be buried in
my grave And his voice grew husky,
and once more the heavy decanter was
clutched in his feyerish grasp, and a
third brimming glass followed the others
down his throat "I was far differSat
Mr.. Willard, from what am now, when
I went to pass my summer vacation in
a lovely village among the mountains of
Massachusetts,. They called me hand
some young man them" here a shadow
of smile fiekered over his wan visage,
" and was in much better repute for
feats of agility and skill In the athletic
games of college life than for any pro-
ticiency in science or diligence in learn
ing. With the last dying rattle of the
chapel bell few away all thoughts of
study and cramming my favorite vol
une into my pocket, AID choosing out
the safest place on the coach-top for my
rod aSe gun, / whirled out of the mar
row valley. found employment
enough In the beautiful country had
chosen, and many were the dark seelud-
ed pools sought out, buried deep in
menatain glens, where the trout lay still
and secure or play eoquettishly with the
gargling ripples that poured into the
deep, quiet basin, or vent whirling
round aud round in wimpliug eddies.-
It was early one beautiful noring,
when Was following up the coy wan
derings of new stream, brushing away
the sparkling dew as l stole along step
ping lightly over broken twigs, aud soft
ly pushing aside obtruding branches,
that I might come unawares upon my
game. l had just left the meadows
behind me, aud had plunged into the
deep chasm between opposing erags,
beyond which there stretched away a
long, narrow ravine, that formed here
and there deep shaded hooks, where the
grass spread out in a bright green car
pet, and many eolored mosses, clinging
70 fallen trees, and gathering thick
upon the rough rocks, made soft and
gsily variegated bed, on which to repose
,ne weary limbs, just before me, care
Etessay reclining on enc of these luxurious
coaenes' Just where the stream spread
OUT over Its grarelIy bed in q shallow,