Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1855-12-18
I'll / SIT | | Il II D.
Ben Bolt and Sweet Alice.

g Oh, don't you remember sweet Alice, Ben Bolt?
Sweet Alice, whose hair was so brown
Who bushed with delight when you gave her smile,
And tren,tled in fear at your frown.
''In the old church yard ia the valley, Ben Bolt,
In a corner obscure and alone,
They have fitted slab Of the granite so gray,
And Alice lies under the stone.'
Don't you remember" Are those three mag
ic Hords-a key wlerewith We may unlock the
flood gates 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 expe-
rience as bygone Even so There rise before
our visions of time when the bright deep eyes
OF the young spring gazed slyIy upon US from
beneath the ermine mantle Of fwinter-when the
blue yiolets stole their first tint from the azure
sky a5oye-when cowsips Of sunny MAY, and
the golden hearted buttercups first iewelled the
slender blades Of grass; and the hawthorn grew
white with its blossoms-when we roained the
woods the whole of that long, warm, loyeable
June holiday, weaving garlands, and listening
to the concert Of birds in that dark mistleto-
wreath, oaken forest. There was one in wears
agone that prayed Lord, keep my memory
green : and the clinging tendrils of our hearts
go back ever yearninglv to this prayer.
But green and fresh as the poets prayer, lad
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 fby-gone days
Not through 4 glass, darkly,' did he review
these scenes of the boy heart to others cf child
hood
There was a little old red school house, with
its dusky windows, and the desks that had been
nicked many a time, trying pen knife; its tall
stern looking teacher whose stern voice caused
the younger ones TO tremble, It's rows of bows
and girls with their heads bent attentively
downward to their books and states, the wild
winter winds sang and whistled without, and
some few childish hearts tried to find words for
its mournful notes They We're too young and
happy to know that it carried desolation, and
heart ache in its wall, yet did they learn it in
after years
Then there came few light, round snow-balls
tiny that 1t must have been the sport of the
snow spirits TO iheir cldrich rcvels changing by
and by to feather flakes that danced about ever
gaily. How the childrens eyes grew bright, as
they looked at one another, and thought of the
merry rides down hill, and the snowballing that
would make the play ground ring again. The
last lessons were said, and in the place of ST.
lence reigned gay, glad voices. Kate Ashley
shook her pretty ringlets, and laughed, as she
gave Jamie Marvin that bit of a curl he had
teased SO long for, because she knew that Jamie
had the prettiest sled in the whole school All
a bit Of a coquette was the same gleeful romping
Kate And there was Sophie Dale looking as
demure as a kitten walking from pan of new
milk; and as playful as a kitten, too, was She
in spite of her quiet looks; and the stately Eli
zabeth-Queen Bess they called her-and l
question if England's queen had laughter
carriage. But apPart from these who were ca
gerly looking ter friends 10 take them home :;
stood Alice May-sweet Alice. Very beautiful
and loyeable was she, with her winsome, child
ish face, blue eyes, and soft brown curls She
so delicate and fragile, you might almost
imagine her snow child, or a lost fairy babe
Nearly all the children had departed, amid
the joyful shouts and jingling bells, and yet the
little child stood alone, until rich, boyish voice
startled her, saying:
No one goes your way, Alice, does there :"
"No, guess not, Ben, she replied, in her fine
bird-hke tones.
s. Let me carry you home"
Oh, no, 1 am too heavy to be carried so far"
and she laughed low and sweetly
Heavy no. you're just like thistle down
or snow flake, Ally; could carry you to Eng
land and back again without being at all ia
tigued; and he tossed the little girl in his arms
Ne, no; let me go, the boys viii laugh al
vou Rem and She s.-usrcIed
What DO l caref They may laugh at Ben
Belt as they Ike" and the brave boy drew back
the chestnut curls from his bread, fair head, and