Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1855-10-10
W@Imme [.
HEART MUSINGS.

SOLITARY and alone" we sat in our cham
Der, made desolatc by the hand of death and
while the rain battered upon the window and
the Autumn winds sang the requium of Sum-
mer among the fading and falling leaves,
busy thoughts took hold upon us and carried
us far away to scenes of the past, forgotten
long years ago, but now brought back to
mind as bright and real as though they were
passing before us. The happy times of in
nocent boyhood-the fond affections of a ten
der mother-the gentle but firm reprOofs of
a devoted father-themerry prattle of a broth
err and sister-aH passed before US as a love
ly panorama, and causing us to wish we could
pass those days again. But the uncurbed
train of thought led US on, and we remem-
bered when we left the old homestead and
went to "seek our fortune" in the far south
west. A tear glistened in our eye as the re-
collection came over us of the time we gave
the parting hand and received the parting
kiss of the loved ones we were about to leave
behind.
And then we remembered the generous
friendships and warm Inequalities received
at the hands of strangers in their sunny
homes-of how we wooed and won a blush
ing maiden and brought her as q trophy to
our own paternal home. Of the sadness Of
that meeting, because that loved Mother who
{ had blessed us when we went out into the
world, had but a few days before gone down
2 into the tomb, and we could never see her
+ more. OF how the sweet, soothing strains of
u her whom We had brought to a strange home,
fell upon our anguished heart, as she told us
q she would love us yet more dearly and thus
is repay us the love of which we had been
robbed and how we blessed her and gave
her the full treasures of a grateful heart.
And then we thought of how we had seen
Father, and Brothers and sisters all fall, one
&c by one, till only one, the youngest, alone re-
y, manned. And soon she yielded to the soft
voice of love and a stranger took her to his
u heart and home.
u And then In memory we unused over the
lr- fond devotion and ever faithful affection of
her who was the light of our home, the Joy
of our heart, and the soother of our woes
ere Of how her voice would pour words of con-
les ISOLATION into the troubled heart as the harsh
" yicissitudes of life pressed heavily upon it.
Of how she would inspire courage and forti-
ace tude when gloom and sadness ~o'erwhelmed
can our spirit-and oh! how the bitter thorn OF
his ou nood 49, oo,t nhon -o oDoor
OF beged some thoughtless word that caused the
sep tear to stand in her clear blue eye, or fall re
uh - ~proachfully, Gkescaldingfre, upon our cheek
- IL - HII1l L. - 49, -
''eo kissed those tears away, and all was sunshin,
and joy again.
And then we remembered how that fnel
a. moulded form began to lose its rounded pre-
portions-of how the rose on her cheek be
gan to give way to the pale lly-ofhow was
ark, Ioid bar onam.ootad I'LL hoeoron. n
how for weary months and months we watcl
ed day and night by her couch-of how ofte
she told us her sickness was unto death, an
yet we could not realize it-of how like col
Stunning fire came the Physicians words
our soul, cher case is hopeless-she ma
dep OF how we summoned all the he
that earth could afford to avert the dead
stroke but all in vain-of how earnest
we plead with God to spare her to us b.
in His wisdom he deniedou prayer and too
her to himself. We dare not, would n
murmur at His DEGREES: He doeth all thin
well; but the anguish of such an hour, W
now can tell.
And then busy memory carried us to t
closing scene-to the time she folded us
! 81 her arms and, pointing to the skies, said
- "MEET NE IN HEAVEN ~ and like an infa
:. H. falling into a slumber, she gently passed
way from the Affections of earth to the
! m wards and joys of the Christians home. 81
tr,a dued and chastened in spirit we awoke fir
and our ~reverie, and solitary and alone we az;
,r our found ourselves in our lonely chamber. /
we verify believe the spirit of the loved a
gone before was around us like a Guard
Book, Angel, and smiling upon us there. Yes,
Maya love to believe that the glorifed spirits of
sainted dead come from the spirit world
SO watch over and counsel us as sacred Guar
ans OF our veal. And it is good thus to
with lieve, too. Though we cannot see them,
col it is a comforting faith to entertain that Il
lesare are near us and shelter us with their gol
in the wings. We are glad of such a faith,
in its happy in the enjoyment of it.
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