The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1855-08-22
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Deborah.--A Touching Story.

uhi dh oiu nuh. wy manu- tTeinOlcS
as | write. It is strange looking hand
-shrivelled and brown. and notified
with dark spots which old age has i'm.
printed on it. | can hardly bclievo the
tale my mirror tells me for Time. in
/ his busy silence, has wrought sad changes
there. The curls in which / used to
| glory are silver white; my oyes. cnca
dark and piercing. arc sunkcn and faded,
and lcok out like dying light from lin.
derneath their dropping. reddening lids
This STOPPING. crazy form is but the
wreck of what was once my pride. |
sang once They said I sang we'll. For
years l led choir which was the boast
of the country round. The highest fall
sctto was bet beyond fly flexible voice
not the deepest base below it. Now that
voice. cracked and discordant. can hardly
hlter through the scale and dies away
in n husky whisper.
But | do not mean to talk of myself.
These thoughts came over me ns t look
cd upon the past. to catch n glimpse Of
one who shone there so brightly. who
shines now in the New Jerusalem.
1t was many years ago. for I was
young then, when | first saw sweet D.
borah Darling. It was on the first Sab.
bath in June. Oh how it comes up he
fore me The waving leaves and tue
murmurng of the fresh breeze as it rip.
Piled through them the bursts Of liquid
music that trilled without the church.
and the voice of the meek ole, minister
within, whose simple heartfelt cloqucnce
bound us like spell / occupied my
accustomed scat in the choir. The sing.
ers one by one dropped in, when. to my
dlsmay, ] found that my first treble was
absent. What could we do : I was
perplexed beyond measure, for We had
prepared ourselves with unusual. care to
sing before some distinguished strangers
present, and without our leading treble.
were nothing At last ,one Of the singers
suggested that she had a cousin who sang
readily by note. She miaht be rersua.
dod, etc etc. hurried down stairs and
there. in an old square pew, for the first
time beheld Deborah Darling. How
well | remember it all Her fair face
sutfused with bushes at the thought Of
taking so prominent a position, her gen.
tie hesitation aud timid reluctance, the
sweet, plying expression that stole over
her countenancc as told my perpIexty,
and her faltering acquiescence at last.
| had conquered Deborah, but Deborah
had conquered me-
! led her to her place in the north
gallery, tho base were ranged in the
South, and between them ! took nv
stand. with the counters singers in line
before me, and, with o majestic flourish
on my pitch pipo. we burst into one Of
those fine old anthems whcl. now lie neg.
lected and forgotten. Never did hear
such music. Others may talk of Jenny
Lind and Sontag, bu, never again will
my ears hear such strains as gushcd from
the lips Of Deborah. She sang with her
whole heart ; the delicate color dcepcn.
cd in her checks, her eyes glistened aud
her face grew radiant with emotion. |
sang mechanically. My thoughts, my
eyes were fixed on Deborah and when
she roared, now carolling like a bird and
now gliding over the most difficult pas
sages without an apparent thought of
anything but the language of devotion
she was uttering, felt as if listening to
the songs Of another world
The anthem ceased, but my brain was
in whirl. 1t seemed to me that the
minister would pray about Debornhthat
he would preach about her, and that ev.
cry one must be thinking of her through
the whole service. This was an unpro6t.
able Sabbath to me yet she, sweet GIRL
would gladly have led my thoughts to,
wards Heaven, whittier her own were
ever turning.
The Sabbath passed away ; this week
passed away, and had seeu her, known
her. and IorM her
1t was on Saturday afternoon Ms
bright and beautiful as ever shope on
this fallen earth, that I drove through
tho fragrant pine woods of B.
The air was delicious. the scenery en-.
chanting, and by my side sat Deborah.
Every item of her appearance comes up
vlv'd'y in my recollection. Her dress
OF spotleSs white, beneath which peoped
out the slender little foot ; the shawl of
color so delicate aud soft, Il know not
its name and tho deep bonnet from
whose dark shadow her eyes beamed like
stars. Never since have | seen such
eyes as Dcborah's, so full of liquid light.
the soul looking out of their clear depths.
as if no thought of defilement had ever
inarred their purity, and tho long la,hos
falling heavily over them. as though to
veil sTch brightness from the rude gaze
of mortals. A proud and happy man
was |. when as | turned towards her.
(and l never spoke without doing it,
she would look up for moment with
such soft and timid glance, and then
drop her eyeids, as if terrified at her
own bolducas. The gentle murmur of
her words thrilled my heart 1t seemed
to me it would be Heaven TO clasp the
little hand.
The sun went down, and the silver
disk OF the moon CLEANED in the eastern
SKY Tho trees began to darken more
thickly around us ! slackened my reins;
my horse walked gently along, and no
sound broke the Stiffness save the sigh.
ing of the wind through the pines and
the melancholy chirp of the cricket. |
looked at Deborah and my tongue found |
uiterapce. to!d hor how dear she was
to me, how long, how ardcntl, | had
loved her how never had loved. never
cO1l/H love anOther