Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1856-07-11
THE SEA-SHEIL-

4" Was il The chime Of tiny beIl,
That came 80 sweet Is my dreaming ear
Like the silvery tones Of fairy shef
That winds on the beach, so mellow and clear.
When The winds and the waves lie together asleep,
Ard tho moon and the fairy are watching the
deep"
4" That is the roar Of the ocean which
You hear said our hostess as we lifted
from the centre-table beautiful shell
and placed it to our ear. 1t is true there
was low murmur, Ike the far-off roar
of the sea, rising and falling, as if borne
to the ear upon waves of air; now clear
and distinct as the dash on the beach, and
again low and tremulous as the dying
winds. We closed our eyes and listened
10 the murmr Of che shell. As we list
ened we dreamed. We stood on the
beach as it stretched away, the restless
swell curling with foam, and dashing
wearily upon the sands. Solemn, almost
sad was the murmuring anthem which
sobbed on the still air. II is sublime
seenc-the ocean. The throbbing pulse
of the mighty element beats slowly at
your feet.
Ten thousand fleets have swept over
thee in vain" for as far as the eye can
see, there is not a track where their keels
have been. 1t is a trackless waste
Not even cross is seen to the mark the
spot where crime has been. There are
no monuments where thousands have
been laid down in the yielding waves
Where are the gallant fabrics which have
been sunk in the "deep, deep sea ?'-
Where did the gloomy pillows open to
the ill-fated PRESIDENT
There was the gallant Arctic, steam
ing homeward under full sail, and warm
hearts beating faster under her deck at
the thought of green hills soon to rise
from the waters. But the shock came,
and fast the waters rushed into the ill-fa-
ted steamer Slowly, like the march Of
fate, the huge fabric sank. One wall
went up to God, and downward went the
Arctic with her living freight, with eve
ry sail set. Secure from storm and de-
cay, she is anchored beneath the sullen
waters. Her sails are filed by the dark
green waves as they ebb and flow. No
smoke curls from her chimney tops, for
nef gtesss ron ne<II IisS ceased 10 rnroU
Undissurbed, the dead ones still rest upor
the slippery deck. Holland is still by
the side Of bis gun, match in hand
The womanly locks float out in the wa.
tiers, and the damp cheek rests cold and
still in the clasped hands. Many face.
look up sternly among thes shrouds.-
! The stripes and stars and the cross of St
George lift wearily in the ebb and how
of the tide. And wherever there is q
heart which longs for the loved ones un.
/. der the wave, the shell will bring sobbing
murmurs to sadden that heart.
Thickly strewn are the dwellers on
the ocean bed. It's sleeps, and wales
and deep, dark glens, are all peopled.-
! But they dwell in peace. The march o.
fall Of empires is not heard. Rust hsi
gathered upon blade and in the cannon
mouth. The inhabitants of the deer
gambol unharmed about the battle Graf
whose oaken ribs have shivered will
;, deadly broadsides.
No monuments on the ocean Mar
has piled the earth with the structures
Of his genius and ambition. Earth
greatness is eommemorated in marbl
and upon canvass. But the sea has N
tale TO tell. Far down and unseen ar
/ the monument builders, the coral, an
waves, as they throb 10 the shore, bear "A
record Of the dead.
. Neither has the shell word from th
E ocean sleepers. II murmnrs only Of tb
whispering winds and waves Cayus
n Chief