The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1856-03-28

the following lines, which were composed
for tho occasion, jointly (as I understood)
by aunt Emma and aunt Lydia.
no. GRANDMA"
"In world Of sadness,
Where are true Joys lound|
Where do peace and giadneSs
Most and best abound|
Not in chasing phanicms
Far away from home,
Do the hearts pure pleasures
Ever, ever come!
But In sweet communion,
Speaking words Of love,
Greeting friends and kindred
Sent Us from above.
Thu. with kind affection
Greeting Grandma dear,
We will in perfection .....
|. Find our pleasures here. s..
Grandma dear we hail thee
As our iruest friend,
Nay no i'll assail thee,
Every good attend.
May thy llfes bright evening
Far surpsss life's day, .rf.s
May thy heavenly prospects
Drive each gloom away.
Then when life is ended,
May thy soul be blest
In the happy mansions
or eternal rest"
Now VIC considered the pathetic as having
come to close, and on uncle Jonathan
gracefully handing grandma from her throne,
the hitherto rcprcssed congratulations were
Ito speak the plain truth) noisy and numer-
GUS. "Didn't we do this up well2" +" Had
you any idea of it grandma ?" Isn't it a
grand play?" asked the children; "and
didn't you really know anything about it,
grandma 2"
"Not in the least, not in the least, have
never been so astonished in my life."
And then such laughs as we had at the
questions which grandma had asked for the
last week or two. and at the managing and
manGuvring to which we were obliged to
resort in order to carry out our plans. Af-
ter this, grandma was led to tho cedars
forming the arch, which she found filed with
a variety Of the most wonderful productions.
Pendant from the branches were presents
inscribed to herselffr from each one of the COM
pany, down to the youngest grandchild.-
There were books, caps collars, cuff, brooches,
pincushions, spcctaclcs, beside many other
things (as some of the advertisements have
it) too tedious to mention. Grandma said
that the trees reminded her Of the goodly
cedars of Lebanon. When she had got
through looking at her presents, she went
around the rooms examining the fxings
critically through her spectacles, and chat
tering in the highest glee with the different
members of the family. lfever there was a
delighted old lady, it was grandma on that
birthday evening. .......
The canopy over her easy chair, with its
festoons of evergreen and japonicas, was cs-
pccially the object of her admiration; but
when she found that the groundwork was
composed of the old salmon-colorcd satin,
which had been in the house for the last ten
years, thought tho old lady would have
died with laughter. We all laughed with
her, for laughing seemed to be on this pleas
ant evening as easy and natural as breath
ing. Then we had more music and children's
play, and conundrums, and everything else
that was pleasant and divcrting. In COM
pliment to the youngest ofthc grandchildren
they were allowed on this occasion the high
est hilarity; for 50, grandma insisted it
should be; and the spontaneous and noisy
expressions Of fun went unrebuked.
The wheels Of time, as you may suppose,
rolled swiftly on; and at eleven o'clock,
when we supposed it had only been about
nine, aunt Miriam announced supper. But
this shall not describe, except to say that
II was not one of those stcreotyped affairs
got up by professional party purvcyors; but
every dclicacy was formed by the fair hands
of aunties and nieces. That ham, Of coun-
try cousin memory, had its story told by
grandma, and jokes, mirth and good nature
seasoned the feast. Like everything else,
though, here below, this animating reunion
had its end but on parting, VIC felt assured
that we were more happy than before, and
that the bonds of family affection were per-
manently. strengthened. Confident ] am,
that this birthday celebration Ito repeat
cousin Augustus poetical languagc) "will
lingcr in grandma's memory, when other
events have been shroudcd in the dark shad-
ows Of oblivion"
One OF TIE GRANDCnILDREy.