Demoine courier., 1856-11-27

remain after school,"
l had triumphed, Bessie; Amy was
disgraced, and l s,ood proudly At the
head OF my class, bu, was not happy.
When school was dismissed pre-
tended to have lost something; and ling
cred in the hall. ! heard The teacher
s.y.
"Amy come here and thew | caugh,
The Ugh, footsteps Of the gentle child.
"How could you tell ,ha, lieg"
"Miss r., 1 did not TELL q lie." bu,
even as she denied it. | could see through
the keyhole that in her grief at The charge.
and her dead Of punishment, she stood
trembling like a culprit.
"Hold nj your hand"
There | stood a. il spell bound
Stroke after stroke Of The hard feruIe I
heard fall upon the small white hand Of
.he innocent child. You may we'll hide
your eyes IRON me. Bessie. Oh. why
did [ no, speak! Every stroke wen, TO
my heart. but I would not confess my sin.
and so | stole softly from the door.
As fingered on the way. Amy walk
Ell slowly along, with her books in one
hand, while with the other she kept wip
ing away .he tesrs, which would not
cease to flow. Her sobs. seeming TO
come from q breaking heart, sank ceep
into my own. A she walked weepingly
on, her foo, stumbling, she fell. and her
books were scattered on the floor. l
picked them Up and handed them to her.
Turning towards me her sof. blue eyes
swimming in tears, in the swee,es. tones
She said, +.
"Tbsak you Ru.h,'
II made my guilty hear, bea, faster,
bu, | would no, speak; 50 we wen. home
silently together.
When | reached home. 'whai 10 the
use." said | TO my ,elf; "nobody knows
il. and why should | be so miserable. =
received to throw of the hated burden.
ard going into the parIor, | laughed ard
talked as Il nothing we're the matter
Blu, The Load on my poor heart only grew
tell me int wages of sin. The s,e oil
God seemed consuming me. Bun the
worse | lri,, the gsyerl seemed. and
more Than onre ! wns checked from my
ooisterous mirlh, while les.s were s,rug.
ling 10 escape.
At length went TO my room.
could no, pray, ~ so, hurrying TO mi
bed, | resolu,ely shut my eyes. But
sleep would no, come to me. The tick
ing Of The old click in The hall seemed
every moment to grow louder, as if re-
preaching me, and when il slowly told
me the hour Of night, it sno,e upon my
ear like a knell. turned and turned on
my Ii'tie pillow. bu, il vac filled with
~tnorns. Tbose sweet, blue eyes, swim.
ing in tears, were ever before me; the
repeated strokes Of the hard feruie KEEP,
sounding in my ears. Al length unable
Ia endure il longer, | left my bed and sal
down Wy the window. The noble eIms
1000 peacefully in the moonlight, the
psnciled shadow of their spreading
branches lying ,remously onihe ground.
The white fence. ,he gravcled walks. the
perfect quieiness in which every thing
was wrapped. seemed 10 mock my rest
l~essnsss, while the solemn midnigh, sky
filled ne with an awe | never Eel, before.
All! Bessie. areproving conscience and
an angry God are TOO hard for . child 10
wreste with.
As turned from the window my eyes
rested on the snow white cove.let Of my
little bed. a birth. day gIft from my moth.
er. All her ra,ernas kindness rushed
upon my mind. ! felt her dying hand
upon my head. listened once more to
The flu..ering voice - she f~esyently De
sought III. blessing Of Heaven upon her
6rst born
..Oh. make her . truthful, holy child"
l tried 10 bsnieh from my thoughis
this las. petition Of my dying mother;
bu, the more r~esolu,s wa, my purpose,
the more distinctly did those pleading
tones fall upon my heart. ill. bowling
upon the window, l weps convulsively.
But tears. Bessie, could give me no
relief.
My agony became every momen. more
intense, ill .. length, ! rushsd almos, in
terror TO my fathers bedside.
"Fa,her! fa,her!" but l could say no
more. Tenderiy putting his arm around
me, he la,d my 'hrobbins head upon HE
bosom; and then he gently soothed me
til. ! could % Ear control tbs torrsn. Is 10
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