New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1856-07-02
Ne(u OrIeans 1aiIp GlJrlesfelrtt 6
Maggie Bel.

The following beautiful extract is from an unpub-
shed poem which we find in Northern exchange.
Re are sure no old young can read it without
aving the finer elements of his nature awakened or
tear brought to the eye in sympathy for Maggieis
ate
"a" OH Maggie Bell, that fearful night!
God only knows what then felt,
AS on the floor, till morning light
Beside thy couch kneIt S
Thy father, with a kindly hand,
Led me down the little lane
We reached the spot where now ] stand,
With madness in my brain.
His was the footsteps on the floor,
Twas he who to the doorway came,
And here, where we had stood before,
He told me, Maggie, Of thy shame.
He told me how young Clarence Lee
We had been friends in boyish days
Had brought great riches from the sea-
And of his manly winning, ways,
And how he talked and sang to thee.
While thou wouldst more attention lend,
Because he talked 80 much Of me,
Because he was my friend;
And how, about two years before
For three since parting then had sped
There came message to your door
That was dead.
He told me of thy grief and tears,
And how young Clarence Lee, a@.
Because he was my friend for years, 1'.
Was more endeared to thee: .
And how thy tender heart to his .a
Would more and more incline,
Because you seemed to feel that this
Was still a link to mine ..
The Winter past, the Spring time came,
Almost forgotten was my name;
The roses to thy cheek returned,
And in thy gentle heart there burned
A love for Clarence Lee
But not as earnest, not the same
Contented, angel-lighted fame
That you had felt for me.
And then-thy fathers voice grew low,
lie drew my head unto his breast, m
And, in a broken voice, and slow,
He told me all the rest.
He said :" The night came on apace,
Young Clarence Lee had sought his home,
And Maggie, With troubled face,
Came to our little rom.
She talked Of all her childhood's years u-
She spoke Of thee with many tears,
And, kneeiing at her mothers feet,
She said she never knew how sweet
Her home had always been.
She placed her hand in mine, and said
While on her mothers knee she laid
Her fearful face serene:
TELL ME, dear parents, were dead
And in the quiet church-yard laid
Beside my little brother Ned,
Whose grave is fresh and green,
Would you miss Inc much when the twill ght came
Would | be always to you the same, =
Would IN your prayers be whispered my name,
Without any sorrow, without any shame?
Oh. tell me, would Maggie be, in truth,
memory still, with the dew of youth,
One of the golden link of three
Removed to higher destiny?
Would you cherish her still as if she were here.
Love her as fondly, keep her as dear,
With never sorrow, never tear,
From summer to summer, from year to year? =
Would you leave my chair in the same old spot
The little table beside the cot,
The Bible upon it, with never blot ~ .
OF tear, when thinking of Masgie's lot?
Would you miss me much would my memory b
As dear and rs true as yours to me,
Till we meet in higher destinyH
Wespoke to her hopefully dried up her tears,
And sought, oh, 50 tendery to Danish her fear
She kissed us more fondly than ever before,
She asked us to bless her, and sad as of yore,
She would knecl to receive it, a child on the foo
We blessed hermost earnestly, kissed her agail
We raised her up lovingly banished her pain
We soothed her, we cherished and bade her y
main,
But she whispered good night,
And stole softly away,
And we thought that the ioy-light
Would come with the day.
The morning came and we learned it all ~.
1t came like shadow, it came like pail,
And we thought how wretChed she must be,
The child-of our heart, the joy of our life,
Away on the sea with Clarence Lee,
Not as a maiden, not as wife,