Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1856-10-30

heartless mistress, could remove from the
brow Of that mistress the frown that gath.
cred there when Patsy approached ANA
then her husband meekly offered to pur-
chase her: but the whole purchase-money
was demanded in one payment, and in cash
and he had no power TO make it. He Of
fered TO labor for years on years, until he
should become an old man; but that offer
was rejected. Then followed nervous appre-
tensions of sale; so that Patsy started and
tremb!ed at the sound of every approach
ing footstep. And then came the hour SO
long DELAYED, 50 greatly dreaded, when the
tradcrand his gang sluans upon her in her
little home, and tore her from the arms of
her children; the last look-the last en-
brace Of her little Harry, and her girl and
her babe. Can ycu wonder that she died
broken-heared, far away from all she low
ed-with no kind hand to soothe the an
guislrof her DYING hour, and that dropof
blood rested on her face,
The traveler went on his journey, but
that drop Of blood en- the pale face of that
poor. slave, as she sa. cold in death, made
a deep impression upon him. Perhaps
the optic nerve was diseased. In after
years he saw it in places where its presence
was least looked for. He saw it on bales
of cotton, and hogsheads of sugar; ON
newspapers-even religious papers were
spotted with it; on the pages Of the novel
ist and poet; on-books of science and of
ethics; on records of courts he saw it
spread, until they were in places, covered
with crimson. He saw it ON the ballot,
and in the right hand of the voter, till the
palm of that right hand was red with
blood.
He saw it beneath the blaze Of gas-iights,
where long rows of silver and cut-gglass Or
namehted the table, and beautiful women
and brave and learned men sat joyously at
the feast; and there, in a moment of rev.
elry, that drop of blood oozed out upon
each plate, and spe cited each glass, until his
soul sickened attlle slight - = = = = -
A beautiful Young bride, decked in white
robes, with orange flowers upon her head
and sirroundedby groups of laughing girls,
was arranging her hair before she went
down to her marriage, cast a glance at the
diamond ring which the Bridegroom had jus;
placed upon her finger, and turned white
as Italian marble, and shuddered in every
limb. The Traveller at her side saw in that
dian,>nd the drop of blood, fresh ard
crimson. Was the vision of the bride made
unnaturally acute by her excitement, and
did she see If, too. In moment it was
gone-the diamond shone in its bright
splendor; the bribe became composed, and
in a few moments was-wife.
A Young minister charmed by the fer
v,r of his eloqence and piety all who heard
him-the Traveller sat in his pew and saw
that drop of blood spread itself over his
manuscripts, as lay upon the Bible; till it
covered every page. r<ss ffE
He saw Christians meet together to COM
memorate the love of Him who died for
them; and that drop of blood floated like
oil upon the wine, and spotted all the
bread, as those Christians pressed them to
their lips and prayedto be forgiven.
But he did not see it on the works of
nature. The deep blue sky was stainless,
as when it bent over Eden before the sin
of man. The white lily bloolned radiant
and glistening in its unsullied purity. The
rose, seated in moss and dripping with
dew, was immaculate in her queenly beau
ty, and the plumage Of the dove was all
unstained. .-,.-----.--.-.-~-
He opened the Book of God-and its
every page and line Were squire as the
spirit that made it." There was no spot
there-Oh no. all that his eye rested up
on in il, was free from every stain or trace
of blood. A 70
He consulted the learned DR.. Stebbins,
who teld him that the optic nerve was dis
eased, and that the diagnosis indicated
amaurosis, and made a long prescription
which did the traveller no good.
He con- ulted his beloved pastor, the
venerable Doctor of Divinity-the Rev.
Thomas Slowsee, who told, him that his
imagination was diseased, ard tenderly
and affectionately talked in mild and gen
tie tones and terms of fanaticism, and the
danger of losing ones influence, and of
organic law, aud of the difference between
religious and political questions, and the
folly of meddling with strife that belongeth
no: to the meddler; but as the good man
talked, he looked surprised; for he, too,
saw the same spots Of blood almost every
where-eveu upon holy things and he,
too, shared III the fanaticism that at first
he had thoughtlessly condemned; for the
disease proved to be contagious-and had,
like other contagious, its own peculiar laws.
Those who would, could see the spots as
the traveller saw Them; those who would
moi, We're blinded ...- --f