Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1857-07-15
Autobiography of a H~earthstone.

pn"ouAco, III ooTrONs, Tue JOYS, bnos hoPSo, d
the dependencies, the trials fife have been
wept and sung over me from year to year "
| am full of many painful histories re ;,
and write. :
l was placed in my present position by the =
strong hands of an honest man who came !
from a distant land, and the little feet of his
children battered in a thousand joys upon
my face. These were pleasant days, and if '
| have a heart it was made glad to see so
much happiness gathered around ne. The !,
little children became men and women, more
quiet and sedate than the children were, but
not a whit the happier. Then there came
marriages and merry makings in the group
that nightly gathered around me, and | have
been led to believe that other Hearthstones
were laid in other places as much like me as
possible with other groups gathered around
them, like the weeping and singing groups
that have gathered around me. Years rolled
away and,the face of him who laid me, grew
full of seams and wrinkles while mine grew
smoother with the pattering of many feet
My masters eyes grew dim, and he would
sit for hours over me gazing fxedly as if
striving to look over some distant hill into
the plains Of a brighter and better land,
while the ~sclemnly slow tappings of his cane
would sometimes stop the cricket at my side
in his CHEEKY song to listen with me to the
~tappings that seemed to tell of something
passing away. One night death came and
stood at the side of the old man-his trem-
bling chin sank upon his breast-those he
loved, came to him and wept until my face
was almost as wet as theirs-they carried
him away, and the solemnly slow tappings
of his well worn cane has been heard no
more.
Then there was 4 separation of those who
had grown up around me-some to this land
and some to that, and some to that better
land, whittier the good old man has gone
Strangers came and sat over me-other stories
we're told-other songs sang-other grief'
wept. 1t seemed that everything was strange
except the old cricket that had built its HON
on nv warmest side. 1t was the same oil
cricket with the same old memory stirring
song. Lie s6rdHS6IS lid d OoHOS nOA
young man and his wife. There was some
!. thing wrong; that young wife would 81
over me and weep as if her heart would brea
and sigh for a Hearthstone that she had lie
somewhere. When the husband was preser
there was not SO much pleasure enjoyed as
have seen and a gloom somehow always gait
: cred about me-. Sometimes hard words wei
e used and much said about gold. | belieN
y they were riveted together against their ow
e will, with golden manacles, and they WEI
O ever struggling to break the accursed bo
"a dage. There was something wrong; for Il
n husband went away at last and never r
- turned. 1t was a strange severing of tie
more cruel it seemed than the -untetherir
3 fingers of Death.
tho d0Urs or the old mansion we
h closed and the fire that always shone on n
e face so cheerfully died out. All was dar
cold and gloomy for many days. How Il
n old cricket lived through i | cannot tell, b
it he did live and would sometimes sing a plea
of ant song in the midst of an unbroken so
of tude. When the spring opened and t
en- swallows began to thunder in the Gimme
e, and the wing shaken SCOT and dust began
at rain on my face, the doors were opened,
at neglected form, by a group of new conner
ng Now there was a goodly prospect of a good
Re, cheer-a whole family to gather around 1
.p- and bright eyed children to dance with We
it Joy upon my face and roll over me with
nd light, a sport | so much love as all soc
= Hearthstones should. The husband a
ed father was a noble looking man, and | rea
lie thought should have the pleasure of witne
full ing an amount of happiness, that l had be
Ter a stranger to, since my old master pass
ny away. Never was a confding HearthstC
Ter more mistaken. In a few days that husba
not and father came home beastly drunk c
III. how he cursed and swore! How he storm
vii. and raved at wife and children! How
ing reeled and fell upon me with drunken weiI
pes How he vomited his flthiness upon my
md and beautiful face Oh this was an
Dry rageous indignity, l had never been often
t it with before How could the wretch ire
t. decent Hearthstone in this wise? VeI
], to had / not been laid in mortar, l might b
the risen up against the brutal man. After
lus- sing and raving like a mailman he slunl
to bed, and his patient wife, weeping
Ugh sobbing, brought clean water and washed
his drunken mortaPs filth off my face. Ho
how thanked her for that, and / never caret
lun- know whether she was weeping at her
ying bands disgrace or on account of the il
and nifty with which | had been treated.
of a All! what, have l been witness to v
mo- that drunkard's family has been over N
nave l have seen him grow more and more
1t! sotted every day. What c~ruelties to
sick and children! The ~whippings and beat
rner by that drunken demon have been ent
eted to make tie blood in the most stoical lie:
ken stone run cold. What sorrows have Sc
ont apd trials-and temptations. What pit
cries of hungry children for bread '
de- earnest prayers of a broken hearted wife
as the fire of a cody reformation to burn
tier a drunken husbands hearth Ali my
Hood has been pressed with weary knees and
mes. of a bitter sorrow has fallen upon me, y
agonizing pleadings and and prayers
and, but it is a story too sad to W
ON ~ o1d Hoar+bStona hove x-;+no