The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1857-08-13
Annie Gray.
A BEAUTIFUL SKETCH.

spreads into the valley, not very wide, water
ed by stream that dashed wildly over the
rocks a little farther up. The broad, low
cottage of Widow Gray Gas will call hel
by your leave, although need not say use
fictitious name,) was concealed from view
in the day time by dense mass Of trees ant
shrubbery, except one side, where the lawn
sloped down to the bank of the creek. Here
were usually moored two or three skiffs
which might easily be forced up the rapid,
quite into the mountain gorge, and which
were often seen bearing Annie and hcr
brother down the current; returning from
some expedition among the hills. .'
Had you passed along the road which
crossed the mouth of the ravine below the
cottage, you would not have suspected that
house was in the thicket above you, unles:
1t had been in the evening, and you saw the
CLEAN of the light, and paused, as ] often
paused, to let your horse drink at the edge Of
the broad creek; and then perhaps, you might
have heard a song floating out of the dark
wood; and if you rode on till midnight, il
would linger in your ears, and you would
fancy you had heard spirit.
The man must have had hard heart that
did not love Annie Gray. She was the i'm.
personation of loveliness. | never could des.
cribe face or form; | do not remember friends
by their features, and have not the reno
test idea of the color Of their eyes and hair
in nine cases out of ten. But | do remem
Der her with distinct memory. She was tall
that is, rather above the medium height, anC
slender, but gracefully and beautifully shap.
ed. Every motion was natural and unaffec,
ted, and her footstep was as light as hel
heart and that had not henviness. Swee
Annie Gray The music of her laughter
rings from out the lonesome years like the
melodious carroll of bird in the arches of q
ruined temple Her eye was dark, quick as
sunshine in its changes, and full of unspo,
ken poetry. You might read all manner Of
beautiful fancies and holy thoughts there
But | linger too long on this description Of
her. Her brother was fine fellow, q yea.
or two years older than she, and one of tie
merriest boys in ali the country. He loved
his sister, too, as have before remarked,
love has renectint, force which marks the
lovely.
l am completely lost in q vbirlwind Of me.
morIcs, now that return to those days and
scenes. There are thousand incidents oil
nfy aariy life that are brought vividly before
me the nomentrl recall the old cottage in the
glen and its beloved 'ihidtos, How startling
does the trte remark, that we live In chang
ing world, recur to our thoughts every day.
The very stars that we worship as change
less sometimes fall, and the eyes that we
worship with more devotion than the stars,
grow dim, and the hearts that we fancy are
immutable change mournlully! There is
nothing immutable but God. 1t is the attri.
butte of Deity which includes all others, and
to which mortals do homage because they
cannot comprehend it.
a score of years has removed the cottage
from the earth, and its inhabitants have
separated here--have met again up yonder!
One by one, their lips murmured prayers and
hymns, End their white hands folded togeth-
er; the friends of my younger days have pas.
sed away, and but few now remain of that
company. ,..
Annie Gray died thus; One glorious
summer evening, when the moon was in its
full, she and Ned had been strolling up the
mountain side and coming down together,
had reached the boat as twilight gathered
around them. 10th to return, from the for.
est, she bade Ned push the little skiff al
most under the cataract, and held mock
convesation with it.
Returning from a days shooting on the
mountains, saw her on the pedestal before
] was seen, and throwing myself down on the
ground, watched her with admiring eyes,
UHdine herself was not more beautiful. She
talked 10 the water as TO an old familiar
friend; and in truth, if there be sprites and
ouphes, they must have loved her. Her
voice was clearer than that of the stream,
and when she laughed, as she at length did
at some odd reply she imagined the fall to
make, tho old arches of the forest and the
ravine gave back musical echo, SO that l
started-t my feet and listened to it as to the
voice of faries indeed.
But ry'of half terror and halflaughter
startled me, and, springing down the bank, |
saw her a single instant as she disappeared
in the water. Her footing had proved in.
secure,, and she slipped from the rock. into
the stream she loved. a.l. N.l.,
1t was the work Of an instant to spring
out to her, and swim but few strokes to the
shore, and she was not particle frightened
by the occurrence. On the Contrary, the
woods rang with her uncomfortable laugh
ter as soon as she was OH the shore.
walked in the same forest two years
ago, and heard again the music Of that ring.
ing laughter through the long halls Of time,
made scarcely more melodious by itspassage
through the corridors of years. s9s
Placing her in the boat, and taking the
oars from Ned, | soon delivered them safely
at the cottage, and bade them good night
The next DAY Annie had raging fever, and
was delirious for ten days; ! saw her several
tisy, 40 b,,t she 1id pof racn0niva mo alhait