Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1857-05-22
IRASBURGH, VERMONT, FRIDAY, MAY %, 1857.

Lord, wilt thou not have mercy? Spare
hem for little time before. Is not
that cruel, man-devouring sea full enough,
Lord; and brave mems bones enough,
strewn up and down all rocks and sands
And is not that dark place full enough,
o Lord, of poor souls cut off in a mo-
ment, as my two were? o, not tonight,
dear Lord! Do not call any one to-
them day more, one chance
more, poor fellows they have had so
few, and so many temptations, and, per-
haps, no schooling. They go to sea so
early, and young things viii be young
things, Lord. Spare them but one night
more-and yet He did not spare my two
they had no time to repent, and have
no time forever, evermore !'
And she stands looking out over the
sea; but she has lost sight of everything,
save her own sad imaginations. Her
eyes open wider and wider, as if before
some unseen horror !; the eyebrows con-
tract upwards the cheeks sharpen; the
mouth parts; the lips draw back, show
ing the white teeth, as if in intensest ag-
ony. Thus she stands long, motionless,
awe frozen, save when shudder runs
through every limb, with such counte-
nance as that "fair terror" of which
Shelley sang
Its horror and its beauty are divine;
Upon It's lips and eyelids seem to lie
LONELINESS like a shadow, from which
shine,
Fiery and lucid, struggling underneath
The agonies of anguish and of DEATH"
Her mother comes out from the cottage
door behind, and lays her hand upon The
girls shoulder. The spell is broken
and, hiding her face in her hands, Gract
bursts into violent weeping.
What are you doing, my poor child
here, in the cold night air?"
"My two, mother, my two !" said she
and all the poor souls at sea tonight !!
You mustn't think of it. Haven't
told you not to think of it? One woul
) lose ones wits if one did too often.''
"If it is all true, mother, what else
there worth thinking of in heaven 0
earth? ?"
And Grace goes in, with dull, heav
4 look of utter exhaustion, bodily and mer
tai, and quietly sets the things for suppe
and goes about her cottage work, as on
who bears heavy chain, but has born
; it too long to let it hinder the daily druds
d cry of life.
> Grace had reason to pray, at least, fl
: the soldiers who were going to the wa
: For, as she prayed, the Oronoco, Ripe
and Manila, were steaming down Soutl
{ ampton Water, with the Guards on boar
and but that morning little Lord Scou
: bush, left behind at the depot, had b
. farewell to his best friend, opposite Buc
ingham Palace, while the bearskins we
on the bayonet points, with
e "WelI, old fellow, you have the fu
g after all, and I the work y and had bet
9 answered with
+ Fun? there will be no fighting al
d 1 shall only have lost my season
IL town."
"a Was there, then, no man among the
III that day, who
" As the trees began to whisper, and t
81 wind began to roll,
lg Heard in the wild March morning
III angels call his soul"
f.
n Verify they are gone down to Had
lie even many stalwart souls of heroes.
m | The
IL Elsley listened, turning his head ris
or and left to escape the bowling of the wi
of in his ears. A minute, and another bo
M rose and rang aloft. 1t was near, too
ut, He almost fancied he felt the concuss
of the air.
nd Another and another; and then, in
ire village below, he could see lights hur
At- ing to and fro. A wreck at sea!
,sy turned again up the lane. He had n
ere er seen a wreck. What an opportur
to for a poet; and on such night, too
ext would be magnificent if the moon VIC
but come outi Just the scene, too,
m, his excited temper +! He will work
ing upward, let it blow and rain as it n
md He is not disappointed. Ere he
ing gone hundred yards, a mass of dripI
lis oil-skins runs full butt against |
the knocking him against the bank and
,int the clank of weapons, he recognises
coast-guard watchman.
of "Hillo who's that? Beg your
ky. don, SIR" as the man recognises Elsl
ort- voice.
II xIrtu.e.- - . r,b,4 ovo Tho o,,ne