The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1857-03-25


spelling class at school with little girl
named Amy, sweet tempered, sensi-
tive child, and very good scholar. She
seemed disposed to cling to me, and /
could not well resist her timid advances.
Yet did not quite like her, because
she often won't above me in the class,
when, but for her, should have stood
at the head Poor Amy, could not ac-
count for my occasional coolness. for l
had been a truthful child, Bessie, but
envy tempted me and I sometimes tried
to prejudice the oth:r girls against Amy,
and this was the beginning of my deceit.
She was too diHident herself, and so l
generally carried my poiut.
., One day our teacher gave out to US
the word, BelieUc. In her usual low
voice Amy sPelt, belize v-e 6ciiere. ;
Her teacher. misunderstanding her, said
quickly, Wrong the next, but turning
to her again, askod, Did you,not spell it
CT c-e2' No ma 'anI. I said ki-64r e.
Miss R, still in doubt, looking at
me Inquirer, You heard, Ruth how
was it?' A wicked thought occurred to
mc-to disgrace her and raise myself
Deliberately I uttered gross falsehood, !,
Amy said I-c-i,U.e.' The teacher
turned toward her, but confounded by
my accusation, she was silent, while her
flushed face and streaming eyes gave her
the appearance of guilt. Amy said
her teacher, sternly, 4 did not expect a
Iie from you. Go new to the foot of the
class, and remember to remain after
school
1 had triumphed, Bessie; Amy was
disgraced, and 1 stood proudly at the
head of my class, but I was rot happy.
When school was dismissed, pre-
crded I had. lost something, and lin
gcred in the hail. heard the teacher
say:
"Amy, come here" and then caught
the light footstsp. of the gentle child. !
Glow could you tell that lie ?"
Miss r., I did not tell lic,''
but even as she denied it, could see
through the key-hole that in her grief at
the charge. land her dread of punishment,
sise5Er s6ttisg ftlse-a cuIpr:t.
"Hold out your hand"
There 1 stood as il spell bound
Stroke after stroke of the hard ferule I
heard fall upon the small white hand of
the Innocent child, You may we'll hide
your eyes from me, Bessie. o, Why did
not speak Every stroke went 20 my
heart. butI would not confess my sin,
and I stole softly from the door, AS l
fingered on the way, Amy slowly walk ed
along, with her hooks in one hand, while
with the other she kept .wipiug away the
tears, which would not cease to flow
Her sobs, seeming to comefrom a break.
ing heart, sank deep into my own. AS
she walked weepingly on, her foot stumb
ling, she fell, and her books were scat.
tered on the floor. I Ipicked them uE
aud handed them to her Turning to
ward me her soft blue eyes swimming
in tears, in the sweetest tones she said
"Tfank you, Ruth
It made my guilty heart beat faster
bnt T-would otspeak 50 VIC went hom,
silently to gesher.
When I regehel bone, swh2t is th'
use,n said I to myself, "uobody inov.
it,a d why. should 1 be 50 miserable p
[ resolved to threw off the hated bur
den, and going into the Iarior, laughed
and talked as IF nothing were the mat
ter. But the load on my poor hear
only grew the heavier 1 needed IL,
ono, Bessie, to tell me the wages cf sin
The eye of God seemed consuming me
But the worse 1 felt the gaycr seemed
and more than once was checked from
my boistcrous mirth, while tears wer
struggling to escape.
At length I went to my room.
lCCuiu- nDe PtoJ, anu eoi nut 1iHS ~ iH
t-ll,rd, be rrsofuteir shut my eyes Bu
sleep would not come to me- The tick
ing of the old clock in the hall SCENE,
; every moment to grow louder. as fire
preaching me. and when it slowly toll
. the hour of night, it smotc upon my ca
like knell 1 turned and turned upo
| my little pillow, but it was filed wit
tborns. These sect blue eyes, swim
ming in tears, were ever before mo; th
repeated strokes of the hard feru.e KEEP
: sounding in my cars. At length, una
| bic to endure it longer, left mp be
and sat down by the window. The nc
BILE trees stood peacefully in the moon
. Light, the penciled shadow of thei
spreading branches lying trcmulously O
the ground. The white fence, the grav
elled walks, the perfect quietness i
which everything was wrapped, SCENE
to mock my restlessness, while the sol
emn midnight sky filed mo with an aw
, 1 never felt before. Ahl Bessie, re
|, proving conscience and an angry Go
are too hard for child to wrestle with
Gas turned from the window, m
eyes rested on the. snow-white coverle
, of my little bed, a birthday gift fror
my aged mother. All her patient kind