The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1857-04-22

of neither malice nor envy, from the
natural unselfshness and sweetness of
temper native to their characters. And
SO aswe sat there, with the summer
sunbeams quivering slyly through the
screen of leaves, I told them all, the
occurrences of the past, the hopes and
plans for the future
They listened with little ffushes OF inter-
est on their cheeks, and when 1 had con-
cluded, Mary come to me and wrapped
her arms about my neck, saying, while
the tears of honest joy glistened in her
eyes:
&c I am glad that you will sometime
have a better home than ours has been,
and some one good and noble to care for
you"
:" It is not that your home has not
been good enough, nor so much because
1 am tired of this depressing, slavish
a1fe, that am glad" said I, averting
/ my head; but because in all the world
I could not find spot where life would
be endurable unless has presence bless
ed it; because if Eeavon and earth
should pour their treasures at my feet,
II could not choose among them one that
would weigh more than so much air,
against the mighty treasure of his love. "
There was no reply. Neither of them
had experienced, and so could not COM
prchend an affection like that of which
L spoke.
Z Some time we sat there silent; I, bow
ing my head upon my arms and giving
myself up to the thoughts occasioned by
our conversation, thoughts which come
like delicious rush of music, to the
soul of every woman, with the dear
certainty that she is beloved; and they,
too sympathetic to disturb me. All at
once Ellen spoke.
"Look, girls we must hurry home.
Do you not see a storm is coming up ?'
Sure enough. All over the northern
sky the black clouds we're huiddling to-
gether, like wandering giants met for
council; and the trees about US began to
stir it'll the low murmur of the rising
.~iad
eve shall have time to reach home,
without doubt" said Mary; "but heard
y u say, Margaret, you wished to get
some clothes you had left at Mrs.
Sprague's. If SO your nearest way will
be across the fields. Nell and 1 will
take the berries and go around the
road"
I nodded assent, and hurrying on their
bonnets, they swung their we'll filed bas
kcts over their arms, and with few
gay words of parting, left me to follow.
them at my pleasure.
The storm did not seem very near,
and SO I was moro leisurely in my pre-
parations. With my handkerchief
wiped the berry stains from my fingers,
smoothed back the hair from my tenn
pies with my hands, arranged my dress,
and then walked slowly homeward, con-
tinuipg the pleasant though from which
I bad been temporarily reused, as
persons sometimes try to redeem de-
lightful vision.
Leonard was coming back some time
in the next month, and it was then the
last of July. The grass that bent in
green plumes under my feet, looked
fresher for the thought; and had the
clouds which trailed their black wings
across the heavens, been gold and pur-
pie instead they could not have been more
beautiful to me.
The scene about me was one ofpeculiar
Iovcliness. Not far away lay the little
village with: its neat cottages and slen
der spires; on one side three or four
hills stood grouped together, rounding
their green foreheads to the sky; and at
their base cleaned "a miniature lake, like
a huge basin filed with molten silver.
In distant part of the field adjoining
the ouo which [ was traversing, a num-
Der ef stalwart mowers were taking up
the ncwly-cut hay, to prevent injury
from the coming rain. Near the stile
which divided the two fields, grew
gnarled appletree on a low branch of
which one Of the workmen had hung up
his scythe, in haste.
This stile I was to cros@ on my way,
and as stopped to let down the bars,
my hand struck the handle of the scythe,
swinging back aud forth in the wind.
I looked up just in season to see it glim-
mer, and too late The sharp edge struck
my exposed face just beloR the tenn
pie, toring cash across my cheek, and
then dropping, with a ringing sound, to
the ground.
I did not scream or cry. Ny first
thought was of my disfgured face, and
what Leonard would say: Then 1 look
ed over to where the men were at work,
to see if any of them had noticed me,
and wishing some one would come that
way. The earth seemed whirling around
beneath me-I relied and tainted.
The rain beating in my face, first
aroused me. The blood had trickled
down and lay clotted among my ourls;