Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1858-09-22


ingly beautiful charm us so, that we almost for
get Willie-our Willie lis the speaker. All
and that vast audience is swayed by that one
voice so full of eloquence, so full of feeling. Not
only the Glass, but all are weeping feel Mel
lies tears on my hand, but am too excited
I cannot weep.
AS the thunders Of applause die away, and
boquets fall on the stage in shower, the Band
plays touchingly and mournfully some sweet old
melody-a farewell song
1t is over! Willie has distinguished himself.
His name is on every tongue. Old men grasp
him by the hand, to speak glowingly of his fu-
ture prospects; and Willie is my JrOther-Nellie's
ba,uhed!
1t is dreary Autumn day; the time of the
roses and singing birds is gone The waterfall,
as it goes tc-tacing over the ruined mill, hath a
desolate sounds; the wind sweeps by on its
weary wing, and walls as though it mourned a
lost spirit; the grass is sere and yellow; the
flowers are dead-not q single violet remains to
tell Of the faded Spring time-no wild rose to
mourn the dead summer! Fallen leaves are
scattered over the ground the weeping willow
rocks to and fro like one in anguish; the trees,
stripped of their foliage, seem like drear white
tombstones, telling Of the dead Season! And
we too are sad for Willie leaves US to-day, for
those Western wilds which stretch miles, and
miles away, and becken the adventurer to q
home among them. Poor, and ambitious, he
must carve himself name-aye, even love must
be laid aside until the call of fame is answered.
Mistaken Nillie The heart which thou learcst
behind thee is worth more than all the applause
world can give. Heed not the syren voice
which says, Fame and Fortune firSt-Love next |!
Ambitious Willie! How proud he looked
when he said with flashing eye, "My bride
shall be second to none in the land. will not
chain your young life down to poverty. You
shall never struggle inits clutches Those lit
tie white hands shall not grow coarse and brown
with labor. But when fortune smiles on me,
and fame is mine will come back to home,
love, and thee"
All little did he know that brave young
heart which throbbed so near his own; little
did be know its Strengths endurance. lie
would have sparedh her sorrow; even noa' he was
trampling on her heart strings; crushing out
their life-their joy. Could he not know that
even tue hardest hours Of poverty when shared
wah him, were moments of heaven compared to
the toruring hours of absence? Oh! blind
mortal!
She bore the parting braycly. She would
not let him know that she had wept through
all the restless midnight; and endured such
maddening horrors as a long life time Of Power
tvs hardest struggles could not inaict. There
at the "trystiug place." as we termed it, that
seat beneath the oaks, she severed one Of her
curls, and Willie placed it next Ills heart. 1t
may be there now!
sand you will wait for me, Nellie? ?'
ayes, until my curls turn gray with age"
We all laughed. Hollow mockery it was
like sounds of merriment coming from mourners
over new made grave! We sung once more
our farorte songs-there amid those trees
beneath those skies-by that stream which had
so often been silent witnesses to our moonlight
melodies, and innocent pastime.
"Itmay be for years-and it may be toreUer!'
sounded like a prophecy!
An hour more, and the last goodbye had
died on our lips! We were alone-Nellie and
l. And the iron steed was bearing our Willie,
away away away!
Waiting Watching Hoping
These three words, full of world Of mean
ing, sum up our lives. The Autumn of nature
the autumn of the heart! With every fall
ing leaf hope gave way!
Those letters! short ones to mel was but
sister dear, tits true, but holding as was right
selfish heart be still-a second placel long
ones to Nellie. Tramp, tramp, tramp! can
hear the postman now as he goes on his weary
round careless of the destiny he holds in his
hands, conveying joy to some-desolation to
others The post-boy is your only true fate
On his coming how much Of happiness, OF mise
ry depends! Poets may sing Of Goodbye"
and " No more;" but to me the rcry saddcSt
words in the world are these, No letter."
| Nellie was so nervous and excitable when
our fate drew near Her joints would trcmble;
her heart beat wildly; her cheek pale and red
den by turns-Ah those were moments of
unsupportable agony lave known her crouch
down in corner, closing her ears, and covering
her face with her hands, and waiting for the
coming step, as though life and death depended
on it. If he stopped, she would clutch the let
tcrs eagerly-watch for the familiar hand-wri-
ting-and if not these, sink back in apathetic
despair, and sit all day in sort of stupor. But
if Me letter came, for whole week there would
be uninterrupted sunshine. And then would
begin again that Weary, Waiting, Watching,
Hoping
"No lettern For months-I dare not count
then-ony this sound reached our ears. NSw
| know what Solomon meant when he said,
+" Hope deferred maketh the heartsick." Dead"
said the sick heart "False!" prompted the
| demon.
In that cottage under the hill, Willie"-
that name Of sweetest music-was q forbidden
word Nelle's father, cold, and hard, and
stern always, had grown more so with incrcas-
\ II 1rl,p o1d bo,