Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1858-05-19

/ Dut IeDeS udI DiCttiCu tbS hOt DiS'''h "a
the fame, deadly to human lie, and no
water cauld quench that inward fire.
A word serves to explain all The
cbild's nurse had carelessly set lamp
too near the curtains, and the night
breeze had waited them into the flame.
The apartment of Rose opened into
lhe nursery and as she stood in hcs
night dress before her mirror, arranging
her hair, she saw the flashing OF the
fame, and in the one idea Of saving her
little sister, forgot every other. The act
Of self forgetfulaess was her last earthly
act; few short hours of patient suffer
ing were all that remained TO her
Peaceful as she had lived, she died,
looking tenderly on her parents cut Of
her large blue eyes, and only intent to
soothe their pain.
"Yes. 1 suffer-" she said, "but only
short pain. We must all suffer some
thing. My Father thinks a very little
enough for me. l have had such. a hap
py life, | niigLt bear just little pain at
the last"
A little later her mind seemed 10 wan
der. "Mamma. mamma. she said bur
liedly. 81 put the things all away the
lilac muslin and the barege. M1mma,
the veil, TIE mourning veil, is in the
drawer. Oh, mamma, chat veil as for
you don't refuse it; our Father sends
it, and he knows best. Perhaps you
will see heaven through that veil"
l; is appalling to think how near to the
happiest and most prosperous scene OF
life stands The saddest despair. Al
homes are haunted with awful possibili-
lies, for whose realization no array OF
threatening agents is required-no light
ming, nor tempest, or battle; peaceful
household lamp, gust of perfumed
air. false step in a moment of gayety,
a draught taken by mistake, a match
overlooked OF mislaid, moments over
sight in handling deadly weapon
and the whole scene OF life is irrelrieya
bly, changed!
1t but day after the scene in the ar
Dor, all was mourning in the so lately
happy hospitable house, everybody look
ed through tears. There we're subJued
breathings, a low murmur, as of many
listeners, voice of prayer, and wall Of
a funeral hymn.-and then the heavy
tread Of bearers, as, beneath the black
pail, she was carried over the threshold
Of her home, never to return
And Olivia came forth behicd their
dead. The fold Of the dark veil seemed
refuge for the mothers sorrow. But
how did the flowers Of home, the famil-
lar elms, the distant smiling prospect
look through its gloomy folds,-emblem
Of the shadow which had fallen between
her heart and life. When she locked
al the dark moving hearse, she wonder
ed that the sun still shone, that birds
could sing. and that even her own flow
ers could be SO bright.
Ah, mother the world had been Just
as full of sorrow the day before; the air
as full of "farewells to the dying and
mourEings for the dead;" bu. thou knew
est it not! Nov the outer world comes
TO thee through the mourning veil!
But after the funeral comes life again,
hard, cold, insxorable life knocking with
business Ike sound at the mourner's
door, Obtruding its commonplace peril
nacily on the dull ear of sorrow. The
world cannot wait for US; the world
knows no leisure for tears; it moves on
wand, and drags along with its motion
the weary and heavy laden who would
fain rest.
Olivia would have buried herself in
her sorross. There are those who refuse
10 be comforted. The condo,ence Of
friends seems only a mockery; and truly,
nothing so shows the emptiness and pCv.
erty Of human nature as It's efforts at con.
dolence.
Father Payson. however, was visitor
who would not be denied; there was
something of gentle authority in his
white hairs that might not be resisted.
Old, and long schooled in sorrow. his
heart many times broken in past years,
he knew all the ways of mourning. His
was no official common place about "af-
llictive dispensations. He came first
with that tender and reverent silence
with which the man acquainted with
grief approaches the divine mysteries Of
sorrow; and from time to time he cast on
The troubled waters words dropped like
seeds, not for present fruitfulness, but to
germinate after the floods had subsided.
He watched besile a soul in affliction
as mother waits on the crisis of fe-
yer whose turning is TO be for l.fe or for
death; for he well knew that the great
sorrows never leave US as they find US
that the broken spirit, i'll set, grows cal
lous and distorted ever after.
He had wise patience with every sor-
row; he knew that at irst the soul is
blind, and deaf, and dumb. He was
not alarmed when returning vitality
showed itself only in moral spasms and
convulsions; for in all great griefs come