Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1858-10-22


This remark. a fragment Of conversation
passing down the street; just aoatcd up to us,
and started us off on long 'strain of
thought The speaker was an old man,
somewhat weather-beaten by the storms of
time; an old man with face fnrrowed by
''sprinkles," as a little friend SAYS, and d
Smooth tald head with frill of white hair
about it, reminding one of a bare rock firing
ed with faded grass in the frosts of Novem-
Der. at used to be- no doubt, y handsome,
youthful head, covered with thick brown
locks, and carried ever 90 cheerily-once.
"Oace '-Come back, oh, beautiful once.
Thou hast taken away so many of cur pre-
cious and delightful things with thee
Does it not pull your heart-strings to soc
a dear old house torn down or moved away
or to look on while some beloved tree is rent
from the ground where it has stood ever
since you were a child? We remember
dear old elm which we used to think almost
human in its sympathy for us; but somehow
the march OF improvement lay directly
through it, and so it was torn up. We LOOK
ed on without word, but we felt every pull
loosening the roots OF oar soul in fact, we
known it will company with the body much
more easily since. Don't let's think of it.
But even when we arc only accustomed to
things, and not vitality interested in them, it
is unpleasant to see them leave US forever
This is painfully true in the matter of per-
sons as well as things. We are thinking
now Of one, whom, though he was not near
ly connected with us, we were accustomed to
sec almost daily. We had never said of
him. "he is very dear friend Of ours,'' and
no formal profession of good feeling had ey-
er passed between us, but he was genial and
noble hearted; we saw him often anf, in
short, we became accustomed to his friendly
face and pleasant ways. Sometimes We laid
our pen aside. or suffered it to get dry be-
tween our fingers, as we paused to speak
rhcery word with him. Somstimes, as he
passed our window on his way 10 dinner, he
sent up to us Il smile and wave Of the hand ;
and sometimes, as we met him on our way
uptown, he would turn back and walk a
little way with us. But stiu, we never
thought that we were depending on him in
the least, or that his going or coming would
at all effect u.s. last week he died, and
knowledge Of our unconscious attachment to
him, awoke within us with q sudden shock.
W When we look up at the click of the door :
LOOK now, we never meet his brown eyes
smiling Mt us as they used TO when he came
IN alter favorlte journal which, he knew our
scissors had spared for him; we never catch
the graceful wave of his hand from the pass
ing throng in the street below; we never hear
his hearty good morning on our Office. ward
way, or the earnest longing for June. which
he 50 often expressed the Jun,, alas. which
scattered its glories over his grave. We miss
him, miss him sadly. We would not have
believed that his d,a.h could take so large II
piece out of our heart
Come back, oh, beautiful once,
Once, old weary lo5kins men were young
risht-eycd boys, happy boys, with new jack
knives in their pockets, and " "Wednesday
afternoon ahead of them oncc, poor. pale
care-warn women Were ir.sh-iaceI girls in
their teens, with ribbons in their hair and
roses in their checks once, everybody was
happy, and pretty, and gp,l; and once, oh,
once we ate bread and milk Oh Il door step