Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1858-05-26
MISCELL A NY

| And pleasure bloom again.
MISC ELL i A N Y.
fFrom the Ohio Farmer.
| ssMeet Lizzie at Six"
| BY HELEN BosTwI0H.
That was all the dispatch contained. Foul
little words yet what excitement they causet
in the household of Maple cottage, the quiet, so
Der household whose members at the moment
of its reception were on the point of going t.
rest for the night
"Meet Lizzie at six !" Was our darling in
deed SO near to us2 Two years and three
months had passed since our eyes had been glad
dened by her grlish beauty, since her voice had
mingled with the bird-lnusic that foated all the
long summer days among the naples Two
wears and three months she had been buried a.
mopg books, in a far distant city bowling her
sunny curls over algebra and geometry, gram
mar and philosophy, astronomy and botany,
French and Latin ps ently at first, because her
parents desired it; afterwards cbeerfully, to
please the teachers she had learned to love; and
at last. zealousy from pure thirst tor the treas
ures these studies unlocked to her. But it was
over now; those toilsone years, and she was on
~
and pride-we should meet her "at six !"
She left B. in the morning; had journeyed
without stopping, all day; this We guessed at
and at eight in the evening, finding hasty op-
portunity, she had telegraphed to US the words a.
bove. ia.
At six, the Eastern train arrived at our sta
tion, Lizzie was to ride all night for the sake OF
reaching home thus early. 1t was like her, i'm
pulsive, warm. hearted, child that she was
How little we slept that night! What slight
sounds aroused us i how early we were all astir
even the baby, and the whitehaired grand.
| father. "Meet Lizzie!" he said, "aye. indeed
will we 2n--snd the old mans voice caught a
youthful tone, and his crutcbes an elastic move
| ment, as he hobbled about the house, giving or
ders, as if all the responsibility rested upon him
to be sure.
There was Harnah, too bewildering the
mother about breakfast. "Did Lizzie like coffee
or cocoa best9 And would she make biscuits
or waffies 2" And the mother smiling all the
time, nodded her head TO everything, and went
hurrying about, with the gridiron in one hand
and the egg boiler in the other, coaxing Fanny
to curl the baby's hair, and looking at the clock
every minute. But Fanny. with mysterious O.
pronfuls of something was fitting up stairs anc
down, leaving book here, flower there, "a
guerreotype on the table, or rosy checked TAI
apple in the Notwithstanding for Lizzie te
see and smile at. Only the father seemed un
disturbed. We noticed to be sure, that the
dimples in his cheeks, which Lizzie always salt
she made with her fingers when she was babt
looked deeper when he smiled, and that his voice
was trife less steady when he told Thomas tt
bring the horses but he did not like to be con
sidered demonstrative man, so we only looked
Significantly at each other and said nothing
Still waters are sometimes pery deep.
At last the carriage came round, and we go
in: two of us, beside the father, who was t
drive. There was room for more. but i
was quite out of her line, the mother sait
! to 90 on q dashing drive before breakfast
so we lett her on the piazza, with the pickle
dish in her hand, aud wiping her eyes with he
apron.
1t was a half mile to the depot, and the sui
had not quite risen when we started. How
balmy and pure the air was, that soft Septelnoe
morning We thought, egotistic as We are, II
our happiness, that nature sympathized with US
i Il seemed as il there had never been So fair
sun-risen before, and half the glory of the morn
ing would have been wasted, had Lizzie no
been coming home. .
The cars had not arrived, when We stopped
at the station, but we heard the whistle OF th
locomotive not very tar distant and those 1eW
sweet waiting moments--what world OF 6les
sed anticipation they held. The sun was RISING
--ah, Lizzie! Lizzie
At last the train came up-stoPped. w
looked at the windows; only row of sad faces
J Lizzie must have sat ON the other side. few
passengers came ont, aolemn laced ana silent
We pressed forward-so did those who were 60
i. +l,o -, bn onnHnnfnr
ed. and waved everybody back, then motione'
to some one in the car. Two men came out
and slowly descended the steps, bearing life
less body-a woman; her features covered by
veil. They bore it into saloon, and laid
, reverently upon q sofa. Still the conduclo
waved the crowd back-except our party! ID
knew us, and turned away his face as we ap
5 preached. ~
father. he could not believe Finally he raise
e the veil from the dead face. Oh, God! a
Merciful Is it thus we meet thee, Lizzie, daI
ling, our best beloved, idol CT our hearts
In brief time we learned the story-learne
: how the Angel of the Lord had "met Lizzie
3 before us, in the still twilight autumn morning
: and after one pang, terrible, we Know, out orie
had waited the gentle spirit to those VINO wall
ed for her in tue home of angels!
AT the very last stopping place, Lizzie ha
left the car to procure some food for a littl
child who had fretted all night in the arms of
/. weared mother. The train stopped but INC
ment it was dusk, and none OF the officials ma
seen her leave it. She returned hastily to hn
it moving, made mis-step, fell forward-an
the rest-it is d common tale, such as newspa
pers chronicle every week. The beautiful hea
g with its sunny curls, was what We saw at tn
g station house!
We shed no tears at first; though it SCENE
as il drop would save our hearts from bursting
it would not come! not even when one who, W
3 afterwards learned, was on his way to q wee
!, ding party, and who journeyng few hour
! with Lizzie, but had yet learned to know ht
i good as beautiful came up and laid, in tearfl
silence, boquet of pure white rose buds upoe
2 that bosom. We buried them with her; tt
e strangers kindly offering of sympathy and re-
pect.
II Blessed be God for tearsl They came at last
came when they saw the mother. That sceI
n Il Il lcof