Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1858-10-02
" Meet Lizzie at Six.o

That was all the dispatch contained. Foul
little words: yet what excitement they caus
ed in the ousehold at M 'ple Cottage the
quiet, SOBER household a. Maple Cottage >
the quiet, sober household, whose members
at the moment Of its reception, were on the
point of gong to rest for the night.
1afp Lizzie at six !" Was our darling
indeed SO near us ? Two years and three
months had passed since our eyes had been
gladdeued with her girlish beauty, since her
voice had mingled with the bird music that
floated all the long summer days among the
naples. Two years and three months she had
been buried among books, IN a faraway city,
bowling her sunny curls over algebra and &C.
ometry, grammar and philosophy, astronomy
and botany, French snd Latin patiently at
first, because her parents desired it after
ward cheerfully, to please the teachers she
had learned to love and at last, zealously
from pure thirst for the treasures these stud
les unlocked to her. But it was over now
these tcilsome years-and she was on her
way to us once mOre-Our LizZie-Our pet
and brd-we should ''meet at six"
She had left b. in the morning had Jour-
neyed Without stopping all day this was
gscs5ed once and at eight in the evening,
finding hasty opportunity, she had tele-
graphed to us the words above At six, the
Eastern train arrived at our station Lizzie
was to ride all night, for the sake of reaching
home thus early. 1t was like hel impulsive,
warm hearted child that she was
How little we slept that night What
slight sounds aroused US; how early We were
all astir-even the baby, and the white-hair-
IL, 7
'aye indeed will we - And the old mans
voice caught movement, as he hobbled about
the house, giving orders as if all the response
bility rested upon him. to be sure.
There was Hannah, too, bewlldering the
mother about breakfast. did Lizzie like
coffee or cocoa best ?" And would she make
biscuits or warfiies ? And the mother sml-
ling all the time, nodded her head to every
thing, and went hurrying about, with the grid
iron in one hand, ,and the egg boiler in anoth-
er, coaXing Fanny to curl the baby's hair.
and looking at tie clock every five minutes
But Fanny with mysterious apronful of
something, was fitting up stairs and down,
leaving book here, and a flower there, a
daguerrotype on the table, or a rosy checked
fall epple IN the understanding for Liz
zie to see and smile at. Only the father SEEM
ed undsturbed. We noticed, to be sure, the
dimpies i'll his cheeks, which Lizzie always
said she made with her fingers when she was
a babe, looked deeper when he smiled, and
that his voice was little unsteady AS he told
Thomas to bring the horses; but he did not
like to be considered demonstrative man so
we only looked significantly at each other,
and said nothing. Still waters are sometimes
very deep.
AT last the carriage came around and we
got in, two of US beside the father, who was
to drive. There was room for more but it
was quite out of her line, the mother said, to
90 dashing drive before breakfast so we
left her on the piazza, with the pickle dish in
her hand, and wipiug her eyes with her ap-
ron.
1t was half mile to the depot, and the
sun not quite risen when we started How
balmy and pure the air was that soft Septem
Der morning. We thought. egotiss as we
are, in our happiness that nature sympathiz-
ed with us. 1t seemed as if there never had
been so fair a sunriSinc before, and as if half
tue glory of the r'Ornng would have been
wasted, if had Lizzie not been coming
home.
The cars had not arrived, when we stopped
at tie station. but we heard the wh- he of
the locomotive not very distant and those
few. swect-waiting moments-what world
of blessed anticipation they held. The sun
was rising-ah, Lizzie Lizzie
AT last the train came up-stopped. We
looked at the windows /; only row of sad
faces ? lizzie must have sat on the other
side. A few Passengers came out, solem- faced
and silent. We pressed forward-so did
those who were going out of the train. The
conductor appeared, and waved everybody
back then mOtiOned to some one in the car
Then two men came out, an slowly descen-
dcd the steps, bearing liieless body-a wO-
man her features covered by veil. The
bore it into the saloon, and laid it revcrntly
upon the sofa. Still the conductor waved the
crowd back-except our party ! He knew
us, and turned away his face as we appIOach-
ed
Then he knew how it was, all except the
father; he could not believe ! Firmly he
raised the veil from the dead face. o, God
All mcrciful Isl thus we meet thee, Lizzie
darling, our best beloved, the idol of our
heart
In a brief time we learned the story-learn-
ed how the angel of the Lord had met Lizzie
before us, in the still swilight of that aut-
umn morning, and after one pang, terrible we
know, but brief had waited her gentle spirit
to those who waited for her in the nome of
angels
At the very last stopping place, Lizzie had
left the car to procure some food for a little
child, who had fretted all night in the arms
Of wearied mother. The train stopped but
moment; it was dusk, and none of the Off
clals had seen her leave it. She returned
hastily to liud it moving, made misstep, fell
forward the rest-,t is a common tale.
such as newspapers chronicle every week.