Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1859-03-02
NO. 81.

family sitting-room, in which Auber. NV
mother and | had sat the afternoon pre-
vlous. The door leading upon the porch,
forgotten in the hurry and oxcitenenf,
had remain unclosed, and the electric light
showed the rain sweeping in, in torrenta,
TO deluge the carpets and funiture; but /
was too spell-bound with horror to 90 snd
close it-too weak from terror and aeuSc
suffering to move
"The old-fasnlonsd clock in the hall toll
ed the hour of one; then, my mother.
rising ontstretched her hands as if inysk-
ing an Cto us) unseen spirit, exclaimed
Z = Lincoln it is all clear, now. Tho
clouds are gone, and the great sublime
truth breaks upon me. The new birth "a
at hand. The TRANSPORTATION is about 10
take place. Your superior spirituality Is .
-alrawipg my soul out from its clay tab
ernacle. feer va.~-,--iae,,,-hars vieldinr 10
its repeated struggles for freedom. My
son, child Of my soul, come! Jesus, Fa-
ther! your hand then, as a snow-wreath
melts in the spring sunshine OF a white
lily droops in the noon-tide heat, she sank
beside Virgil, her arms about his neck,
her head pillowed upon his bosom.
"Tho deadly violence and the deadly
grief slept together.
"The sorrow of my father, the shock
which the unyeling of the double tragedy
gave to the little neghborhood, was never
fully realized by me. knew that, as far
as possible, publicity of the dreadful events
were Stunned. / remember, the following
day, of entering the parlor where, arrayed
in the chilling paraphernalia of the tomb,
the two dear forms lay. Upon the one
was stamped youth and beautT-and there
were the golden curls, the well-cut profile,
and iinely-mouldcd limbs of Virgil on
the other, age and tenderness, but no trece
of woe-the icy kiss Of the destroyer had
obliterated that.
Here, in the place sanctiGcd by the
precious remains of half of our little house
hold, my father knelt, clasping me in his
arms-knelt, heart-broken by the mani
mate idols torn from his bleeding bosom.
lie wept and moaned; but | remained as
one entranced. Ny blood seemed staxza-
ting, my brain frozen, my heart turned to
stone. All power of outward manifesto
ton was gone also.
~ funeral train wound through the
rain, among the swaying elms, sobbing
great drops upon the heads of the two
mourners. Two deep dark graves swAl-
lowed my mother and Virgil, pulselc.s soda
were heaped upon pulselcss clods; and I
returned with my father, the only surgi-
vors OF our race, to the lone, old mansion.
His mind now seemed wandering; his
footsteps grew faltering-he was but
wreck of former manhood.
" Mr. Haskins and his family moved 70
the West; and days passed, and we we're
alone The people about were ignorant
ard superstitious, aud reports were in cir
culation that the house was haunted, and
only occasionally did one venture in.
My father was daily growing weaker.
saw the last throes Of the dying intsllect
ere it yielded to darkness the once, If rot
brilliant, active mind The change from.
the imbecillity which had fallen upon nv
parent was but slight, TO the utter silonce
and repose of the last Sleep l. CAUSED
the grim monarch no fierce struggle to
snap assunder the slender thread Of Life
1t was as if the powers, grown too weak
to longer support yit.l;-s,--r-T-.'.-N N''eIi
ruIsvs9ofssoIVIng that mystic relation er-
istiDg between mind and matter.
/" was the single mourner that left the
grave of kindred to go back to my dsso-
late home. Home ! it was no longer tbSt,
but a sepulchral abode, peopled with spec
tral forms. In nearly every room were g.
wakened memories which almost maddened
me. There was the room where Lincoln
dicd-another where my father breathed
his last-the sleeping apartment Of Auber
the little back parlor where Virgil lay,
where my mother diOd-the parlor from
which the mournful funeral procession vend-
ed its way to the grave-yard-the family
sitting room, where mother, Auber, AID
sat that ever to be remembered day into
which never looked without having a
vision Of the colorloss face and blood-shot
eyes of the maniac | fed from them all
| | carried few Of my choicest books hither,
| then closed the doors, which, until this day,
have not been opened.
"Thesc pictures were already here
Later copies hang below but have never
had the heart TO remove them"
A long deep silence followed, while the
narrator Of the foregoing Incidents remain
ed with her face buried in her hands; I
looking at the pictures hanging against
the wall. The sun went down and the
shadows dcepened. Inc withered lasvs,
sailed slowly in st the open easement
settling with dry, mournful rustic upon
the faded carpet, and deathwatch ticket
: in the wall.
At last, Martha Auber laid those thiD
white hands upon my head, and said softly
! Annie, please go, now. Iwant TO be alone
! arose to obey but she did not motto
Q me farther. and, trembling at my own lgh
footballs, | FASTENED oat Of the uarHior
and ran home,
A week passed, and then | venture
7 again to visit my strange acquaintance.
D found her still sitting in the fade,
} cushioned chair Gorgeous leaves lay uF
{ on her head, like kingly coronal, and ks
a white hands were folded over lock {
!, golden-Aair in her lap. ! stood awed an
. bewildcred moment at the strange, u
earthly picture, then advanced and lsi
e my hand upon her brow. 1t was icy a.
. cold. The villagers came. silent, trent
d ling, and afraid, and the clergyman mad
/ a prayer over the beautiful departed, ~