Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1859-01-22

Occupleu ny her one ldea--the Impending
great lawsuit
Such was the state Of affairs in the fami-
ly at the time when the great fancy.ball
was to take place in the town. and when
HeTha, al her sisters earnest desire. ac-
cepted-' in order to enliven herself and
them little'-an invitation TO the rehear-
sal which she had received We now re-
turn to the moment when lIertha, returned
from this rehearsal party, entered Alma's
chamber.
In a deep recess on the left hand stood
the sisters bed, on which now, half recin-
ing on high pillows, lay the elder of the
two ssters--herseIf still young. She wore
fine white night-dress the light of a
small nncostly night-amp, on a table by
the bed, lit up mild countenance, which
was beautiful rather from tue expression
of soul than from the beauty of the fea-
lures, and in which at this moment, so much
sorrow, was expressed, that no one could
have seen it without being affected by it,
She held an open Bible before her, and had
been reading in the book of Job-tbat
deep voice from remote antiquity, which
has been through all ages, aud still remains
to be, the most faithful Interpreter of the
groanS and cries of the agonized SOUL
She who now read it held ead-peucil in
her hand, with which she had marked the
following passages w
My breath is corrupt, my days are ex-
tinct, the grave is ready for me-
He hath destroyed me on every side,
end | am gone and mine hope hath he
removed like a tree'
When Hcrtha entered, her sister closed
the book, aud faint smile lighted up the
mild pale countenance.
Hertha threw off her cloak, and hasten.
Dg 10 the bed, fell upon her knees, and
took one of her sisters hands, which she
covered with kisses Torrents of tender
tears now strcamed from those eyes, lately
SO cold and stern, and the voice which was
lately constrained now exclaimed, in the
most sweet and melodiOus tones
Alma, my Alma Sister, dear sister 7
And burning tears wetted the hand which
she, with inexpressible love, laid upon her
face
Hertha, my dear heart, why are you so
excited 2 asked the sick girl, as she bent
her head down to her sisters forehead, and
laid her other arm round her neck.
'Ah ? replied Hertha, from thousand
causes because love you so much and
hate others, and because that | am afraid
you are going away-awny from me, Alma
have been very wicked this evening, but
that is nothing to what shall be wher
, yon are gOne-you, my good angel
5 shall become stern and full of hatred, be-
f cause both God and man are alike unjust
/: and severe
f Don't say so certainly, things are very
strange in this world, and there is a great
deal which might be otherwise but--Somt
time-some time it will all be clear, al
good !
i don't know that, don't believe that,
as you do. If God can some time and
somewhere let the good have the victory,
why not now and here p
Yes, why That we don't know. But
this we do know, that the mpersonaton OF
the highest love died npon the cross, and
arose from the grave and and spoke o
peace and joy beyond it
Yes, He He was good and great
But He lived and died for u great purpose;
, and we, and many besides us, seem merely
to live to pine away slowly and die without
any object !!
Yes said Alma, sadly, that is the
worst Of it. The long, bitter agonies ?
Hertha arose from her knees and wrung
her hands as she wept bitterly. AT length
she said
You see what it is which embitters me
so much against the author of our life
You so good, so angelic, so loving that you
would never let even worm suffer- who
/ never did anything but what was good, why
; should you be so plagued? When we were
: children, and our mother was alive, and w
: were happy in her embrace, then it seemed
} to me that had sense of God and coulC
love him. But since then it has become sc
, dark | cannot any longer love God; dc
not loye-l do not understand this dark
) terrible power, which has called you and
me, aud so many others, out Of our moth
: ingness, saying, 'Awake-loye, yearn, suf
fer !" Aud then we awoke; we tasted o.
, lteS bitterness, we loved and suffered, anC
had a sense of the glorionsness of life
merely to know that we must forsake it
| then again this power seizes upon MS, say
S ing, at is enough; lie down and suffer ant
die; go down into thy CARVE. Thou has
lived enough !" No, | cannot love Got
: who acts thus toward us. / do not low,
: the God which see in the government o
the world; nor the God which the Bibl
! talks of, he is not a good, not just power
t My sweet Hertha do not talk so !
= There is so very much which we are no
= able to understand
t There is, however, a great deal whicI
# we do understand, Alma Ia great dea
d which our conscience tells us, aud wbc
b stands written there in inefiaceable charaC
e ters To this | must and will adhere; in
II diStuc t, insufiici though it be, it is stil
e he only spot which is still green aud fresh
: which belongs to me, aud where feell my
e self at home, Ii there be Il good God h
= talks to me there, in my own conscience
} because it loves the good, it hates tn
il wicked, il desires that which is just. II
|, were no longer to trust to this light, n
u longer to listen to this voice, then ! do nc
a know what | should become or what
should do
l. Il have held my peace so long, / hav
r. left unspoken so much that stirs my Who'll
S. beng, Alma With you alone can Civ
e vent 10 my feelings You only can rea'