Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1859-11-17
MOSS SIDE. /.
By PROFESSOR WILSON.

waxing gray. tie haQ been DOfn ana OreQ on
the small moorland farm which be now occu
pied and he hoped to die there, as his father
aud grandfather had done before him, leaving
a family Just above the more bitter wants of
the world Labor hard and unremitting had
been his lot in life; but though sometimes
severely tried, he had never repined and
through all the mist and gloom, and even the
storms that had asSaied him. he had lived on
| from year to year in that calm and resigned
contentment which uncOnSci0uSlY cheers the
i hearth>tone of the blameleSS poor With his
own hands he had ploughed. reaped, and sowed
/ his often Scanty harvest assisted rs they grew
/ up by three sens, who even in boyhood, were
/ happy to work along with their father in the
( field. Out of door or Iu Gilbert Ainslie was
never idle. The spade, the shears, the plough
shaft, the sickle, aud the fail, al came readily
to hands that graSped them well end not
morSel of food was eaten under his roof or
garment wore there, that was not honestly,
severely, nobly earned. Gilbert AinSlie was
a slave. but it was for them he loved with a
sober and deep affection. The thraldom un-
der which he lived, God had imposed, and it
only served TO give his character a shade of 81
lent gravity but not austere; to make his
4 smiles fewer. hut more heartfelt TO claim his
soul at grace before and after meals and to
kindle it in the morning and evening prayer
There is no need to tell the character Of the
wife of such man. Meek and thoughtful, yet
gladstone and gay withal, her heaven was in
her house and the gentler and weaker hands
helped 10 ba: the door against want. Or ten
children that had been born TO them, they had
lost three and as they had clothed, fed and
educated them respectfully, 50 did they give
them who died a respectable funeral. The
living did not grudge TO give up for while
some of their daily comforts for the sake of
the dead aud bought with the little sums
which their industry had saved, decent mourn.
ing, worn on the Sabbath, and then carefully
laid bv OF the seven that survived two
sons were farm-servaHts in the neigh borhood,
while three daughters and two sons remained
at houe, growing up a small happy, hard
working household.
Many cottages are there in Scotland Ike
Moss side, and many such humble and yirtuous
cOttagers rs were nos beneath its roof of
straw The eve of the passing traveller may
mark them, or mark them not, but they stand
peacefully IN thousands over al the land aud
most beautiful DO they make it, through all lis
wide valleys and narrow Cleas-itS low ho,mS,
encIrcled bv the rocky walls of some nouuv
bugn-its green mounts, e3a.ed with their lit
tie crovnjuE groves OF p'aue-;TteS-its yellow
corG-fgIaS-.,S bare pastoral hi.-siGeS, and all
lis healthy mGorS, on whose black bosom lie
shining. or concealed. 4iadrS Of excessive YER
dure. Inhabited by flowers and visited only boy
the far-Gyiur bees MJSs-,ide was not beau
utuI to careless or hasiy eye bUt when
looked On and surveyed. It seemed Plcaseu;
dwelling lis roof. overgrowu with grass aud
moss was almost as green as the ground out Of
which is wea;her-StaiGcd walls appeared 10
grow. TIE moss behind Il was separated
from i.,tle garden by q narrow strip Of
arabic land, the dark color Vi which showed
tia. il he'd been won from the Wild by patient
Industry, aud by patient industry retained Il
required bright sunny day 70 make Moss
side faIr bat then 1t was fair indeed and
when tue little brown meoriuHd birds were
singing ta-ir short songs amua[ the rashes
ami the heather, or q lark. perhaps, .Uret
thl,her by some green barley field for is IN
disturbed nest. ra>c singing all over the tn
Iiveued solitude the EtJe bleak farm smiled
Ukc lue paradise 0. poverty, >aG aud affecting
in its lone and extreme simplicity. The boys
aad girls had made some plots OF flowers
among the vegetables tat the little garden
Supplied for their houeIy meals: piSS aud
carnations. brought from walled gardens of
rich men fnrther down ia the cultivated
sirath. grew here with somewhat diminished
laster: bright show Of tulips lad = strange
beauty iu the lai4,t u tlat me1g.aa4 aal
the smell of rcSss mixed well with thar ct the
clover. the beou,tu' far clover. thar loves
the soil and lHc air ui Scotland anl gives lie
rich aud Ja.wy mix 10 jDe poor mans lips
In this cottage, GlugT-> yola-.S. child
q -iri about u.uc Years u axe, had been laying
FOR a week ia a fever. Il was now Saturday
evening aud the ninth day Of the dSeaSa.
Was she TO live or die : Il seemed as Il a very
few hoarS we're between the innocent creature
-Ld Heaven. AL the symptoms were those of
approaching death. The parents kagw vel.
the change that come over the human face.
whether /. be To- infancy youth. or prime. Just
before the departure % the spirit and IS they
stood together bv NarEarcls bed. il seemed
10 them thai the fatal shadow had fallen uPon
Mar-aret'S features The surgeon of the par
. i>h lived some miles distant, JG- th9y eyUec-
ted him now every moment, and many wish
ful look was directed uv tcaTiI. ewes along the
moor Tie aGu-htC~ who was 0ut ~ service
came anxiCuSly houe on this night the 0aly
( one that coa.i be SLOWED her, for the poor
must work In their grief, and their servants
must Go their dgly to those whose bread they
eat. even when Nature Is Sick-siek al heart
Another Of the daughters came in from the
. potaloe field bev0pd the brE, with what was
/ TO be their frugal supper The calm, noise
4 less spirit Of life was in aud around the house,
( while death seemed dealing with one Who
! few days agO, vas Ike light upon the floor,
aad the sound of music that always breathed
Z vrhp, vs,7=e vra-saR r-lrr TnvnrrS in
common talk-sweet SilyerF, or mourufa., when
I 10 Joined in hyma or psalm Oae after the
| other. theY. continued going up 70 the bedside,
4 -Ag.a-.- - esfar.