Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1859-08-20
"Meet Lizzie at Six"

That was slI the dispatch contained,
Four lille words; yet what excitement
they caused in the househoud of Maple
Cot age: The quiet, sober household, whose
members al the moment Of reception were
on the point of retiring TO rest for the night.
"Meet Lizzie al six !" Was our dar-
ling indeed so near us
Two years and three months had pas
sed since our eyes had been gladdened by
her girlish beauty, since her voice had
mingled with the bird music that foaled
all along The summer days among the
NAPLES.
Two years and three months had been
buried among books, in a far away city,
bowing her sunny curls over algebra and
geometry, grammar ard philosophy, as
lronomy and botany, French and Latin,
patiently al first, because her parents De.
sired it; aflerward cheertuly, to please
The teachers she had learned TO love; at
last ze4IousIy, from pure thirst for the
treasure these studies unlocked to her.
But il was all over now, those toIlsome
years and she was on her way home once
mOre-our Llzze-our pet and prlde-we
should "meel her al six"
She had left B. in the morning; had
journeyed without stopping at all; this
we guessed at once, and at eight in the
morning, finding hasty opportunity, she
had ,elegrsphed TO us the above woIds
At six the eastern train arrived al our sta.
ton; Lizzie was TO ride all night, for the
sake Of reaching home thus early. Ii was
like her, impusve, warm hearted child
that she was
How little we slept that night What
slight sounds aroused US; how early we
were all aslir-even The baby, and the
white haired grandfather. Meet Lizzie.
ELI ~ he said, AYE, indeed will we !"
And the old mans voice caught youth
ful tone and his crulches an elastic move
ment, as he hobbled about The house, Civ
ing orders, as it all the responsibility rest
ed upon him, to be sure.
There was Hannah, too, bewildering
the mother about breakfast. "Oid Liz
zie like coffee or cocoa best - And
would she make biscuil or waffles ! And
The mother smiling all the time nodded
her head TO everything, and went hurry
ing about with the gridiIon in one hand
and the egg-boler, in the other, coaxing
Fanny to curl the baby's han, and look
ing al the clock every FIVE minutes.
But Fanny, with mysterious apron
fulls OF something, was fitting up stairs
and down, leaving book here, and a
flower there, dsguereolype on the table,
or rosy-cheeked fall apple in the win
dow-somelhing for Lizzie 10 see and
smile at.
Only the father seemed undislurbed.
We noticed, 10 be sure, the dimrles on
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 tTihe less steady when
U6 NDlU HOHdS w blllS tIC lOleNSg Oul
he did not like to be considered demon
slralive man, so we looked inslgnihcanrlv
at each other, and said nothing. Sm!l
waters are some times very deep.
At last The carriage came round. and we
got IN: TWO OF US besides the Other, who
was 10 drive. There was room for more,
but il was quite out Of her line The mother
said, 10 go on dsshing drive before
breakfast. so We lett her on HE piazza
with pickle dish in her hand, and wi
ping her eyes with her apron.
1t was hslf-a mile 10 the depot, and the
sun mol quite risen when We started.
How calm Ihe air Was. of that September
morning. We thought. egolsis that we
were, in our happiness, thai nature sym
paibized with us. 1t seemed a. il there
had never been so fair sun rising before,