The daily press. (Cincinnati [Ohio) 1859-1859, 1859-06-04
M Q LILY G. r. A Y .
A PLEASANT MEMORY.
BY ISAAC INGLEBY.

|
now; and in hearing of its solemn voice 1 pick
up my pen to tell you of pleasant memory
a memory that has long been in sacred cor
ner of my heart and which 1 take out with
feelings of reverence and love and sorrow.
| Who do you suppose is being borno to the
churchyard?--that little woman with the flow
ers on her breast, and for whom so many of
the village people are weeping to-day2 You
never heard of her--no; she was a simple,
chidlike thing, though her hair was gray, and
her thin face wrinkled--little roads that tears
had made, guess.
| She died last night; and the last word that
came through her lips was "Markl'' and when
she said it, she threw up her thin arms as il
she would have clasped MARK" to her poor
bosom, and breathed out her life in his breath
God has blessed poor Molly Gray at last!
He has taken her upon his bosom, and her sor-
rows are over for all time to cOme-blessed be
Hell
Long che had lived alone, in the poor brown
house just outside the village. She must have
been very lonely, though indeed every person
in the village loved her very much. For she
was good, was Molly; and to know her was
but another term fer loving her-sure it was!
How have pitied her dare not say
loved, lest my wife should hear of 1t, and sup
rose me treacherous to her. But have seen
Molly's meek eyes raised to my own, with
IL
as--ah liked her very muchl
When she died, there "crscked noble
heart" She couldn't have had her senses,
when she saidi Mark, Mark % so passionate
ly, with the tears in her hltle meek, blue
eyes, else she would have controlled herself
and died with her secret in her heart She
had kept it faithfully from ali but me, and she
supposed didn't knoT it, had she suspected
that did. she would have left Trottertown.
III oh hpr hos "a IL,
she couldn't see NE any more.
She loved me! Poor and unworthy, Gwk-
wafi and ungainly as aIn, and always was,
she loved me in my youth, and onwards; and
until she died Last nlght-eyen With the gray
hairs have, and the wrinkles wear on NV
homely face, end the cane nave to carry, in
order to walk even STOPPING.
Good, faithful Molly Gray I think there
never was another woman es true as her, and
there never will be.
1 wish the bell would stop tolling! Its
voice is 80 mourniul and Gliding to me And
yet, it is Molly's voice that comes sometimes
from the church tower, and it is low and sweet.
and It says: "Ne will meet, Mark, in heaveni''
And the echo Of the "heayen" is very beauti-
ful.
Dear Molly Grayl Could 1 have seen you
but moment ere you died, would have told
you how love you, and how l always have
l cannot help it, and don't want to either;
for it is sacred thing, and has kept me bet
ter man than should have been without it.
l am not ashamed to tell of it, either. 0, in
habitants Of Trottertown! the heart of the wo-
man you are putting in the ground was pure
as the dews of the evening, and the old love
for me she couldn't help, was as fresh in it as
flowers of spring.
You must know it Why, she had offers of
marriage by dozens, for her lovers were many
in her early and middle days; but she refused
them all, because she couldn't love any one of
her suitUrs as well as she did me--and she used
to say 10 me, ere | was q traitor to her
"MaTk, it Is sinful to give ones hand to one,
while ones heart belongs to another. Were l
assured that our love was in vain--my love
for you, at leaSt-still l should never marry. ="
There is u strange story being told by the
| gossips now--pOor Molly gave them the clue to
it, unconsciOusiy, in her death hour last night,
and the story runneth thus
"Some fifty years ago, when Molly was girl
and went to shool, she became acquainted with.
and loved dcvotedly, Mark Baines-'lho old
fellow says gossip beneath my window
who lives in the big white house here. ..
"lio returned the love she gave him-at all
events, he said he did, but it is thought now
that he was toying with her feelings for mo-
mentary gratiicston--the old, gray headed
wiry-whiskered rascal that he isl Every body
in Trottertown hates him; and it is said that
his domestic relations are exceedingly unhap-
| py-which ii is to bo hoped, is true.
"HOwever, it may have been that he was
! deceived by outsiders, for efforts were made to
break the match after it was discovered that
| they were engaged, and stories against Molly
were told him. and stories against him were
| told her-so that at one time each lacked con-
hdence in the other.
| "Bgt Molly remained true to him. Though
| she believed, for II moment at II time, that he
was tIeacheIOus TO her, nnd all that, she threw
aside the stories after all, and believed him
| good aud true, aud continued to love him.
"Mark was creature over whom impulse
had a strong power. +
"Flattered by another beautiful woman 6
| preference for hin, and really imagining that
he loved her. he forgot Molly, and married the
other one day.
"But soon after that, he wept bitter tears, it
is said. The old love for Molly camo back to
him; but ii was too late.
"And she mourned, only in secret--though,
| to be sure, her face wore a sad look most ali
the time after--but she was too proud to
herald her grief to the world, when she could
help it.
"And go the time passed on. And Mark
grew old very fast and so did Molly; and
when they met, they could not hide their visit
ful, mournful glances-but never word did
they speak regarding the past.
''Scaroely any of the people who knew them
knew their secret, though. And, long ago,
those that did, forgot it; so shat the old love
Of the two was forgotten by all but Molly va
Mark, perhaps.
ga great many wondered why the woman
never married, though. She had had good Of
fers, by dozens--aud lovers by scores, almost.
But when she was asked, she would simply
shake her head, and her lips would trem6le,
and the muscles of her face coutract-and
never word would she say"
A qniet-spoken woman, under the window,
IS telling The story. But there is terror TO
Inc in her voice. for she speaks truth, and is
heapng Goals of fire on my head. While
she says "Poor MollyH with a sigh, | am
saying the words too and tears are in my
old eyes, and my old heart is heavy with
sorrow-so very heavy Poor Molly, indeed
But listen TO her
~ do not know what others may think
but Mark Baines is a scoundrel for crushing