The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1860-05-25
Beautiful Mabel!--iappy dreams
in the old garret. I'D.

g Beautiful Mabel!--Happy dream
r in the old garret. H..
J, One morning wo missed Mabel a
/. the school, and all seemed sad. Tn
y sunshine smiled in vain, and tn
J., merry twitter OF the swallows In th
. chimney WAS nnhoeded. There wa
8 a lonely stillaess in and around tn,
, playhouse. Every spot where W,
= bad been often together, WAS visited
with lingering step, but the schoo
was dismissed. at night and We wen
, silently home, stopping by tue wa,
to gaze upon Mabels house, unit
damp dove fell around upon tn,
, Fgrass.
Next morning we were aroused b,
startlng news. Mabel was losl
Mabel lostl How those two word,
sank into the heart. All The b.aut,
: Of the morning was unheeded, anc
%Sn99as vi n9sas'SS SSSucSns SYn shS Our hTsSd'''t 5Sd ''"l
Mabel lostl
How it rang through the neigh.
borhood, for all loved Mabel. llel
father was drinking man, and the
day before had returned to his home
Intoxicated. In a fit of anger, he
had driven her ouG in the evening,
and fastened the door against her. -
The most diligent search had as ye,
proved fruitless.
Between her fathers dwelling and
the school-house, was a deep guIi
where the stream gathered in deep
pool, deitly hidden beneath over
hanging rocks and a dense fringe OF
henlock and wild brush. A wide
and shelving rock hung far out over
the still waters below, and from it's
edge spring from the bank poured
it's little cascade in a thread OF silver
foam. The honey suckle hung over
the tiny stream, and wild grape had
climbed up and woven it's thick
broad leaves and clinging tenlrils in
a thick canopy OF green in the
branches Of q birch overhead. Ii
was a wild and quiet spot. The
waters marmured sweetly, and the
sunbeanus struggled through like eyes
OF gold upon the green vclvety moss
which covered the rock. in compa.
ny with Mabel, we had hunted ont
the nook by the rock, and during the
long noon-spells had there lain upon
the old rock and watched the shad-
owy form OF the trout in the pool, or
the humming-birI as he darted from
flower to flower, or rested unscared
for a moment upon a twig, his
beautiful plumage and little black
eye gIistching as the sun shone upon
him through some opening in the
leaves.
We til uglt OF the OLD rock and
found ourself running across the
field and down through the woods.-.-
We had otcn been there with Mabel
and hoped that we should find her
there again.
With beating heart we burst iG
through net work OF vines and in
voluntarily called her name. We
heard but the tlu,ter OF a wing as a
rel bird went out through the leaves
and the murnur OF the waterfall and
the stream. All else was silent and
lonely.
See! our heart beats quicker still,
for a broad shelf Of the old rock has
fallen away, And there was Mabel's
bonnet close by the seam where the
rock had fallen away!
We shouted again, acd our wild
words rang with startling distinctness
through the silence around, but nc
answer came. Trembling in every
joint, we slowly crept to the edge Of
the rock and looked down with q
horrible dread.
The sun fell in broad fleck upor
the pool, and there, looking upwart
as il smiling to the sky, was Mabel
stretched ont npon the bottom! We
know not how we reached the bed O
the stream, but we were found cit.
ting by the side Of the dead, III,
dripping head laid carefully in oul
arms, and brushing the giitterinl
sands from the golden braids where
, they had been lett by the waters
! The eye was still deeply blue, bu
theie was a dread paleness on th,
cheek and lips. The fingers wer,
. stiff, wild rose crushed in the palm
We kissed ue bloodless hand agail
, and again, and wept scaldng tesri
, on the cold, damp brow, and will
blinded eyes, cafressed the wet h air
1t seemed that Mabel would awak,
, and love us again. -.
But Mabel was at rest.
t On IL bright, sunny afternoon, the,
carried Mabel to the green old yar(
Q across the stream, and lowered he
gently into her grave. We dare,
+. not speak, but cur own heart wen
;. down with the c. fin, and as tn
g earth fell on it, a shudder of pail
. crept over us, but We loved the oil
T. Sexton because he dropped tho cart
! SO softly down and placed the cod 8
r carefully with his hands. And the
h we saw tear in the old mans eye
g and it fell on his hard hand.
III Blessed old man; he too, love
It Mabel!
D., The people passed away, but W
ls fingered. For many day, ther
n was no spot 80 sacred to US as thu
Of little mound.
le We went to school again, but Il
IN sunshine had lost its beauty, an
ID there was a touch OF sadness in /
d, smile. The play house fell into d.
O. cay, and in Autumn, the leaves fe
as thickly in the untrodden path to Il