Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1860-11-14
LOSS AND GAIN !;
OR, THE FIRST LOVE. AND THE LAST.


My poor pet / must preach patience =
said the old man. You are but little girl.
The world was not made in day. Look at
my beard-long and white and the perfec-
tion of beard, you tell me. How many
times have | heard you say that young men
and old ought to be very grateful to Kos
suth for having gained the liberty of long
boards in this free country But the battle
was not wholly won for me. 1t took much
patience and some courage, to bear with
ugly white stubble till it became beard
How ill you are looking said friend No.
/. Have not been able to shave late
ly, have youT
No. looked at me compassi 1nately, and |
remarked that we must all grow DID, as if |
needed this general sort of encouragement. |
And yet the beard has reached good de-
gree of perfectness at last.
Uncle, It is like the beautiful wool of the
lama, like floss silk. No money would buy
your beard of me. love it. love to look
at it to smooth it-this way; and then it
makes you look like picture by one of the
old masters-so venerable and beautiful
But because your beard has grown lovely,
must | be content to write poor verses, to
half express what | mean, for a long time |?
Even SO my pet, and worse You must
IL,
forever Genius always aspires, and is new
er satisfied. The man of genius is more
humble .han his meanest brother man. The
light that burns within his willing soul, and
illumines his lower life, like the name of
some perfumed oil in rusty lamp, is at
once his purgatory and his heaven. He
prays and struggles to become conformed to
the eternal beauty but he falls forever be-
low his own ideal Always, he is aware
that he catches but a ray of the everything
and creative glory. Far above and beyond
him, burns the infinite sun, shedding his
golden radiance over barren world, making
it blossom with lovely spirits, and fair flow
ers, and prayer fills his heart. Upward, still
upward, white wings bear the burden of his
great love- longing to return to its home
0 mystery of the true life His prayer is
ever answered the sweetness of great ioy
is given him continually and yet all that
he loves, all that he hopes for, is forever
above and beyond him, Turing him onward
by the everlasting law of progress
And still the everything radiance falls
upon his spirit; still his wings scatter
brightness in their upward flight, toward the
sovereign good, ever attained, and yet forev-
er unattanable.'
% Uncle William cried the golden-hair-
ed, cherry-pped little one, you make me
willing to fail because with high and true
aspirations one must fall
And my Wilhelmina is willing to fail,
then, if her failure can be assured success
said the venerable uncle William, smiling
his sweetest smile
The young girl laughed.
i - How benign the expression of your beard
those peo,S,.ee Dear Uncle, how mistaken
and say it hinders all expression fheese per
sons never made the acquaintance of de
cent beard. Not one of them ever had ar
Uncle William
Or little rosebud niece, who was nam
e6 after him. How sad felt when they
told me sister Mary had a girl had so Sc
my heart on having nephew to be callet
Willie did not once think how generous
your mother could be- She named her littl
daughter Wilhelmina, and ran the risk Q
her being called Willie, and of her being
romp, in consequence. And yet We hav
glided into calling Our little girl Willie, jus
as if you were boy and as to your bein
romp all girls are that, who are wort
anything
But uncle, don't love to be called Wi
lie, now, said the young girl blushing. :
was very we'll when | was little one but
am sixteen now
And Flavel johnson does not like it, eh
The blush deepened, and spread over II
white neck and bosom.
'Flavel is very fastidious, uncle. That
he has very pure taste, and do not kno
why he should be shocked by hearing n
called by boys name"
'Ah, my sweet pet! if | were wise,
should say no more. Your verses do n
please you our love-name for you does NJ
, please you and you blush, and talk abo
: Flavel Johnson's pure taste. Unmistak
! BILE symptoms, my darling Willie. The Q
gentleman and his beard must give place
f the young gentleman without beard
r o uncle William! cried his neice, "
e are cruel, : and she dashed away a tear. T
j; cause like Flavers poems, and think big
!, ly of his taste and because do not like
n be called boys nick name, does it follt
n that my dearest uncle must be displaced
u my heart :?
o oh, it is always so! 1t is nothing n,
e under the sun. Fathers and mothers {
j forsaken, if not forgotten, in the insanity
l. love for stranger-for one unworthy, oft
st How, then, shall an old man, even thou
V he chance to have handsome beard, escs
t. being bagged and cast into the Bosphorn
Wilhelmina wept She loved her d,
old uncle, even as if he were her own de
:. dead father. But girls fancy had dazz
~ and humbled her. 1t was for one of tn
u precocious young men, who are mature
10 their teens, and whose ability is almost
= balance for their self-suffcency.
= Flavel johnson doubted not he had M
- conquest. In the way that boys and g
r. make triumphs and successes, we fear
- =. had succeeded.
VI ~ Wilhelmina thought him the greatest 4
% she had ever met. genius Yes, that
y explicable, wonderful and indescribable
~ ing-a genius How she bowed her sp
n before his matchiess gifts; and consented
~ ~ be snubbed for everything she did, beca
.io it was not according to his taste. He
~ - erected himself intoa standard: and the W
~ dove must become an eagle, or a hawk
10 his bidding Poor little Wilhelmina n
=, your plumage as you will, you can ne
&c become a bird of prey-a national emble,
81 -. fierce gray bird with bending beal
ue ~ or any such thing.
III Now she had two-fold trouble.
'us M Magnus Apollo of literature haG sharply &
NV cised some gentle verses of hers; and
Oo' venerable mentor was out of all pate
zen e,i with girls fancy.
'hI And you have really fallen in love
lay him, darling Willie? And must not
pu- you Willie any more; and ycu will read
tverses to him; and by -and-by you will
sake your dear mother, and your old U
hat William, for that-jaekanapes ?
liar 1t was out. The word had leaped
'ro- the old mans tongue when he least exl
ed it. He meant to be very careful nc
b,r+ bic p;ooa hu proccpo his op;n;.