The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1860-09-28
BLOCK, LIBERTY STREET.

avail or healing to you, and in those 81.
lent and awful sorrows when only the voice
Of God can speak to the heart, you too may
find what it IL to have the windows Of the
promise opened, and your soul shall sit down
under their blessed shadows and be healed.
Days passed away. A young man walked
along the country road slow aud wcarily
leaning upon o stout oak staff; his face was
ghastly white, and he wore the blue uniform
Of the 'continentals.' He had terrible
wound in his right shoulder, and had been
left on the battlefield for dead. He opened
the back gate softly, and gazed all about
him-at the wood-pilo in one corner OF the
great yard near the suDfower stalks, and the
small quincc-trees which grew on one side of
the old brown homestead of Deacon Palm
r.
Suddenly the kitchen door opened, and
Rcbecca Palmer came out Of the door with o
tin basin in her hand, and the mans heart
leaped Us he heard her say in her quick way.
Never mind sprinkling them clothes, moth
or, II attend to II us soon as I've hunted up
n few o. them winter pears to stew for sup
per. and he saw the light, rapid figure has
ten round the corner of the house to the old
pear.tree Just in tho edge of the pasture,
which he remembered climbing SO many times
in his boyhood, and amid whose branches ho
had gathered the faded birds nests every
fall. lle followed tho quick figure stealthi-
", and stood still n moment just outside the
bars, and she did not see him, for her back
wus turned, and she had dropped down on
the yellow grass, and was searching amid 1t
for the fruit which the wind had shaken of.
Becky, Becky, sy'
She turned quickly, nnd as her eyes fell
upon his face, ghastly pallor crept over
hers. She covered it with shrek, not loud,
for it seemed to lie for every terror in her
throat.
'Why, Becky, do look up here! Now
hav'nt you got u better welcome than this
for your brother, when hos come back from
the dead likc?'
But she covered closer down in the grass,
and moancd and shiyered like the leaves in
the old pcar-trcc.
See here, now, what on airth ails your
II you take me for spirit, jest look up and
III be able to convince you I'm honest flesh
and blood yet
lie lifted her up with one arm, for she
was too weak bctwixt fright and wonder to
rcsist; but tho old familiar hearty tones
halt rcassurcd her.
She lifted her face from her hands and
looked ut her brother moment with q
strained, wild glance, then the glad truth
broke into her heart, for tho hazel eyes had
their old rogueish glance, though they were
set in pale wasted face.
20, Reuben, Reuben, thought it was q
ghost = and she icll upon his neck with u
wild sob Of joy.
II was long before she could talk ration
ally. She would throw her armcs around
his neck, and, hugging him tightly, murmer
such tender words over him bctwixt sObs and
laughter us Reuben Palmer had not heard
since he lay babe in his mothers crib. -.
You precious, darlin' fellow, have you
really come back to us alive? Bless your
heart, how white and changed you are o,
Reuben, darln', is it really you, or au l
drcamin'n y
And at last the girl grew calmer, and was
able to tell her brother of that terrible night
when the awful tidings came Of his death,
and how they hadn't one of them smiled since,
and how, though his mother tried to "bear
up" every one who looked in her face could
see that her heart was broken.
And then both the young man and the
maiden sat down on the grass and wept Us
though they were children.
At last ltcbecca rose up. ~, what will
mother say! You must come right into the
house, Reuben, only perhaps I'd better break
i, to her slow like, for she's weakly now, and
the sudden joy might kill her. o, there's
father
And they saw the old Deacon come slowly
into the yard and alight from his horse just
before the barn door, and remove the heavy
bags of flour from the animals back, for the
old man had just returned from the mill.
'We'll 90 and tell him first. You just
keep around the corner of the barn, and Ill
break the news, cried Rcbecca.
: She came painting up to her farther just as
he was leading the horse into the barn.
%, say father, want to tell you-some-
things happened =
The old man turned and looked into the
eager face of his daughter, and his son, stand
ing n little way of, could sec the change
which the last two weeks had wrought in his
face.
well, what is 1t, my childT
You'll DO so glad, farther, and yet til
can't tell it. D, Reuben, do come here
And he came out. Father
The vague s,ipcrstitions which almost all
country people held at that period of ghosts
who haunted their old homes, and visits made
by the dead to the living, at once suggested
even to the well balanced mind of the Dea-
con the possibility of his sons spirit return
Ing to him.
iIc turned white as his child had done, but
he did not speak. and Rebccca cried out,
Don't be alearcd, father. Ii isn'ta ghost,
but Rcubcn's old self, and ho wasn't dead rs
We oil thought
One long, greedy glance, and the father
knew his child.
~, Reuben, my son Reuben, the Lord be
praised'
we must break it to mother easy, my
children, or it'll sartin kill her for JOY, said
the old man, vigorously wipns his face with
his pocket handkerchief.
So it was arranged that Deacon Palmer
should 90 in and break the joyful tidings to
his wife according to his best judgment:
The trio went up to the house; Deacon
Palmer entered the kitchen, and his children
stood Just outside the door, where they could
hear every word. Ms. Palmer was slicing
some apples into wooden bowl. She did
not look up us her husband entered; oil
these weeks sue had gone on with her house
hold duties carefully and assiduously as ever,
but with face which grew more pale and
patient every day-morc like the faces over
which the gra~ grows and the winds walk.
wall, Becky, she said, Il couldn't make
out what had kept you. You've been heap
Of time huntin' them pears
All the life had gone out of her voice, u
was as full Of grief and patience as her face.
'It's me mother, not Becky. I've just got
home from the mill, and I've heard good
news
What kind o. news, father !? with scarce
ly n faint stir OF interest.
.Abem-wall. this was from the army