The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1860-11-21

was dreary silence between the two.---
/ Then came my grandtather'S suit. No
sooner, however, was she formally en-
! the old untorgotten hand writing Q.
/ you WHO have ever listened with tealino
! hearts for a postaau saoek, fully pre-
| pared for all t n!ignt bf'ng, think Tor q
moment bow tie com:i : a this letter
! long even unlloped for, and now too late
/ knocked at the heart of her who received
it. Now my Grandmother had con-
science, and more than commonly ten
! der one. Her first impulse, of course,
was to tear open the letter; bat the
second thought stayed her haad. She
had long ago made the fact Of this early
/ attachment known to nv grandfather
! What she now then, was at once to do,
was to tell him she bad received such
letter. and that rs his affianced wife, she
could not and would not read it.
/ WAS she fantastic in her notions OF
right and wrong! / do not believe so;
do not think she could have done n
better or n wiser thing. Out of her act
no suffering could possibly fall upon the
man to whom she was pledged, and Whose
happiness was hencefcrth in her keeping
through much % pain bore heavily upon
her. In that letter, with its unbroken
seal, lay. all her life. shut up in the old
musty cabinet, where it stood revealed ut
last. That, acting upon the truest spirit
Of her intention she fought long and Wig
orously against TIE desire to fathom what
those hideous characters contained
whether or not they bore that assurance
of love which would have once been 10Y
unu!terable- we are bound to e!iove.--
Upon one solitary occasion alone was she
ever seen to wrcstlo with her compilation.
After meek endurrDce Of one of my
grandtather's fits Of passion, for he had
stormy temper-she was found seated,
weeping bitterly, before the open door OF
that guarded chest wherein lay the
unbroken seal.
Solemn rs such subjects lie and arc.
there is a dressed comfort in the thought
Of them. 1t is a gracious thing to feel
that there is something, be it rs it may,
Of real tuth-of lasting o o'-;ometling
which neither time, nor trial. nor he com
mon wear and tear of actual, dull every
day life can crush out of a nan. But
soft let me pause. | said that nothing
can crush out of a man. Do men know
anything of such relics as | speak off,
am ignorant; | cannot say; but I
should fancy thoy do not. The steady.
uafalterine devotion of long life to o,.e
thought and one remembrance ! own |
! never found save in woman.
| must confess to few boarded re-
lics-lleaven forbid that any woman
should be without them. But these arc
yet under the seal that lies SO heavily
on all living lips. Some day, perhaps
but we, nons ofus like to think If
that-strangc hands may cverhaul them.
Pity it is that so few of US have sngtil
! of soul enough. ere the Great heyoa!er
steal upon Is to enable Us to put be-
yond the reach of sacrl hgious eyes our
most Iarlirg secrets. O. could we bat
sa"lrnon the nerve to pace them With
our owa tHovlng fingers upon some fan
eral pyg. Could we but watch them
slow /, consuming 4jut n, nc cannot
do this. While we have life, they are
ours. 1t would seem like bidding M
eternal farewell to our protecting genius,
to put away the guardian spect.es. NJ!
Let us treasure diem while We lie sic &C.
ed. and bury then unprofaned by sim
| gle look.
A singu.ar-iust.aea e his silent treas
nriag up Of one solitary thought, and N
the breast q ~h'd fell under my
knowletl re Il long q while staviny
| by the sea side, at the house Of some old
friends. They were at the same time
visited BY n little girl of about scysn wears
of age who had been confitlcd to Their
care, in order tha. she night have the
benefit of the sea bathing, recommended
for some weakness Of spine under
which the child suffered. She was the
iogeliest little creature / ever behe.d-
quiet and shy, too, though least SO with
me, for whom she at once took a strong
| liking. Our hostess, who every night
made point Of seeing her young charge
put comfortably to bed, alawys remained
in tue room until the child had said her
prayers. When her ordinary devotions
had been gone through aloud. the child
invariably bent down her head upon the
bed ut the side of which she knelt. and
offered up some prayer silently within
herself. What this prayer was, nothing
could inc soe her 10 reveal. Her parents
we're questioned abont it; but perfectly
aware of the fact, they were unable to
solve the question. 1t was of course
thing altogether too sacred to be intruded
on by any forceful appeal, and all par
ties remained in their Ignorance own
tlat when first | was told of it, the secret
appeared to be of so strange and unearth-
| ly character, and | trembled as one
who suddenly stands faced by a SPIRIT
1t seemed like q silent commupine with
angels. Feeling very anxious to witness
with my own eyes what interested me
so deeply in the telling, l one night with
my little friends consent aceompa led
her to her room. As usual, the prayers
were repeated aloud then followed the
silent offering up of that pure young
heart. So holy was the hon., that
held my very breath for reverence, the
| tears springing TO nv eyes with sudden