Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1860-06-13

| nswer. All was quiet and lonely, vet
felt that Lillia was there 1t seemed that T
should never get through the tangled and
ice loaded shrubbery. Madly I trsmpled
them under foot, tearing clothes and flesh
IN my eagerness to get through
sprang into the centre Of the retreat, be-
wildered and half blind There sat Lillia on
the old poplar 'puncheon,r where we had
sat an hundred times together. Her long
hair had fallen over her shoulders and hung
there in frozen shredss Her hands wergs
clasped and her head laid over againss
the cold rocks, and moveless smile rested
upon her blanched face as she looked up to
the drifting Clouds shouted again, and nay
words rang out and trembled on the air.
heard the answer of neighbor far of.
shook in every fibre. The strongest would
have trembled there at the side Of my poor
frozen Lillia Linn crouehed the terror Of the
forest, an Internal, half famished Panther
de 1t was that had been answering my cries
while he sat by the corpse Of my lost angel
Who would not have trembled Alone.
/ without weapon and thcwild wretch With
IN half leap Of the path that led out OF
/ = the inclosure - -
saw the beast rear up and place bis wet
the grassy rocks WIN : djszx
| ed know no mofa-T must have falIen--
An age of torment was crowded into few
moments there. / reckon it was trance,
| spectres the most horribie-sights the most
| revolving the most excruciating-
imbecility- -pangs-stormsAgrav
| -hail--death-corpses gaunt and grim,
| blood, struggling, and hell seemed painted in
| confused pile with colors glaring and SOM
bre and terrific dioransa whirled before my
bewildered vision. / heard sharp crash
4 and ayoke to consciousness with the hairy
monster rolling and struggling over me. A
hot liquid few in my face-I brushed il
with my hand-it was blood and the panther
was writhing IN death at nay feetL A little
cloud of blue smoke was floating away over
the tops of the rocks and on the cliff above
stood neghbor and friend Waldren's
rifle had saved me- All this time Lillia had
sat unmoved and unterrifed with her blue
eyes gazing calmly up towards Heaven.
| sprang to her side and took her hand
from the cold rocks and held it in my arms.
Her eye was yet blue as it ever was when We
sat here together, talking of the future and
its promises to US, but her cheek was blood
less and her lips were curious blue. I
pressed her cold cheek 10 my bosom and
shook the ice from, her long tresses. kissed
her cold, stiff hands till it seemed my heart
would break, and washed them with hot
tears, and begged her like a child to wake
and smile, and tell ne she was happy again.
L told her | thought the sun was shining
Gown through the green boughs Of the old
cedar tree over the seat Bob built for US, and
begged her to go there with me and talk Of
| love and listen to the singing of the birds in
, the hedge by the meadow.
4 1t seemed that Lilla would never awake
Z and love me. How could shet
/ The Lillia of earth was goRe-gonef
y The Lillia of Heaven was at rest!
IF And all that day she had been singing In
"A her new homer
10 - 9 q ~
,e- kind old man was appointed sexton and b
I'd dug a nice grave there for Lillia. That wa
es the first A nice coffin made by tn,
ss Carpenter, and good women smoothed Lii
n las hair and laid her in it. They told me
,g that the panther had not left mark upon
4 my lost one and thanked them for telling
az me that, and blessed God tool
That day the sun shone out and the old
trees looked as if they had dressed them
. selves for great ball in the forest, so bright
IN ly they shone with the ice cleaning on their
II tall crests Such was the day when they
ia laid Llia in the new grave yard.
&c They carried her down 10 the dell and I
,t followed after them. There was the little
grave ready for its tenant and they let her
TT down softly without suffering the coffin to
20 CRATE harshly against the sides, as have
40 sometimes heard with chill. / stood at
Il. the ''head' of the grave watching the coffin
al going down with its treasure and my heart
~ went down with it. Don't yOU knOac at did y
et Well, they bGriedf her thus in the dell, the
or first, as have told you before, and love
ot the old sexton yet for selecting the softest of
the red earth to. pour gently on her coffin, SC
ia as not to make that horrid rumbling sound
oh of big clods on the boards, that mako the
rS heart ache to hear And then, when al
thought he had finished his task, he took hi;
spade and went away down the dell to wherC
clu lu a little ril FASTENED away and brought
ior basket full Of green sods, that the frost has
CD, left, and laid them one by one on the mounc
hu with his hands andwhen he was done, Lii
:, liza had a green grave in the winter time
III He was DONE and turning to look at me h
said ''poor sorrowin' ladT and he brushe
the a big tear from his eve wth.his hard hand
der Good old sexton, love thy memory still
,ok for thou lovedest Lillia too, but not as diC
at Lillia was the first victim Of the drar
lied shop by the 'itwo, hills" and the first
I'd | sleep in the grave-yardiin the dell, but NJ
;ted the last Soon her father was laid there to
ded and young Jones, and,neighbor Wilson, ar
had Stranger, and Waldron, that shot the pal
low ther that crouched at the side of poor des
Is | IIillia These were the dramshop's trophie
er so that the little pen of poles that the old Sc
to. ton placed over Lillia's grave was torn aw;
and and he buried these there too all genero
card and noble hearts, and then built neat fen
n around them all, and then the neighbors b
our ried him there too
id it For this and athousandothar reasons, ha
as sworn eternal enmity and war against Rum
1t kith and kin. Do you blame me- Reader
vail NV poor lost Lila Linn, the first victi
cks, of the drunkery by the ''two hillsn' o
cred veins knot with slespless, unsatiated 7
A venge as we think of it yeti
side The seat that Bob buin under the ced
lyed tree for us has fallen down and gone to
the cay; the leaves of--autumns have blt
rock ted out the path that used 10 lead down
S re- the old rocks; the wild grapes dry on I
plar stony walls for the birds to pick and t
t to- flowers hang on the stems till the win
and shake them Of for aught we know, sin
some Lillia is with us to share them no more.
lckle And now, Reader the sun of this bless
ocks, and beautiful day has gone down behi
ason that gold fringed cloud in the west viii
kiss we have been floating back over long laI
way. of years with this sad waiS OF the Past.
d as So died out, like shadow, our first 10
cries There never lived Sut one Eillia Linn.
heart The memory of her fingers with me
osom like the dim shadows or our page, or N
ough like the d. ing symphonies of some old 81
1t!- dear to the heart.
way have not seen the cid rocks, the stu
hapl I oc@bo ooda- traa brook Uhere the