Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1860-06-06
Written for the Spirit Of the Age.
THE ITALIAN EXILE'S DAUGHTER,
by

oAS - ny NHS 80 -
such,) and she looked weary. The large,
sorrowful eyes were dropping in their beauty.
The great masses of glossy black hair was
sadly dishevelled; her garments were soiled
with much travelling, and her shoes were old
and worn. vet they encased feet of which any
city belle might Justly have been proud-so
tiny and symmetrical in form were they-and
her hands, / thought, were the most beautiful
l had ever seen. But she thought not of
those things her eyes seemed to seek some
thing of italy in the skies above, yearning,
1 thought for something that bore a resem-
blance to home then a shade like d~isappoint-
ment came over her face, as If she looked in
vain. She spoke; and her voice was sweet
as the lyrics of her own fair land-l0w, soft
and tremulous- She told her history m a few
| broken sentences She was not a common
mendicant; indeed she did not beg at all, nor
did she sing for a livelihood, as | at first sup
posed, for She had an instrument with her
that had been her mothers, and hence her
attachment to it. She was the daughter Of
an Italian exile her mother slumbered among
the flowers Of Italy, and her father had died
on the voyage hither, leaving his child alone
in the world, She had had some jewels con-
cealed about her person, which, when dis
posed of, had furnished her with means to
defray her expenses so far. 1t was her in
tention tolteach wax work and other orna-
mental branches, and thus obtain a support
Her manner, language and expression was
refined and delicate in the extreme.
T ThinkiHg aEoice so melodious in CONVEX
sation mug ssrare in song, / asked her to
: sing. SheIsang. Never have heard a voice
t more richly musical, more soft and low, on.
} more touching in its cadence The intona-
3 tons were perfect-that song was a very
stream of trilling, thrilling harmony to me
r it suggested the idea of a brilliant, LIQUID
: fountain of sweet sounds shining, Crystal
like source of gushing, floating, heayen-tinted
notes. While under the influence of music
she seemed transformed into a thing of light:
her cOuntenance shone as though it had
caught the reflection. of an angels pinion;
the fire of emotion leaped from her eyes, and
the expression of her face was constantly
changing; from the sole other diminutiye foot.
h to the tips of her beautifully rounded Shout
e ders was alive with deep feeling. The light
le of her eyes died out with the last strain of
her song; the look of WEAKNESS again cam
over her face, and her fine eyes dropped
m "Youa are weary" | said.
Ill eyes" she answered, land will be weary
ok while there is life within me-"
~ mo, no; oh, no." | added, hoping to
r. soothe her. MANY pleasant things are for
ne you in the future. Just think you are
re- young, have good health, and what is more
than all, you are in America, the heme OF
Liberty, Peace and Plenty; and, which is i'm
finitely better, you have a kind and merciful
God above you, and if you trust in Him He
80 will not suffer you to want any good thing
IN Take courage, my good woman; keep ND 8
bs brave heart all will yet be well with you
She fixed her large eyes steadily up,oas me
SO piercing was that look that | felt a tremel
pass over me. She said, with sweet accents
Lady, am the child of an exile; tia
b scorn of my nation is my heritage; I hav
no home for heart Or head; no shelter TOPIC
IAN tect me from the storms of nature without, o
oc- those more blighting ones of temptation with
at in. | am a wanderer; an heir to tsal an
pre-, sorrow an outcast and a defenceless weznaH
lon For me there is no hope but the hope Of death
10 no rest save the rest eternal no pgasectc
but God in Him | trust p
oog The tears were raining down my cheek
De | stretched out my hands towards her, in th
ents palm lay shining gold.
n OF Lady" she said, 81 have net yet take
pon the offering of charitR" She made the sig
S I, of the Cross, raisedhEr eyes towards heave
lteu clasped her hands across her bosom, and a
lngg tRic a ! esl.,s sH9ly Mother, tn bless ssra ms } ts6
and added, "You may lever know how much
Tor thank you. Farewlhlp'
nose She walked away; a turn in the road sh,
nsS' her out from my eyes forever. I sat dow
ge,u' and wept convulsiyely; never had my symr
ack- thies been so fully aroused. A strange year
al ing seized me; l would fain speak to h
as again; would call her back. IcaNed. but
your answer cam save the dirge-like voices of t
winds passing through the trees. IRAN alol
the road, up the steep hillside, and Look
afar, but she was gone-was gone forever.
orO', a lew weeks after read IN a newspaI
non the following:
~ Died, In La Grange, at the hotel, LEoNr GES
M a young Italian woman Of remarkable personal appe
and ance and Intelligence. She appeared to be OF the hi
4 NV er order Of foreigners, though she Yves. travelling
every attention from our worthy landlord and his
,adlv cellent lady also from many of the boarders; seve
? adj her. For the Kindness Shown SyDI her s %a eRp 1rssssit x
d by g@ratitude, seeming to prize every attention, and be
him calmness and fortitude in the solemn hour Of de.
D be Her last words, spoken calmly and distinctly,
d OF her bedside: " Fatherl Mother, the hour has co
arded / have longed for it, Then, with sudden enc
such A in1Gg glorious % HI Heaven en- p SA Them Sinking Mi' ba sSs she IsH
un1or pired, peacefully as a babe falls asleep. Her w
aver robe, though scant, was made of such articles as
= a. tokened former splendor. She had means ~sufRcien
IN the
grad I felt as though my heart would burst.
rgetic must be her, | thought yes, it must be
them same l met that evening, and whom I car
ne of forget whose presence haunts me, WI
ed 81, voice is sounding in my ears, whose eyes
Ithout gazing piercingly within my own, in WI
destiny l have felt such a strange interest
p pa Why do | weep for her, a stranger?
lad so rest so longed for is hers she is dead
lxiety she wished to die. But obi to die afar f
state home and friends, with strangers gath,
me Of about us to feel in that dread hour that t
.erling is no kindred spirit nigh to bear up our S
r, as a ing nature. A sad, sad fate was hers.
e pres die alone; to die alone; and know and
over. her loneliness! Oh, Father! slumberin,
it him the dark seas, your child longed for ,
d thus presence in her dying hour, and you c
.TTAS. not. Beloved mother, mouldering in
tomb of Italy, your child called to you
the far shores of America, and you heard
not
Morse Plainly and distinctly came into my
Amer her very words: And will be weary '
over it there is life within me-" Weary one!
for very willing she was to lay aside her
ounced robe of life, and put on one Respondent
e of the glory. How soothing to her was the tho
Of death. Think of it, giddy maidens, in
ven the hours of reckless mirth and festivity t
ely the of il, youths, you who ION pleasure b
18th our are rushing heedlessly on in the broad
run by to ruin. Gamblers at the card table,
electric of it. "Wine bibbers," Keeling, sens
~ cleo saken drunkard, give it a thought, if the
,tricity. flames of the liquids of pandemonium
by cleo not licked up the last idea of your fire-rs
IL at its brain, think of It'll Are ye ready to
~ & a. A. - - a.