The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1860-05-25

A"SiC 10 otouiu pdssiuS oVeT, IOf
shadow, as il borne by the breeze
sweeps like a cool wave ACROSS th
meadow. Upon that breeze come
the sweet fragrance oil new NOV,
hay, entering in at the windows III
u spirit Of health.
How cool appears the wide oil,
fire place. filled with boughs and Tn
hearth neatly swept. We see an
ot1er scene as Winter reigns, ,ehss
the green wood is piled high and tn,
t1re has driven the cap in simmerins
bubbles out on the end OF the sticks
and around before the SCHOOL bagips
is gathered a merry group OF re,
faced children, the boys with thei
pantaloons tied around their ancle,
~-i uieiE mlttens MADE sale ny {
string The children telk in whis
pers, for the "master" has entered
and is setting copies. But the Sum
mer vision is brightest. And itc
memories the sweetest. There /,
the school mistress. How well We
loved her, for she spoke kindly words
t. US, and took onr hand as she wen
to our home. She moves quietly
about the room with ferule in hand
and prompting with q musical voice
as the children recite. She looks
sharply as she hears too loud a wins
pering behind two books suspiciously
near to each other, but the trcspass
er! discover her over the top OF their
books and look as innocent as though
caught in no trespass. boys may
go out!" The pent up exhuberance
OF youthful elasticity bursts out like
q food and light feet bound wildly
from the door-sill out upon the sod
and the wearied mind returns with
a keener relish to the "lesson" which
is yet but half committed.
There is the lame boy with his
crutch, sitting in the door with his
sad AMI beautiful face. His cheeks
are pale, but his eye OF deepest blue,
has something resigned and holy
about it, that wins the heart, and his
sweet and gentle manners endear
him to all. The best apple is his,
he has a favored seat at all our
plays and when we lilt him over the
low fence near by where he can
mingle with US under the wide.
crowned thorn apple tree, his look
is so grateful that it lingers like q
sacred thing in the memory. The
pilgrimage OF the lame boy is ended
He lett his crutch at the grave. and
in it, that shattered form. We all
wept, when the lame boy died. The
school mistress too, long since wen,
to her rest. And 90 have the most
who gathered there.
In the corner OF the old crooked
fence and under the thorn, was the
play house, built Of fragments 0i
boards and walled in with cobblc
stones. The broken china was nicely
arranged, the turf floor cleanly swe y,
and the entrance carefully guarded
Still back, was the study room,
covered with boughs, and looking
ont on the pond below. Lasson-
were not always well learned within
that little retreat. And does she
with the mischievous black eyes ye,
dwell with the livingl How ungal.
lantly we punished her plump arm
with a pin for putting dock burs in
our hair. And how sorry for it too
when the reproach'ul tear gIittered
on her dark lids,
But there were blue eyes there. a,
swcctly calm IA the slumbeIin.
depths Of mil Summer sky, look
ing out SO touchiIgly beneath tina
pale brow. The hair was long
rolling down on the pure white nscl
in waves of gold, or glancing in tn,
sun as the heavy braids were tos:et
from her cheek with a little hand.
Mabel was beautiful. She wa,
motherless, and there had settled
upon her features n most gentle anC
touching sadness, How we gazec
into those dreamy eyes until it seem
ed as though we had gone down int,
their pure dep:s where fears wer,
floating.
Mabel was beautiful and we lovet
her. How carefully VIC lifted he
over the mossy stones in the stream
or the fence, or down from the wild,
rock by the spring. And then .h,
yellowcst daisy and the freshest wil'
rose was hunted out from the mead
ow and the hedge; and the pond-ll,
was wrenched from it's mooriDgs ia
out in tho water. The smoothes
and prettiest pebbles were selecte,
from the brooklet's bed, for the littl
house we had built for Mabel, all,
the softest, greenest moss was care
fully pulled to place upon the fool
The red maple was climbed to tn
very top for boughs to shut out tn
sun; those blue eyes turned anxious
Ny up that we should not fall. An
at morning, we watched eagerly io
! her coming down the winding pat
around the hill, and as we saw tn
roof and crumbling chimney-top
, her fathers house, our heart be-
with a strange feeling of happines
tor the smoke as it curled upwar,
from the tree-tops, assumed the for
r of Mabel. The flame-like foliage
the naples looked like the frock 81
D wore. We saw Mabel written {
the old weather-beat gable, al
e tue robin in the breach overhea
|sung OF Mabel. The golden dand
g lion and shining daisy, smiled
she smiled, and the blue sky dov
" in the still water, was as dream
n and still as her eyes were calm. 1
e we hurried home through the dusl
l. woods. wa hea ri her f,otfall hehin