Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1860-05-24
0tiginal SktttRes.
!. For the Yorkville Enquirer.
A sCHooL-GIRL "REMINISCENCES

z BynMARY.
"Dear flowers dearest memories! What
an enchantment is yours, my precious vio-
lets. How wondrous strange your men,
ory power; how beautiful, how hallowed
My own violets, how I love you!''
Thus rapturously spoke my friend, Hell
len, as she buried her impassioued face in
large bunch of fresh violets, which she
fondly grasped from vase on the parlor
mantle. After pause, she continued:
ooh Mary, how very dear to me are
violets; for they always help me to climb
the great, difficult, blue heights by bring
ing back the faces, forms and voices of
those now in the spirit-land-those who were
to me like angels in purity and goodness.
Ofcoarse, they are only endowed with the
nature, common to all flowers; but they
minister to my better nature, being repro
ducers of cherished past; and this is why
they are the flowers of all the earth to me.
Precious violets! Look at them, Mary! =
so tearfully spiritua! like her eyes, which
ever looked so conscious of the tears they
were to shed in this world,-yet so grateful
even for tears; so uuconciously pure, like the
smile that spread over her far better than
beautiful face. Mary, would you like to
hear this memory? IT'S so clear through
these fresh violets, and the spring airs !"
ooh Yes, HELEN and thousand thanks
for it. Go on"
"Well, Mary-but, first, open wide those
blinds, and let the spring wind sweep in !;
its sound chords well with the odor of this
violet memory
"Do 60 on, Hellen," said 1.
"Don't be impatient, Mary the sacred
ness of my story i'll accords with haste
Give me, your hand, Mary. Now listen.
was little girl of thirteen years, when
I was carried to large boarding school, in
the upper part Of our State. AS long as
my father remained with me. the novelty of
my situation was charming. Imagine the
very large, long brick building, with its
trippled piazzas on each side upper
most one being rallied all round, and inter-
posing no covering between the head and
the blessed skies-its situation on an eleva-
tion above the surrounding scenery-its
sloping green lawn on one side, its level
greener one on the other-but, above all, the
ceaseless play of the spring, so wide and
deep and gushing with its wealth of waters,
at the foot of the lawn. The pearly stream
which issued from its marble basin, nour-
ished two large tufts of wild violets and
beds of fragrant mint foated their water
loving roots over its crystal surface. [
was so happy when gathering the violets,
the cool drops of water would kiss and cling
to my fingers in the act or when holding to
nv fathers hand, I would look at the sill
yer bubble-balls always quivering up that
spring like hundred, sometimes thou
sand, water eyes. But still more fascina.
ting to my childish heart was the large num-
ber of joyous schoolgirls; were those hun
dred and forty faces; indeed, the evening
tableaur were intoxicating. This was when
all students threw aside books, walking and
other amusements, and made haste to join
in an universal promenade in the first story
piazza, which fronted the sloping lawn.
They came and came, till that long piazza
was filled with the most delightful hurly-
burly of tripping feet and flying curls; while
ringing laughter, happy songs, and merry
words filled the evening air, and all ears
that stopped to listen, with dir of music,
which grew louder as the moments flew by.
Thus like sisters, with arm in arm, or hand