The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1860-02-16


The end was drawing on; the golden bowl
was breaking; the silver cord was fast being
loosed-thst asimstla blandula, ragalla, hospcs,
co5Hssqus, was about to fee. The body and the
sopl- companions for sixty years---were being
sundered, and taking leave She was walking,
alone, through the valley Of that shadow, into
which one dsy We inset all enter--and yet'she
wae not alone, for we know whose rod and staff
weee comforting her. ses.,, lag 81 sss sess
One night abe had falleas quiet, and, ~ we
hoRe1, asleep; her eyer we're shnt. We put
down the gas, and sat watchiag her. .Suddenly
she sat up in hsd, and taking q beaeown which
Was lying on it rolled mp, she held i eagerly to
her breastr--te the right siae.ai We could see
her eyes bright with ssrprisiag tenderness and
JOY, bending over this bnndle Of clothes. She
held il as . woman halds her sucking child
spening out her eAtseFn, tinpatieatly, and
sa,a;og s;oss i M 1913 over :. and 5an'
his nother comforts6lt cad Who sacks, and is
satisfied. IL Was pitifal and strange to see her
yEed, dyisg look keen and yet vague--her
imAzense lows. 9sls sl,f h.ss ssTssl44st ~ ~
- Preserve mel groaned James, giving
way. And, then she rocked back and forward,
as if TO make it sleep, hushing it, and wasting
on it her infinite fondness. . Wae's me, doc
tor 4; ! declare shea thinkin' it's that BARN.
What BARN ~ The only BARN, we ever
had !, our wee Mysie, and she's in the King
DOM, forty years and msir."o 1t was plainly
true the pain in the breast, telling its urgent
story to bewildered, ruined brain, was mis-
read and mistaken. 1t suggested to her the
nneasinees Of q breast full Of milk, and then
the child; and 30 again once more they we're
together, and she had her ain wee Mysie in
her bosom. ..s,i .sfil jsass. 81 .issfss,f. gsea
1o al h. T. Al
delirium left her; but, as she whispered, she
was clean siIly," it was the tightening before
the final darkness. =, After having for some
time lain STILL her eyes shut, she said, James,"
He came close to her, and: lifting up her calm,
clear, beautiful eyes, she gave him a long look,
turned to me kindly but shortly, looked for
Rsb but could not see him, then turned to her
husband again, hs if she would never leave off
lookings shat her eyes, and composed herself
She lay for some time, breathing quick, and
passed away so gently, that when we thought
she was gone, James, in his old-fashioned way,
held the mirror to her face. After long
pause, one small spot of dimness was breathed
outs It vanished away, and never returned,
leaving the blank, clear darkness of the mirror
without q STAIN, !" What is our life? II is even
. vapor, which appeareth for a little time, and
then yanisheth away" ia glfs if.7.t a..
tsl
motionless s he came forward beside MS. Allies
hand, which James had held, was hanging
down.; it was soaked with his tears Rab
licked il all over carefully, looked at her, and
returned to his place under the table. st ~
James and 1 sal, don't know how long, but
for some time, saying nothing He started up
abruptly, and with some noise went to the
table, and putting his right fore and middle
fingers each into q shoe, pulled them out, and
put them on, breaking one of the leather
latchets, and muttering, in anger, " never
did the like o. that afore |" n
I believe he never did, nor after either
q Rabl" he said, roughly, and pointing with
his thumb to the bottom of the bed. Rab
leapt up, and settled himself, his head and eve
to the dead face. " Master John, ye'll wait
for me-" said the carrier, and disappeared in
the darkness, laundering down stairs in his
heavy shoes. l ran to front window; there
be Was already round the house, and out at,
the gate, fleeing like shadow. Ass
was afraid about him and yet not afraid !;
SO / sat down beside Rob, and, being wearied,
sell asleep. awoke from sudden noise out
side. 1t was November, and there had been
a heavy fall of snow. Rab was in statu quo
he heard the noise too, and plainly knew it, but
never moved. looked out and there at the
gate, in the dim morning, (for the sun was not
up,) was Jess and the cart, cloud of steam
rising from the old mare. did not see James !;
he was already at the door, and came up the
stairs and met me. 1t was less than three hours
since he left, and he must have posted out
who knows how ?-to Howgate, full nine miles
OF, yoked Jess, and driven her, astonished, into
town. He had an armfnl of blankets, and was
streaming with perspiration. He nodded to me,
spread out on the floor two pairs Of clean old
blankets, having at their corners "a. G., l794,r
in large letters in red worsted These were the
initials Of Alison Creme, and James may have
looked in at her from without--himself unseen,
but not unthought of-when he was " wat, wat,
and weary" aud, after having walked many q
mile over the bills, may have seen her sitting,
while "a the lave were sleepin'; I" and by the
freight working her name on the blankets, for
her ain James's bed. 1a-.f>r
He motioned Rab down, and, taking his wife
in his arms, laid her in the Blankets, and
Mapped her carefully and firmly up, leaving
the face uncovered and then, lifting her, he
nodded again sharply to me, and, with a re-
solved but utterly miserable face, strobe along
the passage, and down stairs, followed by Rab.
followed with light, but he didn't need it.
went out, holding stupidity the candle in my
hand, in the calm, frosty air; we were soon at
the gate. 1 could have helped him, but saw
he was not to be meddled with !; and he was
strong, and did not need it. He laid her down
as tenderly, as safely, as he had lifted her out
ten days before--as tenderly as when he had
her first in his arms, when she was only "A.
G."-sorted her, leaving that beautiful sealed
face open to the heavens; and thon, taking Jess
by the head, he moved away. He did not notice
me neither did Rab, who presided behind the
cart. ts8s sss1
stood till they passed through the long
shadow of the College, and turned up Nichol-
son street. / heard the solitary cart sound
through the streets, and die away and come
again and returned, thinking Of that COM
pauy going up. Libberton Brae, then along
Roslin Muir, the morning light touching the
Pentlands, and making them like unlocking
CHESTS then down the hill through Auchin-
dinny woods, past "haunted Woodhouselee; !"
and as daybreak came sweeping up the bleak
company would stop, aud James would take
the key, and lift Allie up again, laying her on
her own bed, and, having put Jess up, would
return with Rab and shut the door.
James buried his wife with his neighbors
mourning, Rab inspecting the solemnity from
distance. 1t was snow, and that black, rag
ged hole would look strange in the midst of
the swelling, spotless cushion of white. James
looked after everything; then rather suddenly
fell i'll, and took to bed was insensible when
the doctor came, and soon died. A sort of low
fever was prevailing in the village, and his want
of sleep, his exhaustion, and his misery, made
him apt to take it. The grave was not difficult
to reopen. A fresh fall of snow had again
made all things white and smooth Rab once
more looked on, and skunk home to the stable.
And what of Rab ? i asked for him next
week at the new carrier who got the good viii
of James's business and was now master of
Jess and her cart. "How's Rab7" He put