Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1860-01-05

now with certain manly petulence and tyr.
amy. They both loved her with all theiI
hearts, and were never happy away from
her.
| Jessie grew paler and paler every day; she
was thin, and had transparency in her
flesh painfully eloquent her slight bands
showed the daylight almost purely through,
and her eyes were large and hollow-the
white of them pearl-colored and clear. She
complained little suffering no pain, and dy-
ing away one scarcely knew why. There was
a general look Of fading, and show of las
situde and weakness, as if the essence of her
life were slowly evaporating ; as if she were
resolving back to the ETHEREAL elements which
had met together for brief season in her.
She was dying, she often said, from the de-
sire to die !; from the want of motive of life ;
she had nothing to live for.
Mrs. HILBERT nursed her daughter as any
such woman would nurse fading girl-with
conscienciousness, but with hardness doing
her duty, but doing it without shadow of
tenderness. She had the best advice Brigh-
ton could afford, and she took care that the
medicines were given at the right hours pre-
scribed, and without a fraction Of difference
in the mode prescribed. Fruit and good
books were there in abundance; but all wan
ted the living spirit.
On Estela the weight of consolation fell,
and no one could have fulfilled its duties bet
ter. 1t was the spring time now, and she
would go out into the fields and lanes, and
bring home large punches of forget-me-nots,
and prim roses. and daises, with sprays of
the wild rose and the honeysuckle and she
sang to the dying girl, and sometimes bro't
her sketching book and sketched the costumes
Of Italy, the palaces of Genoa, and the glo-
rious water streets of Venice; and she would
sit and talk to her of Italy, and tell her all
that would most interest her, being the most
unlike the life of home. And she would tell
her anecdotes Of of Italian history and wild
stories OF Italian romance and lthen they
would talk of graver things-of the poetry of
the Old Church, of it's power in the past, of
its marvellous union of wickedness and virtue
and then they would speak of the angels and
of God and both felt that one of them
would soon be face to face with the great
mysteries of the future, and would soon know
OF what nature were the secrets Of the world
to come. And all Of poetry, Of warmth, of
glorious vision, and high souleG thought-all
of the golden atmosphere Of religion,in which
art and spiritual beauty, and spiritual puri-
ty and poetry and love were twined as silver
cords set round with pearls--all that light
ened Jessie's death-bcd, and seemed to give
voice to her own dumb thoughts, form
to her own unshapcd feelings, Estella shed
there.
1t was impossible that even the Everett
world could reject her forever. 1t was i'm
possible that even Mrs. HILBERT could con-
tinue Indifferent to the beautiful young wo-
man who gave peace to her dying child; and
though the fact of Miss Este, as she was
called, being her disowned niece Estella,
never struck her, something that was not all
confessed admiration, but which afterwards
she believed to be natural instinct, drew her
nearer and nearer to the girl, and made her
at last love her with sincerity if not with
warmth. And when Jessie grew paler and
weaker hour by hour-when every one saw
that she was dying, and that only few days
more stood like dusky spirits between her
and the quiet future--when Estella's prayers
were for peace: no longer for the restoration
which had become mockery--when sleep
less eyes and haggard looks spoke of the
shadow of the death that was striding on
then Jesse, taking Estela's hand and laying
it in her mothers, said, Mamma. you have
another daughter now to ell my place Els
tella, your neice and my sweet sister and
consolation, will comfort you when l am gone,
and will take the place in your heart where |
have liyed'
1t was too solemn a moment, then, for
Mrs HILBERT to fall back into her old fortress
Of pride and hardness BY the side of her
dying child, she became womanly and Chris
tian: although even then, the struggle was
hard one, and the effort cost her dear. She
bent over Estella, kneeling there and weep
ing, and saying slowly and with still gravi-
ty not wholly ungentle, I" I accept the trust
now, Estella, and forgive your father for the
sin he committed and for the shame that he
wrought. Your place shall be, as my dear
child has said, in my heart; and we will mu-
tualIy forgive, and pray to be forgiven"
Jessie smiled. "That is all have hoped
and prayed for" she said family; be mo-
ther to her as you have been to me, and let
the future make up for the short-coming of
the past " And she turned her face tow
ards the last rays Of the sunlight streaming
in through the open window.
A bird sang on a tree just opposite ; the
waves murmured pleasantly among the shells
and seaweed on the shore the sun, sinking
down in his golden sleep, flung one last stream
of glory on the marble brow and long locks
of the dying girl 1t was word of blessing
for the past and of baptism for the future.
Jessie held her mothers hand in one of hers;
the other clasped Paul's and Estella's held
togther. BLESSED by love-" she murmured,
redeemed by love--O God, save those who
trust in thee, and for thy sake pardon others
Thou, whose name and essence are love
and mercy p
For the Litchfeld Enquirer.
"Happy New Year !"-Ah :! the echo Of
that greeting reminds us that Winter in its
cold and awful majesty. is treading Earth