The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1861-01-03
Meet Lizzie at Six.

That was all the dispatch contained.
Four little words; yet what excitement
4bev caused in the household at Maple
Cottage; the quiet, SO sober household,
whose members, at the moment Of its re-
ception, were on the point of going to rest
for the night.
aMeet Lizzie at sii11" Was our darling
indeed so near us? Two years and three
months. had passed since our eyes had
been .gladdcned with her girlish beauty,
since her voice had mingled with the bird
music that hoated all the long summer
days among the naples. Two years and
three months she had been buried among
books, in a far away city, bowing her
sunny curls over algebra and geometry,
grammar and philosophy, astronomy and
botany, French and Latin; patiently at
first, because eher parents desired it; at
forwards cheerfully,to please the teachers
shc had learned to love. and at last, zeal
ously, from pure thirst for the treasures
these studies unlocked toher. But it was
over now-these toilsome years-and she
wason her way to us once more-our Liz
zie-our pet and pride-we should "meet
her at six"
She had left B in the morning
had journeyed without stopping all day J;
this was guessed at once; and at eight in
the evening, finding hasty opportunity,
she had telegraphed to US the words above
at six the eastern train arrived at our
station; Lizzie was to ride all night, for
the sake Of reaching homo thus carly. 1t
was like her; impulsive, warm-hearted
child that e-was!
How little we slept that night. What
slight sounds around us; how early we
were ell astir-even the baby and the
whitc-baired grandfather; @Mcet Lizzie,
eh p he said .saye, indeed will we" And
theold mans voice caught q youthful tone,
and his crutches an elastic movement, as
he Aobbled about the house giving orders,
as if all the responsibility rested upon him
tobe sure.
There was Hannah, too, bewildcring the
mother about breakfast "Did Lizzie like
coffee or cocoa best?" And would she
make biscuits or waffies? Andthe moth
or smiling all the time nodded her head to
everything, and Invent hurrying about with
the grid-iron in one hand and the egg-boil-
er n.another, coaxing Fanny to curl the
baby's hair, and looking at the clock every
FIVE minutes. But Fanny, with mysteri-
ous apronfuls of something, was fighting
up stairs and down, leaving book hcre,a
flower there, daguerreotype on the Ia
BILE, or rosy-chcckcd fall apple in the
understanding for Lizzie to see and
smile at. Only the father seemed disturb
ed. We noticed, to be sure, the dimples
in his cheeks, which Lizzie always said
she made when she was bab., looked
deeper when he smiled, and thathis voice
was a little less steady, he told Tiomas to
bring the horses; but he did not.lke to be
considered q demonstrative man, SO we
only looked significantly at each cher and
said nothing. Still waters are sometimes
very deep.
At last the carriage came around and
we got in; two of us, besides tn father,
who was to drive. There was rom. for
more; but it was quite out of her inc, the
mother said, to go on dashing Give be-
fore breakfast SO we left her on tie piaz-
"a, with pickle-dish in her had, and
wiping her eyes with her apron.
It was halfa a mile to the depot, and the
sun not quite,risen when we startd. How
balmy and pure the air was that 5ft Sep
tember morning We thought, lgotists
as we are, in our happiness, that mature
sympathised with US. 1t seemed as if
there never had been so fair q shrising
before, and as if half the glory pf the
morning would have been wastd, had
Lizzie not been coming home.
The cars had not arrived, wlen we
stopped at the station, but we head the
whistle of the locomotive, not vqy dis
tant; and those few, sweet, waitins mo-
ments-what world of blessed alticipa-
ton they held. The sun was risinl l-ah
Lizzie Lizzie!
At last the train came up-stoppe{ We
looked at the windows; only row sac
faces! Lizzie must have sat on the lthel
side. A few passengers came out, soemn