The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1863-03-11

! ni'SsH!S uVlu SVuool. ono uau bcCn ahSoI
Tor day or two, when little Lilly. too. stai
at home, She begged her mother to let he
go to see her faVorto, and Mrs. Carpentc
consented. The servant took her to tn,
washerwomaus where Bessie Law sick
The child clung to her. kissed her. and alas
bore home with her the seeds of the con
tagious disease tho scarlet fevcr-whicl
| Bessie herself was unconscious of having
for she had not been attended b, any phy
siciau.
Poor Lilly was stricken down. and afte,
short and severe illness died while Bca
! sic recovered, to mourn over the sad loss
| OF her child friend, and TO look forward
! hopcleSsly to her own future
II was the morning after the funeral OF
lsilly that Bessie, mere shadow. entered
the sohool-room. Horteuse was there, like.
wise, in deep mourning looking pale and
naughty. None of tho girls dared address,
as she sat thorc, fearless and still, though
somo whispered that they thought she
showed very little grief, since she seemed
to love Lilly SO = and one little girl said
that " she never cried q bit at the funeral
WHOM her Mother sohhed as il hor heart
would break Bessie heard all these
whispers, but sho know better than they
what was fearless agony. Her heart hlcd
| for Hortcnsc, and she drew closer TO her
Sido, and passing her arm round her waist
whispered, 6 know how to pity YOU, dear
llortcnsc. She loved me dearly, too"
llortense started as if an adder had stunc
her she flung of BcsSios cncirclug arm
as ehc exclaimed, bitterly, "She did love
you, aud how did you repay her? You
kissed hor with poison on your lips-you
killed her !"
Poor Bessie was shocked. She tottcred
to her seat laid her head on her desk, and
wopt cilonily, The next day sho did not
come to school, She was worse again. so
the children said Shc had come ont too
soon. said the doctor, and q relapse was the
consequence. llortenge cared not. She
felt in her heart that Bessie had murdered
her sister and hated her worse than ever.
1t was twilight, and Hortense had been
out gathering wild flowers, ard digging up
violcts. to plant on her sisters grave. 1t
was growing late, and the graveyard was
dreary plaCe--but what cared she for
that? She was no coward, and she walked
in among the white tomhstones, cleaning
in the moonlight, without shuddcr. But
as she drew nearer to Iilly's grave. she
started-Surely she saw something move
She hcsitated, but she resolved to go for
ward--and there, lying on the ground, was
Bessie Allen. She was dressed only in her
night-dress, and her pale face looked even
paler, sArOUded as it was in her fair hair
She was moaning sadly: g You are gone
You were the only that loved me-and |
killed YOU" Then sohs and groans would
interrupt hcr words.
She di! not see llortense, till suddenly
she looked up. On, do not send me away ~
she said, wildly, Il did not mean to kill
her! How could | want to kill tho only
one thai loved me! Let me stay! Do let
me stay" and she chung to TIortenses dress
convulsivcly, Bessie Allen, how came
You here T. WAS all that Hortense could re-
ply.
:" | could not rest-i could not sleep-til
| had asked Lilly to forgive me for poison
ing her so came hcre--and by and by
shall rest with her down in tho ground"
and she buried her face i'll the grass, as if
she would seek shelter with her friond
from the harsh world.
lIortonse knew that she was wild and de
lirious, and her heart smotc her for the
wrong that she had done her. There, by
her sisters grave, she could not retain her
old animosty. Her owa tears flowed fas-
ter than BcSsie's had done.
"Godforgive me ~ cried She falling on
her knees by the side of the grave. "God
forgive me my sin toward you, Bessie Al
len! Come, Bessie dear Bessie-LiRy'S
Bessie !" she said, as Bessie neither stirred
nor moved, but lay PROSTATE by the grave.
Lilly wants you, Bessie" she whispered;
but Bessie heard her not--she was with
Lilly in a brighter world,
The rest of the events of that fearful
night Hortense could never remember
clearly. How she made known where Bes-
sie-the dead Bessie-lay, or how she
reached home herself; but from that night
llortense was mlike her former self 1t
was bitter lesson, but one that she never
forgot and as tho plowshare of afliiction
rooted up the strong weeds of pride and
hatred from her heart, so in their stead was
planted good seed that sprang up, making
her life beautiful.