The Shasta courier., 1863-09-12
The Lowly Lady.

The Lowly Lady.
The sad bGt stately procession had passed
into the church, and eyen the aisles of tn,
venerable building we're thronged with per
sons. One might have thought, who looket
upon the coronet, glittering on the cushion
of crimson velvet, and all the other insigni,
OF high rank, that curiosity alone had draw
thither such crowd but deeper interes
was marked on every countenancs and tn
firm voice of the minister had faltcred NOR,
than once, as he read the solemn service
Yet the coffin was that of child-a little
5tender infant, who had died in its first un
conscious hclplessness. Every one though
Df the father standing up among them, an,
llooking SO desolate in his grief More tha,
bone fond mother wept. and drew her rec
cloak closely round the infant on her bosom
/ Is she gazed round upon the mournful pomp
and the little coffin, and the young noblemar
-chlldless, and worse than widowed-oh
yes worse than widowed as he stood there
and followed with his eyes, the movement Of
|. the men then placing the coffin of his child
in the shadowy darkness of the open vaGlt
below him. The church was place of ag.
onizing recollection to..the young Earl of Dcr-
by. Often had he entered it a happy hus-
sband; and, as he walked slowly down tha
aisle to his carriage, he could not help re-
g'alling the day when his beautiful and mod
bst bride had clung, in trembling bashful-
9ess, to his arm, when he had there, for the
FIRST time, called her his wife, 4" am sick of
(lll this idle pompi'' he said to himself, as
y:e entered the wide hall Of Lis own magni6.
sent residence, attended by his train Of ser.
.lrts, and met by the obsequious bows of the
zen who had conducted the funeral; g / am
tick Of this mocEeryi will. bear it no long
T.. Would that.I were poor, hard, working
peasant, with some honest hearts to care for
ae, end love me. am heartily tired of
,odr great people,
Not many weeks after the funeral of the
hsif of the noble house of Derby, solitary
vayfaring man stopped at the turning of a
Ettle ot-path, which led down the sIoping
de Of the biil overlooking the village Of
'i,--. IIe,Ead been leisurelg wandering
Since thq7al'y hours of the morning, and
Aad not yet found the place where he would
rest for the night. Here, at least, is a hap.
" scenes" he said, as he looked down. qpon
~ iiis.~ r.tu ,e AZ die foot 6ftheS hill. About
fifty or sixty persons were scattered, in care
less groups, about the pleasant green. Some
of them were dancing beneath venerable
grove of elnls, others were cFowding round
the only booth which had been raised. AT
least, | may witness their enjoyment though
| cannot share it," he said; and in a few
he was standing beneath the old
trees on the green
But. although lie was not recognized as the
Earl Of Derby, and disgusted by the attention
paid to his rank and station, he found the fa-
of vulgar minds and low manners
not quiet so agreeable as he had perhaps ex
pected. Quietly he turned away from the
noisy scene. lie passed over the old bridge,
which crosses the clear and shallow stream,
and turned down lane, the banks of which
were overgrown with wild flowers and strag-
Cling bushes of birch. sufficiently high and
thick to meet overhead, and form 9 perfect
bower ofgrateful shade. A poor woman was
returning home through the lane with her
her infant sleeping soundly on her
bosom, and curly headed urchin distending
us cheeks with putting at a little painted
trumpet. the horrid grating of which nd all
the charm of novelty and noise to him. The
young mother locked so hot and tired, and
witbal SC good: Enmorel, that the earl could
not resist asking her if she could direct him
to lodging Not in that merry village
We have just left" he said, g for / am un-
we'll and tired
The woman pointed to little path, not
very far from the spot where they stood,
which turned suddenly out of the lane into
v ood, overhanging the river, and directed
him to follow it through 2 large cornfeld and
then up a very steep, sandy lane, and then,
for about mile over-but such directions
are tiresome enough, when one is Obliged to
listen to learn ones own wav; here, they
would be even more so. Besides, / aim not
sure the earl attended to the poor woman, for
he lost his way. He walked on, wrapped in
his own melancholy thoughts, but soothed,
in every sense, by the cool fresh air, the
gurglins flow of the river, and all those dis
tant sounds, which in the quiet fields on a fair
calm evening, fall so softly indistinct upon
he ear But the sun had Set before the wan
1erer awoke to the reccollection of the pur-
pose before him. He looked around him he
saw green and sloping hills, many stately
trees. and the same calm river flowing gently
below. but no house. AT last, where the
eafy shade was deepest, he discovered pile
,f old quantity shaped chimneys, opposed
against the glowing sky. He had not pro-
,eeded far in the direction of thefarm house I;
WHICH, HOW pidiuiy apPS"i So -
when light step seemed to approach him,
and then stopped suddenly and he heard
the sound of unrestrained weeping. A hazei
copss separated him from the meadow whence
the sound proceeded; but. on peeping through
a little opening, he saw that young giri was
sitting on the bank of the meadow on the 9th,
er side. For little while she continued
weepinc-only for little while-then clasp
ing her hands together, she raised her head,
and her whole heart seemed to look up 20
heaven in her meek and steadfast gaze
Still she sat there, almost without stirring,
except that. once or twice, she looked down
upon the green grass, and her hand dropped
half forgetfully, and half playfully., among
the flowers that grew in wild luxurianee be.
side her. as if she was pleased with, but
scarcely knew she noticed them. just then
the rich scng of the nightingale burst upon
the stiffness of the evening. and stole away
her ear: and though her thoughts seemed
vet to linger' on about the subject which had
made her weep, she listened till at last she
smiled; and SO. minute after minute passed
away. and gradually she forgot all her trouble
and the only expression Oh her face was H.