Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1865-08-04
ONE OF MANY.

am sitting by the open window and look
ing out upon the orchard, where the trees
stand laden with apple blooms, whose deli
cate perfume floats in the twilight air, just
as 1t did four years ago tonight.
There Is nothing changed about this old
place as | look upon its picture now. There
stands the stone curhed we'll, over which the
long sweep hangs with iis dangling bucket.
moss.covered and dripping mouotonously--
just as ever. There is Carlos kennel, and
Carlo himself is lying there, with his nose
upon his outstretched paws, and his eyes
closed lazly precisely thus be lay as look
ed out this window four years ago this hour
can hear Kate and Bees and Dick and Duke
stamping with their iron hoofs in their stables
in the old red barn and over the top of
that same tree that bears the golden-s weets,
peeps the wooden weathercook on the roof of
the hsy-shed. The doves have been flying
in and out OF their cotes over the wide door
for the past hour; and the swallows not yet
gone to sleep, are squeaking and chattering
in the caves overhead. There bangles the
swing under the oak. Yonder comes Philip
whistling up the road. He has changed no
more in these four years than II he were an
image, instead Of being, as he is, middle
aged serving man. Everything my eye rests
on 10 Just the same. ! wish it were not
How can the world 60 on so unchanged
1t seems as if had been dreaming here
by the window in the sun of the warm May
afternoon, and had just awakened in falling
Was IL my wedding night this four years
agoi
Yes. There, on the bed within this room
my boy is sleeping. Here on my finger is
my wedding ring, and kiss it and it is
cold TO my lips as his forehead was. Here
are my widows mourning garments. | am
twenty-five. l was eighteen when Frank
drew me to hio heart, here in this very room.
He called me his darling, brown.eyed bride.
Oh, how loved him You ladies who live
in cities, and whose lives are crowded with
events--who have loved and unloved one man
after another whose hearts we're older at
eighteen than mine is this day, even after all
its deep JOY and sorrow--you can not know
how l loved my husband.
He was the only one ever loved, remem-
Der, the only one. My father was so stern
with me, that him never dared to love. NY
mother died when was little, and my father
kept me always under his eye, permitting me
no such pleasures as those that country girls
generally have, and books we're my best com
panions There were picnic parties 10 the
woods in summer and husking bees in autumn
and other merry markings of which | never
tsw. Almost my only knowledge of life out
side my own home was gathered from the
glimpses got Of the neighbor people on Sun
days at the little church which where all the
farmers on Morton Heights met to worship,
and still do. 1t was there l first saw Frank
when was a little curly headed gir, and
he was a blue eyed boy OF five years my
senior. I here saw all ! ever saw of him,
till was sixteen, and he was home for the
college vacation. met him then, one after
noon, as 1 was coming home from a neigh
bor's house, and he walked along my side
loved him that hour with my whole soul
and during the two years following learned
TO find my sweetest happiness in his smile,
the thrilling touch OF his hand, and soft
words of love he spoke to me and at last
to sunk in the tremor of unutterable hap
piness upon his breast when he asked me to
be his wife.
Can yoo wonder, then, that the wedding
night on which he made me his, was dazzling
in lie brilliancy to my eyes l was almost
intoxicated with the novelty and joy of that
scene. The great rooms Of Squire Morton's
house were like those of a palace compared
to the humber hons where had been reared,
and it was .here that we we're married, for
Frank wished it go. The crowding guests,
the cleaning lights, the marriage ceremony,
the congratulations, the whispered Joy of my
husband as he bent over me, and the odor of
apple blooms pervadiDg all, seemed like
beautiful dream then, seem like dream now,
with the orchards bloom alone remaining.
Do you believe me exsggerating when say
that | would have yielded up my life unmur-
muring for my husbands sake If you do, it
only sho"s that you have no conception of
love that bore for Frank. 1t was wrong to
love a man so, perhaps; but oh, was SO
happy be was my all, remember. On him
lavished the long boarded affection of ma
ture whose depths no mortal being looked in
to before him, My heart would leap with
gladness at the sound of his voice at a dis
tance. l knew his footsteps so well that |
would go far beyond the gate to meet him
when he was coming up the road. His kiss
was heaven to my lips, and the fond glance
OF bis blue eye would thrill my being to the
core.
You may wonder that consented to part
with Frank when loved him So 1t was be-
cause loved him as did that could not OPP
pose him when he told me, his face all glow
Ing with enthusiasm, that he wanted to raise
y company Tor tue war. Then he talked 50 elO-
quently about it, his eye shone with such
lustre and his voice had such cheer ia it, as
he spoke ofgoing forth with his comrades to
fight in defence of the dear old flag, how
could put in my selfish protest.
But l chung to his neck with silent fear in
the darkness of the night. when he lay fast
asleep; pictured his loved form lying woun-
ded and bloody on the battlefield, and hid
my face on my pillow, and pressed his dear
cheek with my hand, softly, so as not to wake
him, while wept as if my heart would break,
But in the daytime never let him know
i tried my best to cheer him, for knew it
was the old patriotic Ere thar burned in his
manly breast, and no tears Of mine should
quench 1t. was always proud OF Frank /;
he was the prince Of men to me; but now |
was prouder OF him than ever before.
/ was but the bride Of summer when he
marched away. The harvest was ripe and
the leaves were browning. He kissed me
again and again as we stood under the porch
by the door, and smiled cheerful smile of
adieu to him, and struggled to hide from him
the quivering of my lips. Then he walked