North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1865-11-29
The Old Home.
"with n rnufmur soft and low,
Come the ghosts of long ago"

A responsive chord in our heart thrills
back those sweet words -"longi ago.
Around us are the familiar walls o -four child
hoods home that once echoed back the mt
sic Of happy voices, and forgetting for mo
ment the years that left their shadows upon
our life since then, forgetting that one Of
those dear voices has long been bushed IN the
silence Of The efave-we listen, hslfexpeetihg
the we'll remembered sounds 10 greet our
ears sesin.
o, how many bright aHtieiPsti 6hs Ne In;
aalesa IN bfdef this old reef; how mary
yesutifai hopes sfe bsfied beneath The saB
shine without. UBee mere We @aBdef ~
The fsths that eaf ebilabged feet lightly
lF8a=8Hes more sFe standing nadsF the
trees, whose branches, waving IN the bfeege,
east their e9si sbadews eVef Hs whispering
eheeFliy, hopefully, AZ We dreamed away
many q golden hour,
Here are The old stone steps=s faV9Fte
seat al early twilight where We sat and
watched the clouds, tiRged with the Fleh
eeieFiRg of purple and gold, tbst the setting
sun had lefl behind, fade slowly and silently
away yielding une9Rseigusly TO the weird
imaginative thoughts thal thronged ouF bFain
till We IanCied olFself The inhabltent OF some
bright, faiFy Fsaim
Here We painted many gorgeous AREAS
tie upon the canvas of the future, that is the
present now, and Of which nothing is left hut
discoloFed ruins, How many memories
come Growdipg around us. Some Of them
bright and pleasant others SO sad that We
would fain bury them deep beneath Lethean
waters OF forgetfulness, beyond all power OF
earthly resurrection, thinking the while that
it may be after we have slept the long sleep
"and angels have rolled the stone away -
to our eyes shall be given the far. ng light
of immor tality,'ard we may then know why
it was well that We suffered SO.
But for US now, We will close the book Of
remembrance upon whose pages are chron-
cled all the dark bitter things of our Iie
gathering from the broken chords Of the
all that are worthy of preserving,aud weaving
them into new hopes and joys, with which
to fill out the measure of time that is still
left us ; indulging in nobler, higher aspira-
tions than any We dreamed Of in those oldep
days. For with the watchword, Onward
and upward" that alone was our guide then,
is now combined patience with ,the obstacles
that throng our path, and an earnest perse-
versrce in endeavoring to remove them, in
stead of YEARLY complaining of their pres
ence, having no faith in the wisdom of Him
who Placed them there, and who knew that
every trial we encountered and overcome
would leave us stronger. And greatest of
all is the hope, that when we shall reach
life's boundery, though we may have gained
but little of the worlds applause, angels will
guide us through the dark valley, and kindly
say, 'she hath done what she could"
The Iengthening shadow warn US of the
days decline, and that we must 90 back to
the newer, buster life, knowing that the sweet
songs Of our youth can never be taken up
again smothering a secret heart. pain, as we
leave the old home to strangers that can nev-
er love as we loved it, to whom there is not
as to US, tender memories associated with
every bird. and leaf, and flower. .E