Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1865-11-21
4fli9(tIlnnp,
EsLher snarle.s New Year.

AhA4EL DEhAlb AtGW iNdt'
slavery s.mpe story that hove 70 tel! you
-. l''.e story Of q certain New Years day that
vga. singing iis gsy over the world, laden with
.aa. u bright blessings OF tha blessings
tiarae.s one more beautiful, more bright than
a4. ina t6l' j. .ef, for Esther.
tga. the wear after be ded-,he trst New
Years dly since Robbie died, so you see bow she
u, trom us coming. For God bad not told
..r 4blu. The b.e.sng. Neither n the silence Of
U twilight nor the hush Of the star lil skies,
na- iae voice of the low. cool winds that crept
JOS 30 her little window, had he ever told hers nor
.a tle chime Of the church bells, nor 10 her even
u. PRAYER Size knew nothing about the 6les-
s.ns. aud go she shrank from the day.
Size would have been Ro5bie's wife by this
time +, God had not taken him R9bble's wife
She was thinking Of this, over and over, over
ar4 lyel while sbe stood there at the door,
watching lle chilly pl,e-red sunset, the last sum
s,t taf ne mrrovu year. Robbe's wife Never
10 have been Robbls's wife Never TO be Rob
b.e. noB, oil death should take her 10 him, and
tdl. vas SO .oug-so long TO wait. Thinking
tori, f.. the fua tear.staiued letters and the little
t-c.Yfa, which were aii she had eft of Robbie
raa, and Of the rameess, pi,iiul grave away on
Ue ou prsou-grounds. That Robbie should
ever ue there such brave soldier was he, and
would have been so proud to die 10 battle. 50
.a4ar was be in his memories Of home, and
would have been SO glad to lie IN the old church
rsrI. under the daisies and buiteTcups, where he
as.s-d softly when be was little child. We'll :
.c.ud moi be. There were no daisies and but
iclus for Robbie now no hot tears dropping
iowa among them; none to come at nghlAI,
and Whisper to his poor dumb res,ing'phce a
.-.e word Of love. 1t could not be- Only He
ph5 lad aecreed il knew why Esther some
tue, wondered why, but she never doubted that
there was a very tender reason hidden away
somewhere. She never doubted that he was
always wise and tender. Why he had smiten
her. she did not know but because be had smit
ieu ter, she never once let 70 her trusting hand
tom h.s or bid her upiurned, loving face before
A.n.
You see size was 90 thiuker-this girl from
Size flower in her garden, up to toe mysteries o
eternity, she never philosophical about any thing
She simply accepted il. hope you will not
therefore, think her quite unworthy OF your no
lice. Il IL, or j, il not, a blessing sometimes tc
have the soul Of caild-a soul that shall never
scow old? In other words, soul that is toe
efysane to hold doubt ! do not know Do
sou
Esther usel to think sometimes, in her tlt
81, ealing way, that il was harii indeed II lod'
bard. tais living quite without Robbie. As TO
ugh., looking lar away into the sunset, thinking
h,ulhat Bit OF letter came, one year tomorrow
eIsb .he beautiful wish: a happy New Year
NHx beautiful It was to her and TO him how
1red, with It's CONT home pcturesi how dear
Win lis sweet prophecies Of untritd, golden days
only they two haG known! Only they two knew
nov. For he must know, Robbie must. H'
could not iorgeti she ielt very sure be could no
forget.
And who WAS there to wish Esther a happ,
New Year now2 What wishes oi plying friends
tender and true as they might be, could eve
make a New Year happy to Esther now
But IL was coming, tie lonely, pltless year
aa. could not be warded otf or turned ava
rom. or eutreated to stay its iootstepsi the yea
the, must be met, and faced, aud tued, like
God only knew how many others. II was CON
ias. Tomorrow it would be upon her Tn
days would creep into nights, and the night
would fade into their mornings the weeks wool
come aud ~, come and 60, aud so-God onl
knew how long-her vacant days 30 on ~ an
ON.
On if she need not have to hear it, the merr
YEAR II sue need not hear the glad, gay voice
aud aatch The happy faces, and feel her wa
along in her own darkness through the gre,
HIGHT world, through the lorg, long year If sh
might lie down under the snow, in such sleep {
Robbie slept n the prsonyord, and that nor
thoud call her back 10 1.-THE bare, blank yea'
Bu, who had sent the year,
Il Esther ever forgot, j, was only for m'
m.u, The cup which had been given her, 81
had not drank with childish cries. Albeit ST
was no thinker, she was wise enough to kno
that lie who had said unto her, "Liye had said
For the night oometh, wherein no man ca
work Unu the night came, she had no rigi
Wup herself in darkness that might be ieI
lit meant wOrk yes, and sunlight too, howev
pNe and thin 1t Tell through riited clouds Iu
TO your philosophy, if you choose. DO system
picd upon systems ever strike a deeper dep
thln thi,2
So Esther had tried to live, in her patient Wa
aud tried to be thankful ioi such meroies as q
had len her, and irisd-oh! she had tried vel
very hard TO look upon her future, and say II
1t VAS we'll She thought Of it, this night, goi
over The old argument with herself, and turni
her face, touched into stiffness by prayer,
ward the dying brightness of the west