The mountain Democrat., 1865-12-09
"OnIy Clay.1


We stood beside the casket-Mste and
I. By "casket" would not convey 40
idea Of the adornments OF. the bFide-nO,
mol 1t was Of rosewood, only four feet
long and less than two wide, its polished
sides looking gloomy in the subdOed light
which the draped pictures aud lsombre
furniture reflected from the balf closed
shutters; that light, seeming itself muf-
fed in mourning, which kindly hid the
deformity Of the earth, earthly, and re.
vealed only its 0ndimmed brightness IL
was now uncovered, andoh the beauty
which 6lled i'll Wonderful that an OBJ
ject, so dread inspiringbn itself, should
radiate such glory; wonderful that that,
from which we usually shrink so instinct.
lively, should now bold such an attraction
for Mate and meI Strange that we were
enthralled SO willingly BY chains which
cut thus crOelly into our heaEtsH Can
you not understand it-why we trembled
so? AhI you could not see the holy
light which 6lled 1.-THE casket you
could not see how, amid the satin gleasn-
tMgS. >S&s &ttSO Nestie, the Kght u cur
household, nestled like sleeping sun
beaml Her little dimpled cheek as spot
lessly white as the flowers which we
placed, fresh plucked, upon her breast,
unruffled now bya single heart throb !;
her tiny hands closed only half-so sad.
ly, loosely about the sprigs Of green 20
unlike the tight grasp with which she
held them when she herself bad culIed
them. Twas this that made Mate aAd
l feel more than half that Nettie was not
indeed there for We could otherwise fat
teringly imagine her sleeping in her crib
but not nov for even 10 sleep the deep
drawn respirations would come to us, eth.
et to Mate as she was engaged 10 her
household duties now grown 90 sadly
lighter, and yet thOusand fold heavier
because lacking the inspiration, or to mo
behind my paper. .e
Do not wonder when say there shOMe
brilliAncy it was brilliancy not alone
visible to parental eyes. For in that room
filed with dark, ghostly Objects-seem.
ingly the ghosts Of our happipess-thAt
ominous box with its dazzling contents,
shone with a bright, spiritual light in
their midst; it seemed to Mate and l
that Nettie's spirit still nestled in the
folds Of her shroud, and that is was good
for US 10 be there. The brightness
which hung DER it like an angel presence,
which shimmered like pearl dust, seemed
to weave a spell in which we became as
mute as that little corpse it seemed "a
throw out gentle influence, clothing us
as with raiment which woed US from
our grief, which petrifed US into statues
guarding Nettie's clay. Yes-only clay
Nothing now left but the death. .bleached
tabernacle from which the indwelling es
sence-alasl all that made her Nettie
had noiselessly fed ; in which the se
cret springs of animation had dried, ant
the withered pulse had forced for the las
time its strength back to the heart.
"Only clay" Only the lamp In I
dark place-but the whiteDed monument
of what our loved. lost Nettio haC
been. "Only clay" they told US they
essayed to close the casket which hid ouI
jewel aye, mock jewell-for its gen
uine part was not there AYE, because
it mocked our misery by giving Us in.
sensate semblance-still, cold. dead-fou
our lively, warm living Nettie John
Dunn.