Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1866-01-13

no .qne 90 loylesa and aleepless rs he,
for his grave was close by him; It was
only concealed by the snow of age, not
By the green 81 yonth He brought
wlith him nothin from the abundance Of
life but error, sins and sickness, de-
vastaSed BODY, a desolase soul, breast
full OF poison, and en- age full OF repent
ance. His beauteous young days now
returned as spectres, and brought him
back again to that fair morning on which
his father, for the first time, started him
on the path of life, which to the right
leads mp the sdr-path of virtue intn=a
wide and quiet land, full of light and
harvests, aud flflk of angels, and which
| to the left draws down into the mole
tracks of vice, into a dark cavern full
of dripping poisons, full of serpents
ready to dart upon their prey, and dis
NAL with close exhalations.-
Ahl the serpents hung around his
/ breast, and the poisoned-drep upon his
tongue, and he knew not where be was.
Distracted and unspeakably melancholy,
he cried to the heavens above: s1GiEe
me my youth againl Oh, father, put me
upon the cross road again, that / may
choose another lp@ 49,
But his father and his youth were gone
long ago. He saw the ignHs .fatuws
dance upon the moor, and 90 out upon
the graveyard, and he said; They are
i my foolish days. He saw alstar shoot.
ing from the heavens; he saw it gfmmer
in its, fab, and vanish upoa, the earth.
"That is me" said his bleeding heart,
and remorse with its serpent fangs dug
deeper into his wounds.
] His glowing Imagination pointed out
to him the sleeping night.waiker on the
threatenipg to crush hin; and mask,
which had been left in the empty char
mel house, by degrees assumed bis own
features
II Suddenlysin the midst Of the conaiet,
the music of the New Year flowed down
from the tower as distant anthems He
became less. agitated, be locked around
the horizon, and over the broad earth,
aud he thought Of his early friends who
now were happier and better than he
teachers of the earth, fathers of happy
children, and blessed men, and be said >
/ rob, could also have passed this afrst
night in slumber, with dry eyes, as well
] as you, IF / had wished to- Ali might
have been happy, ye beloved parents, if l
had fulfiledyo New Years wish and
| teachingspa sriaag
Amid these feverish recollections of
his youth it appeared to him as ifthe mask
With bis own likeness rose up before him;
and at last It was changed Through the
superstitation which, on New Years
night, sees ghosts and futurity) into a
living youth ia k~o .k-FE
He could not look at it any more; he
covered bis eyes. A thousand burning
tears gushed forth and vanished in the
snow. Disconsoiate~ and sorrowfnl, he
sobbed in aloud tone: ooh, come again,
my youth only come againliaR
And It came again, for he had only
dreamed usterribly, on the New Years
night. He was still a young man-only
his evil deeds were no dream. . :.
But he thanked God that he yet in bis
youth could retraceg his steps, and turn
from the asqualid path of vice to the
sunny road which leads to the fair land
ofthe just e = - ess
Turn with him, young reader, lest
when thou standest upon the path of sin,
this frightfuI dream shall, Ia the future,
become thy Judge; but when thou, full
of anguish, shalt cry out Come again,
Oh, my youthre il should not, in ike
manner return unto you.