Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1867-12-05

~ Wo5 just sucii hu Out us chiut W luuu)
and many another home--just such an ONT
as cut to thousands Of other hearts-saying
prehaps, the leafc of myrtle. This sancti
fed, in certain sense, the grief of Eller
Vane to herself. She had not known of hii
keeping it. He never had mentioned it IL
his letters, and she had almost forgotten th,
giving of 1t. How much 1t had been /,
him-the little faded leaf eloquently told
As something sacred, therefore, she laid /
aside. And as he had brought 1t forth often
to sec the picture which it hid from al
others, so she as often drew It from Its re
ceptacle, 10 read in il q sadder story thar
ever young heart ought to know, and t.
see in it o sadder picture than ever loving
eyes ought to behold. The dry leaf was t.
her semblance Of others of its kind, which
she saw evermore running over lonely
grave. M IS sa88
Midsummer died away in smoky haze
the harvest moon came and went with i'll
silver sheen; Autumn put on its many col
ored robe of royalty and reigned in splen
dor. Over the Hammond farm, meanwhile
the sunlight and moonlight seemed to shine
dimly. Things were not as they used to bt
before the reading of that terrible message
Nell was merry-hearted body, as Clyde
had said, but her merriment was not now
as genuine as formerly. She saw the pic
ture Of that lonely mound, alas too often
and when grave comes into heart the
laugh goes out. The old folk. whom she
endeavored to comfort seldom spoke Of
their loss in her presence, but together
they spoke Of him who was slain with a
fond tenderness, and of their lonely future
with a shade of dependency lightened
only by the faith that it would soon be
brighter "ovcr the river"
The dull, leaden days of November crept
on apace. There was a chill in the hearts
Of Ellen Vane and those whom she knew
as father and mother; there was chill in
the air around them. The snow came drift
ing silently down, at length. During oil
the weary day preceding Thanksgiving the
feathery flakes floated through the still at
mospherc, while the fields grew white, and
the trees nodded to each other with new
and spotless plumes, and the serango-bushes
disappeared In strangely grotesque forms.
Before the twilight settled over the new
earth with an uncertaia dimness, Ellen
drew forth her myrtle leaf once more, and
dreamed over, as she looked upon it the
brief happiness that gladdeped her young
lifc,seeing still, through the thin veil of her
dream, the grave that she fancied would
never be shut out from her sight
Morning dawned-Thanksgiving morning
calmly, clear and beautiful. Arrayed in
white robe the world seemed as pure as in
the long-gone Eden-days. The hush of a
holy silence was on the air such hush as
might prelude the Ldus De0 of all heavens
angels. 1t was fit day for thank offerings.
Thanksgiving should be honored at the
Hammond farmhouse as it had been honor
ed there for half a century. Less joyfully,
perhaps, there would be no merry gather
ing, no happy meeting of old and young, no
I
.ausrs .' .'on'ns games ~ NY 'ess %
s,uo,'e'y nono,,'' ,no ou'pioa'n''s '.
.n"nA A'u.es' ~ 'n' o'e' n'"" pS,..'
-. noi ing MA, "ae ~ ,s'' ,e,'on' ,..., ~
."''V VI 'eo. ~ ."o WV "n''n u',',,.'
It. ne couio give 'i'aiihs e'en "'n'' HIS
iiouin's,
in,oesnou' 'ne ,oieluon Iieu .'s,eo
neiSe'i ~ preparing 'ne ,nAs",ps u'n-
~. ns .,, .ooA Wv, sau Anu , y. p,u0 :. aA ..'
'Hs ~ -,on anu seneiose' i'Ao 'n' o'a-i''i'
on.' "nsn Wy sp'eaN -v'e ""'p.c .oa'"'
anu ,eao'eu anu iia.1 s"s' A'' 81.
'no'sn' 'V,no"n'y y, ,A"'' 'o' '"e' w wy
'no ias.' ineie "ou'o pe no nioie' inei'
niien' W sone'nhs u s'auneSs ~ 'he uay .
10 cohe' pu' 'hey "ouiu ho' W hNe 'hose
gone py.
1ne edss, ner heart ecnoeo'as Inc 'u'hey'
Gone 70 aencious prown' was SCI upon
.he 'aoie' Anu as si,e 'nougn' Vi ''ie i'yiue
ieai' she piacea d ioui.h p'a'e upon INT
'oaiu, anu ses d ioui'n ona'' W ~. =. Mas
d suu'cn ianoy VI h'is' p,oni'eo' s"o 'a'u