Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1868-02-26


aWhat do you see, Rachel" murmuret
low, sweet voice; "you have been looking
that way very earnestly for the last tel
minutes" =
The speaker, woman apparently on til
sunny side of forty, was an Elder Sister il
the Society OF Shakers She wore the cos
tune peculiar to the females OF that sect, ;
plain, homespun dress, which, though it len
no flowing grace of outline to her figure, vas
faultlessly neat; pair of cumbrous, high
heeled, cloth shoes, that, despite their quaint
and uncouth fashion, could not quite concea
the shapely feet they encased, and an ample
kerchief, white as new-fallen snow, smoothly
folded over her breast, while her face CLEANED
out pale and passionless from the Transparent
border of the close little cap, which left only
q narrow band of brown hair visible above
her low, fair brow.
/, She was sitting in the best room Of tAC
Trustees Office of the Church Family" and
busily plying her needle, but as she asked thi:
question, She glided with the characteristic
Shaker step to the window where Rachel
Lee sat.
"What is it-any grand visitors coming ?'
she said, leaning over Rachels chair to look
out.
GNay, not that, by any meaps," replied
the other Z" rather, think they're some poor
folks with iyy-leaves to SELL
Mary Reed stood gazing forth for some min
utes. At,the foot of the bold and beautiful
Canterbury Hill, crowned by the Shaker Vii,
lage, FIVE roads. winding up through field, and
meadow, and woodland, with many sinuous
curve, intersect each other, and at the place
where they meet, there is q huge granite ba-
sin, filled to the brim with water, bubbliug
with perpetual flow and pleasant, dreamy
murmur, from some never.failing spring.
That fair fountain of the hils-how wildly
it rises in memory now-clear as crystal, cool.
er than Oriental sherbet, more delicious and
life-giving than the richest blood Of the grape,
or the mythic nectar of the gods. The cattle,
as they come lowing down from tue far green
pastures at eventide, drink there long, eager
ly; the painting horse of the traveller sakes
his thirst in that pure tide, and the tired and
foot-sore vagabond stops there for refresh
ing draught.
On the brink of this gray basin crouclied
the two psrsous who had attracted the attea
ton of the quiet Shaker sisters, but some
thing called them away, and they thought no
more about the incident that afternoon.
1t was a chill, drizz'y day in spring; the
young leaves shivered in the keen north-easi
wind, the tender blades of grass bent aud
swayed under their burden Of rain drops, and
not single break in the clouds gave glimpse
Of blue ether or golden sunshine. Night
closed drearily in, and the glow Of the village
lights shone pvitingly through the gloom, bu
still the two strangers fingered by the well.
The younger, girl Of twelve summers, rer-
haps, seemed restless she often dipped up the
water in her palm aud dashed it over her
forehead, or pressed the cold, damp banG
against it with wild gesture but the elder,
tall, thin, shadowy woman, sat with a
strange, unnatural stoici,m, gazing mute and
fearless on the dim woods behind, the inapi-
mate finger Of the guide-post, and the small
Shaker settlement on the hill.
"Mother, mother" cried the girl, petulant-
ly, don't st,y here any longerl 1t is very
dark, and am so tired, so cold!" Twenty
times she had said the same thing, but it
seemed as if the woman were deaf as well Us
dumb, for the great palsy of grief had locked
all her senses. Now, however, She looked
round like one awaking from nightmare.
aOh, Bessie, my child" she murmured,
aI had forgotten even you! We cannot stay
here, we must 60 on u She seized the girls
hand in vice-like. grasp. and the two toiled
YEARLY up the hill. Summoning all the
strength of which she was mistress, the wo-
man raped at the first door Of the Trustees
office. 1t was Mary Reed who opened it, and
stood looking in wonder at the strangers, with
the light of the candle in her hand shining
full upon them. Such face as that of The
woman, the Shaker sister had never before
seen; thin and wan even to ghastiliness, with
deep lines furrowiug the high, pale brow, and
lips tremulous from some hidden pain.
parched and dscolored with the secret canker
gnawing into the heavy heart beneath, and
great, dark eyes full Of wild, uncertain light
is this hotel where l can stop till morn
ing, at least ?' she asked, wistfully.
"Oh, nay !" said Mary Reed there's one
two miles beyond, at Hill's Corner"
1.-TWO miles?9 echoed the woman. cGood
God | should die before could get there .
heard this was the Shaker Village"
Yea, so it is," replied Mary; " but il you
knew our customs you would be aware that
we don't keep tavern"
81 am stranger in a strange land !" fal
tered the woman "a refugee from d home
darker than any graveyard. They told me
people who were wrecked in hope, faith, for.
tune, everything, sometimes came here viii
you take me in ?"
"Yca," said Mary Reed, thoughtfnlly,
"we will feed and lodge you to.night."
81 don't want food or aims Of any kind
I'm not beggar-l'm broken hearted wo-
man! Pm wretcbed, forlorn, weary-weary
in body and in soul Iwant rest!''
She spoke wildly, and Mary Reed drew her
and thu child into the house, and shutting the
door. led them into the room where she aud
Rachel Lee were sitting, when we first intro,
duced them to the reader. The woman sank
listlessly into chair, and closed her eyes as
if in extreme exhaustion, but the child stared
around in girlish wonder. Very strange did
that apartment seem to the city bred child ;
no rich paper covered the walls; no damask
drapery sweeping down from elaborate cor
nice work, mufaed the windows; no soft AK
minister SpTcdu OuI uCuedli uSi iSoI Az Pa
ished CRATE and marble hearth glowed warm
and red in the light Of the blazing Lehigh.
But there was not single stain on the
whte-washed ceiling; the painted floor shone
like mirror, save where, round the close
box store, lay homespun carpet Of sombre
hucs; plain chairs stood here and there, aud
beside each of the three windows was pc
cular kind of sewing-stand, furnished with
spool-frames, pin cushions, scissors, and all
the paraphernalia needed by seamstress.
While the child was gazing on this novel
scene, Mary Reed had glided from the room
but she soon came back with o glass OF cur
rant wine in her hand.
"Drink this" she said to the weary strang-
er; it may revive you"
The woman drank it mechanically, but the
draught did not seem to refresh her much
her eyelids still dropped over the troubled
orbs beneath, and her head rested languidiJ
"Your clothes arc wet," continued Mary