Middletown transcript., 1868-06-20
For Tie MddlaopR Transcript.
THE CEMETERY.

clay on him the curse of the wthcrcd heart,
The curse of the slecpers eye;
Till he wish and pray that his life would part,
Nor yet find leave 10 die"
Trophies of war lie entombcd with the
dust of valor, and wrcaths of tmmortelles
grace the brows of those who loving life,
fall calmly in the smile of peace. Long
lines of friends file after the dear departed,
attesting by outward shows of grief the
yelling woe that must relieve a pent up
sorrow. Smooth shafts lined by delicate
arterial veins relieving the snow-like white
ness, point heavenward from the spot
where earth's gifted and affiuent lie, while
even the paupcr grave is marked by mound
or stone. r4.
Not many miles from Middlctown lieth
a singular spot rendered attractive only
by its charming isolation, elaborate with
natural surroundings and adornmcnts.
The requiem of the winds, the melancholy
call of night-bird, or buz and hum of in +
sect life, alone break the oppressive ST.
lcnce of the place. The handiwork of the
agriculturist traces wide margin about
it, and few footprints track the natural
carpet of the turf An occasional hunter
in Autumn, seduced by the whirring sound
of quail, breaks through the tangled vines,
rank briars and sweet honeysuckle that
form an almost impracticable barrier, and
for moment stands with dog and gun
cycling the smooth level spot carpeted by
white clover and natural grasses, wonder
ing how such place can exist, and exist
so fair, without sharing the fate of kim
drcd acres by running vines and indigo
nous shrubbery, then hurries on. A
slight depression in the soil at intervals is
partly pcrceptible, presenting to the casu-
al eye filled burroughs, of some carniver-
Gus animal, perhaps, or the sunkcn home
of tho aboriginal of the forest, whose proud
step here faltered and whose red skin here
returned to dust. ,aa
Tradition tells of long-ago, when a
travel-staincd wretch, from some unknown
cause, tired of life, hurried his soul into
the Lethean stream, and wiped the dot Of
his existence from earth. Long ago this
happened, but a dread and an awe still
fingers around the place, and bushes tho
restless child and pales the brown check
of the forest lass, as with quickening step
she hurries from her evening tryst. Scar
ed negroes and superstitious whites shud.
der as they pass, while the toothless bell j.
dam recounts, to this day, the wild ghast-
ly appearance Of the strange unknown,
and tells the gaping little ones why the z
running stream that crosses the highway b
is denominated &c Hangman's Branch"
Rivulots gurgle and bubble in the depresA
sion of soil, family reaching the ear Of one b
awcd by the oppressive silence of the place,
who feels his heart pulsate in welcome at
the faintest sound which relieves the tire
some quiet. Rumor tells of an hour when
the young haze of evening pales before
the intenser glory of the full moons SHIN
mGring light, and midnight bushes the vi
brating sounds of busy day-life, that three
ghostly spritcs stalk the circle, young and
comcly but haggard in feature, bearing
the impress of a great woe, and making
the circuit of this tiny cemetery, bow ST.
lently as they vanish in the vaporous mist
that after nightfall ever girdles the spot.
Elm whispers float about and dingy
goblin shapes inch on the departing sun
beams until night draweth her curtain of
obscurity, then the ghouls revel and dance
about an infant form radiant in freshness.
uttering their demoniac laugh and joying
in their devilish glee. Those who lie here
ripcned not by age and fell through weight
of honor and years-they were not swarth-
ed down by Times sickle in natures har-
vest, neither did the scathing blight Of
Death freeze their blood when youth gar
laned their brows on the treshold of life in
the very morning break of its loveliness,
but the avenger of blood palsied the first
febrile pulsations, and broke the very wand
of Loves herald, as she deadcned the
quickening glow of an advent, and sped
them on to join the cohorts of Gods cher
ubs.
Unshrivcn, the papoose slumbcrs per-
haps, beside the Ethiopian, and the inno-
cent offspring of the enlightened, pale face
assuming theoretical rights which his sire
virtulizcs by practical application, embra-
ccs in death sentiments of corruption, that
as his dogma, he hopes to assimilatc moor
ruptably. RANDOM.