The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1870-05-25
For the Herald ]
THE OLD MILL.
LCoNCLUDED.I !
By XAlDEE.

Bessie was skillful manager and
neat house keeper. Her li.tie gar
den~atfJrded the choicest vegetables;
her fruits and berries were delicious;
her two cows, sleek and well-fed and
indolent; her butter, firm and golden;
her poultry, in good order; hor eggs,
fresh and abundant; her honey, trans
parent; herself, her house and yard as
neat as silver ,half.dolar. Pierre
thought his wife an inestmahle treas
ure he had never heard of RAphacls
MAIonna, nor Ironmad of tho Venus.
De-Medici, was wholly ignorant that
Mary of Scotland and Annie Boleyn
ever existed, but in his hc,rt he
Thought Bessie the rarest Of all Gods
creatures and compared her to Jacobs
beautiful Rachel or to the still loves
lier character of Mary of Bethany
who sat at jesus feet.
Frequently he would steal to the
low wiudow in the mill that looked
out upon the cabin and watch her as
SIC sat in the doorway, knitting or
sowing as the case might be, or as
she ran up and down by the old wheel
that had been his mothers, humming
the meanwhile, some mournful ditty
or breaking out in some wild and rap
tuons song in imitatian of the forest
birds. 1t is Curious thing TO love
as they did. No cloud of distrust,
no shadow of reproach, no poisonous
SIMEON of jealousy ever swept across
their welded life. Their thoughts
and affections were centred in each
other; their hopes and ambitions chung
to each other, and the prayers that
night and morning. asccnded to the
throne of God, were for and in behalf
of each other.
May came, enchanting May. The
snow wrcaths of winter had vanished
before her warm aud fragrant breath
and festoons of gorgeous flowers hung
in their places. Beautiful indeed was
the first day of May. The Garth
seemed to have donned her bridal
paraphcrnalia. The dew lay upon tho
green grass like diamonds upon bed
of cmeralds; tho sunbeams falling
upon the river caused it to glisten
like sheet Of quiyering gold and the
lazy minnows and pcrcics sought the
shallow places that they might bssk
themselves in the Day Gods glorious
presence. The willows waved gently
to and fro, their graceful, festhery
branches reflected upon the water be-
meath, while the lilies stopped over
and kissed the river like merry chill
dren at play. But this old mill was
silent, no sound disturbed its gloom,
the wheel hung motiouless, the door
was closed, the windows fastened.
Tho angel of loveliness brooded over
the place. Up at tho cabin tho as
poct of affairs was not moro ohcerfal.
The angel of death broodsd there.
The silence was almost profound,
broken only by the soft football of .
gentle watcher and the great, heart.
rending sobs of stricken mourner.
In darkcned room, on bed whose
draperies looked white and ghostly,
fair young wifo and mother lay dying
and over hor hung tho husband of two
brief, happy years. Closely nestled
to her bosom lay sleeping infant
scarce, three months old as sweet and
lovely as an augel's smile--a perfect
gem Of beauty upon tho breast of o
dying mother. ra
The sands Of life are ebbing fast,
the hour glass is well-nigh exha austed.
Bessie is going beyond tho dark river
but with all her rapidly diminishing
strength she embraces her husband
and child. II sho was ablo she would
pour words of consolation into tho
stricken mans heart, but she is too
weak, the death-angel comes too fast,
ne bears her away upon his wing.
One struggle, one convulsive gasp,
Tho gates Of Paradise are oponed and