Weekly Trinity journal., 1870-07-30

make his parents cease to ignore one another's
presence. Without comprehending the estrange-
ment, he felt, with precOciOus intuition, that 1T
must continue.
Meanwhile, during the years which threw a
shadow into all the remainder of their lives, Ed
gar and Eta watched their child grow with
trembling delight, and separately caressed him
with alienated hands that gave no token of Il
wish ever to seek one another more.
One August evening" when the first keen earn
ests of approaching Fail had begun to whisk the
prematurely withered leaves away, The house IN
which the Abbenseths lived was preternaturaliy
quiet. In one of the upper bedrooms was II
group of three. For years past wretched hus-
band and wretched wife had occupied separate
suits of apartments, and not since the evening
when Eta had sgnGed her intention to go to
Mrs Leroy had they been brought into such
close contact.
This is how it happened. Death, which
wrongs so many rights and rights so many
wrongs in this world, was drawing them to-
gether now.
On the bed, in the early mouruful twilight of
the gloomed chamber, lay little Revel, his night
gown undonc at the throat, his lips parted and
s!ighy gaSping, his eyes, MS he gazed altern-
ately into the face of his father and mother, gilt
teripg with light that was soon to open upon
another world. During the slow wasting away
of this darling boy, no one who saw the Abben-
selhs guessed the amount of anguish they ST.
lently endured.
With seusibilty exQuisit in one so young
Revel had long retrained from speaking to one
about the other. But row, us the subter sensi-
bility and the bolder wisdom which death sug-
gcsts to the dying came to this child of recon
cili0ton, and, as his last breoths were being
drawn, he looked in one quick moment and
with grand aud beautiful meaning, into the OPP
posed faces above him, and with his last feeble
strength drew together and clasped each in
each, the hands that had not met in nearly
twelve long years
la the quiet moments that followed, before the
little hands which had begun their work Of re-
cancellation had grown cold, who shall say what
memories came throngng around the hearts of
the bcrett, bidding them live joytully with one
another the remnant of life remaining, calling
to them, over the rift and ruin of long years to
ill themselves with the peace and holiness Of
love
For some moments both remained thuss Eta
with her face buried in her dead boys breast,
Edgar with his hand remaining in the soft clasp
in which it had been placed, and his working
features bent over her with exceeding mournlul-
ness.
At length he spoke. 1t was only one word
% Eta ~
She rose, she turned, she flung herself into
bis open arms, and, in the hour that followed
tears were shed and words were spoken that had
long been holding themselves i'll wait in the
hiding places Of secret grief.
So, with the brief history Of the married first
years Of two welded lives rected, let us leave
this recouciled husband and wife standing upon
the brink OF new, yet shadowed existence, in
which the voices of hope and love, growing
daily toward perfection, blended with the mem
ory of sad music pcaling from beneath little
graves green grass.