Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1870-01-22
oUR MIGHT.
GOOD EYE

AS We read the following extract
how our heart jumped into our
throat. as II striving to say yes, yes,
yes, 10 L:
It is a hard word to speak. Some
may laugh that il should be, but let
them. Icy hearts are never kind.
II Is @ word that has choked many
an utleranee, and started many a
tear. The hand is .clasped, the
word spoken, we part, and sail out
upon the ocean Of time-we go TO
meet again, where, God only knows.
II may be soon it may be never.
Take care that your goodbye be
not a cold One--it may be the last
that you can give. Ere you can
meet your friend again, deaths
cold hand may have closed his eyes
and chained his lips forever. All!
he may have died in thinking you
loved him not. Again, 1t may be a
long, a long separation. Friends
crowd onward and give you their
hand. How do you detect in each
goodbye" the love that fingers
there; and how you may bear
away with you the memory Ofthese
parting words many, many days.
We must often separate. Tear not
yourself away with q careless bold
ness that defies all love, but make
your last words l~inger--give the
heart It's full utterance-and If.
tears fall, what Of II? Tears are
not unmanly.
We never could say goodbye
with any sort Of deCency. Often
have we told plausible tales
about deferriDg an antici.
psted departure, and then quietly
clipping away hoping 10 leave be-
hind the impression we were very
suddenly forced to leave; in fact,
much sooner than we expected.
But then, our conscience would
reprOach us as we thought Of the
dear ones saying, "now why didn't
he tell us Good Bye" And then
again, when this subterfnge would
not work, we have tried to hide
o uF profound dread Of a candid and
fearless Good Bye under the guise
Of Gippiancy or sang frOid. And
at such times when the parting has
come, we would suddenly become
gay Gs a bird, very sprightly and
witty until the last moment, when
we would quote some sentimental
poetic farewell with mock gravity
aud move away with a curious
mixture Of mirth, gravity and sOr-
row on our face and q swelling
fOunt of tears In our heart. Or
again, we would be cross and snap
pish and growl at almost every
thing, hoping that at the last mo-
ment there would be GOODNESS
enough generated 10 prevent any
thing like warm feeling from being
exhibited. And yet none of these
plane ever worked to our satisfac.
ton. Somehow, after we had left
with flying cOlors, as 1t were, hay.
ing carried our point with superb
success, we felt very like we had
been naughty and done q great
wrong.
Yes, We had done wrOng-a
great wrong. We had endeavOred
to murder the truest manifest,
and most natural feelings Of our
nature aud turn into ridicule that
holy sentiment which links our
mauhOod to Gods nature. We
had tried TO crush out the pur-
est essence Of our humanity. We
felt we had acted the coward be.
! cause we had not dared to stand up
TO and acknowledge our gentlel
nature by . good, square, out and
out Good Bye, spontaneously from
heart and lips and telling louder
than words that we loved the
one 10 whom we babe adieu and
shFank from the parting. How
wa have I0ished for the mora
courage to do this, and to press oul
lps to the cheek Of the dear one
and water our Good Bye with
tearsi w. .--
l., Well docs. Ihe writer. say ; we
know not whether the parting be
Tor . day, q year, or q lifetime,
Who Of US has not parted from q
friend or one dearer than 3 friend,
as II for q brief absence and when
too late, it was found to be an oh.
sence lOrslifel With what en- un'
utterable yearning We have wished
that our Good Bye had beer
franght with that great depth Of
, love which our soul had garnered
for thst dear one, never again to bt
seen in life2
We remember many from whom
we parted thus carelessly, taking
no thought of the long absence
then beginning. There was onC
who shared our couch and fare il
the field when we made one in thu
49, L. Al,