Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1871-01-13

= all the riches OF the world. axe baCl
these loving brothers, two henceforth il
{ one. Thou canst not refuse me.
Z The old man flung up his arms, tense
stiff, with mighty struggle; his face
shrunken, colorless, seemed to blacken
the old wife clung madly to his breast.
'Lost-lost! = he gasped; dead
dead, forever.
There was moments pause, and thC
subGmely tender voice, full-raught with
the deep music of eighteen centuries
sounded upon the silence.
''For this, thy son, that was dead, /.
alive again he was lost, and is found.
A rending struggle shook the ole
mans frame then, as one exhausted
his upstretched arms fell laXly down
down upon the neck of his rebel son
One instant only, they lay there haccid
i ly !. the next, they gathered the frst-borr
TO his breast, and franticallv he covered
the pallid, sleeping face with moaning
kisses and with tears. Yet, even as they
all clung to him, his wife, his sons and
daughters, and the voices Of their love
and weeping mingled with the sobbing
OF the room, he tore himself away, as il
with the last effort Of his waning strength,
to fling himself upon the breast of the
carpenter. Tenderly, and with mighty
clasp, the loving heart received him,
and, with their heads bowed upon each
others shoulders, the two old men stood
in the -reverent silence, locked in each
others arms.
"Love!" said the gray redeemer, lift
ing his clear face, bright with deathless
smiling, and wet with the sweet waters
of immortal tears, "Love-love That
includes all. There is nothing in the
world but that-nothing in all the world.
Better than all is Love. Love is better
than all.
The family, the guests, were thronging
around him, yet not to listen or to gaze,
but with his noble presence, his deep
words IN every heart, to unlOose near
/ him in silence, pierced with sobbing,
/ their passion of affection for each other.
Each life that moment lived in an
I ecstacy of charity. Friends grasped
each other by the hand Neighbors
/ forgot their petty feuds, their lurking en-
mites, and met IN tremulous greet
ing. The secret rebel struck hands
with the tepid loyal, and both rose
glowing into love Of country. The
daughters arms were round the faith
er's neck. The son was clinging
to MS mother. Sisters were sobbing in
their brothers embrace, and guileless
lovers unashamed, clasped each other in
crying joy. Bright in holy shadow
bloomed the graves of darlings. Deep
in the spirit-air the fadeless fields un-
rolled, the shining cities rose, the bells
of heaven were ringing sweet and low.
Till at last, upon the murmu-ing hush,
the sacred temor, the rapt and happy
sorrow, the exaltation and the vision,
came the innocent silver-ladghter of a
little child
1t was the sweet return of Earth. In
the immediate stir, the weeping grew
louder, mixed with trembling, laughing
voices; the figures began to mingle; the
sound Of feet awoke the floor; remark
and response brake forth; a handker-
chief was waved; another and another,
and suddenly the air was full Of snowy
flags, all flying, flying, flying; the faces
began to toss and light and glow the
multitudinous voices arose upgathering
like the sound Of many waters; and one
weak voice among them broke into
cheer, the signal for another from be
yond; there was whir swelling into
roar of commotion; and at once, with
handkerchiefs all madly waving, figures
swaying, women Ieaping, orbIc mouths
and faces flaming, out burst the long
pent hurricane in frantic cheers. Cheers
that Jared the rooms and Clashed the
windows; made the flags quiver on the
wall, and the dense holly shower its
scarlet berries, and drop its leaves;
cheers that made Elkanah totter back,
and fall in aching rapture on his Ru-
pert's neck, with wife and sons and
daughters punched tight about with in
- r.
affection tied moveless in the tornado
whirl around them. Cheers dizzying
redoubling, hoarsening into fury from
determined lungs; the leaves down flut-
tering, specks Of white from the ceiling
dropping, the lights of the patriot-tapers
wavering, the phrenic flames of the
hearth uProaring in the gale of gowns,
the elements let loose, the Joyous lorna
do rising into the delirious simoom for
Rupert's welcome home And, harl
amidst the tremendous incommunicable
tumult, the wild bald-eagle scream of
Bob Toner'S fiddle! And they dance
who hears the tune?-it might have been
a dirge!-they dance like drunken sera-
phm-they dance and cheer-they stop
the cheer to dance the harder-the fam
ily-group is moving away, all locked. To-
gether, they dance, moving with it. in
furious glad music, with sobs, with cries,
with laughter-they prance, they capef.
they plunge, they whirl, like menads,
Ike baCChantes, raving, raging-till at
last, all stream away together, leaping,
bounding, through The doorway, across
the passage into the apartment beyond
where in lessening tuinult the dance
goes on, and the room is left in solitude.
There is a hmping step UPON the
stairs, and in tottles little pigmy Lillian,
blue-dressed and yellow curled, dag
ging a big shawl. which she proceeds 10
endeayor TO wrap around her. Present
IL enters old giant Elkanah. buried,
pale, trembling. with a strange look
and light upon his face, and stares,
craned oyer. with weak astonishment
upon the doings of his grandchild.
"God bless me! little onel" he stam-
naers; 'what are you up to with that
shawl?-Where my best friend gone
tor
Grandpa, replies the mite, gravely
wrapping herself up with intense deter
mination, what you said to uncle Ru-
pert was horrid gollawash. And you
told him to Go And I went up stairs
to get this shawl And had an asgJlfl
hunt-GagtllL And then ! found it.
ANU III GUMS etAttASB W. VIII A1i1 NtNetA
uncle Rupert--this very minute.
mo, darling, replied the old man.
tenderly, forgetting to laugh, in his
emotion, mo, uncle Rupert is not going
away-never. He's going to live with us
always. where's Mr. Carpenter
"My goodness, Grandpai" said the
little midget, ceasing to enwrap herself
mot goingl Then I'll stay my own
self But there's been an awful change
offront somewherei
Lilly dear. said the old man, weak
", bending down to her, cant you tell
me where uncle Peters old Good Man
has gone to? He's not in the rooms, /
for I've looked.
"Ain't he, grandpa9 Then / guess
he's gone back to heaven this very
night" she answered.
30 my friend!" sighed the old man,
rsiffgsesA his feet with burst of conuoIl- I
etla1ds Render grief "My strange, best
behefactor, could / but Just once see you |
againl o my heart my heartl so drained
of all its blood so full Of light, so fun Rof
-.-.-.,,.- f;ft.s1, Gsm n