Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-08-03
Poetry.
OLD NADELNn.


ET Lucr LAEoox-
OvKn Q c-umplec paper tx ber land
Old Madeline veff
D.rfy the cEscie sact cree on he ssano
Cd Tie DARK chimney fArec smonlder-Ag D'AAI
TIE shoas house sSeTf-
And Madeline. care had made shEt sjeepsng sTeS'
Che ,,s..s,-es - I'd tro viii agb: eajcE seef;
Ard VIE ner broom made nook sIc eornSf nes
Sic nuramec song
A srokeo singing. thin and pstssal,
Aud yet ~ tzDe
With 81 ths' TnAsss gres' -. 80 .,.ose,
Il STOPPED the children htt'y -4E o~A Va s~S|'-'
Al rignf " n"oh-
r,w. opssr,. byrrr nov Jamie OF me ses :"
An alttieB snEtcb
Tvs. .uur Il far Thanksgiving, used ~ os,
In .srags dave before he lsus Wa trss;
A glee OF csaet;
Ne as..e- wsst-tf,e children gs.hs-sa lear
For al sa6 cath
px.bo. Of moaning WIND through branches se-r.
Nf1h az Of waves that break IL su1set Clear
On eoIDs iole beach
To-niytt she est IL Silence Every ILsst
For yes. kzs6 year.
Here had sss cSHe-ae BY nc .ste cE1S5el3EN
Over he worn-out print and plurrec her ss2af
Reading through teass
To one name. written OF the list Of " Dead
Her tired eyer grew.
Failing IL me march, pursutng foes that fed,
somexhere beslee t8e road be lay, try .zs1i
Hi grave none knew.
The Uttered newspsper spread OF. % Der
A p3ctEre vice.
Among vsst alien Ills TIE batsleAs s'5.
A desth-bee where none came " minister
10 him who died.
A scot OF green bessse q nDoontsIn road,
b. warm wfrcs Eiseee,
f1rs
And over min their blood red petals sire~sd
WHOM love bad fnissed.
For swee. maid Nadellne had never vuessed
Rsipa cared 20. her
Save as friend while yainiy De s9ugat resi-
Sure that 10 tender feeling Ia Der breast
For hin would stH.
And stl.l biz image buried enc within,
Eenea,b her thought.
won1e,fng wbs. happier gtrl h. hear, would vim.
She 6roxned5er yexiag dreams IN worx~dsy dun
The war be so1ght.
And after he had fallen. q corarade came,
And told her how
Upon the bsttle-eye he breathsd her name.
Then Madeline said: !, soae else my hand sian
8ud kept Der vow.i
With her .. izhte.t vooing ever sped.
40 might press
a soothing hand upon her weary head,
Or whisper comfort 10 ths heart that bed
With loneliness.
For Madeline said: Ralph surely waltz for me
Beyond Deaths gate;
And might miss him through eternity
BY joining fate- with one lees loved than he.
1 TOO can wait.
81 could not bear smother loverg kiss,
Because feel
That somewhere from the heights Of heavenly
His spirit hither yearns. as mine 70 bic,
Forever ieal."
This TO her silent heart alone she said,
Hurhing lie moan
That yet into her merriest singing sirayed;
While all declared. "A cbeerfaler Old maid
Was never known
Nor ever was there A. her poor song worth
And witchcry stole
From mufred minors. In them had IT. birth,
Out Of crushed Joy sprang kndiness and mirth;
Her life was whole.
Whole, though II seemed a fragment, rent apart
From it, true end.
Downward from deathiess clinging reached her
heart
Reader To comfort for IT. hidden smart
To all friend.
Sone saw her tears save God and her lost love,
Surely that dew
Kept memory bossoming frerh In fields above;
Against DEATHS barr he must have fed the dove
That 1nttering few.
30 lived sbe faithful. an nnwedded bride.
His hand Of snow
Age laid In blessing on her head. Hhc died.
DO Ralph and Madeline now walk side by sidef
The angels know.
" y InaeDendent.