Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-12-21
Old Madeline.
BY LUCY LARCONl.

Over crumpled paper in her hand
Oh Madeline wept.
Dimly the candle f,ck cred on the stand
Up the dark chimney fared a smouldering brand
The whole house wept.
sweet;
For all day long
She battered TO and fro with light, quick feet;
And whlle her broom made nook and corner
neat,
She hummod a song.
A broken singing, thin and pititul,
And yet in tune,
With all that makes great lyrics musical,
Il ,opped the children, hurry ing out of school,
A. night or noon.
Now quaint hymn now "Jamie on the Sea;
An anthem snatch
That sung in far thanksgivings used to be,
In savage days befo the land was free;
A glee or catch;
No matter what-the children gathered near
For al and each.
Pathos of moaning winds through branches sere
Mirth as of waves that break in sunset clear
On some lone beach.
Tonight she sat in silence. Every night
For year and year
Here had she covered by the late candlelight
over the wnrn-out print, and blurred her sight
Reading through tears
To one name, written on the list OF dead"
Rer tired eyes grew.
Falling in the march, pursuing foes that fled
Somewhere beside the road he lay, they said;
His grave none knew.
The tattered newspaper spread out to hec
A picture W de.
Among vast, alien hills, thu battles sir,
a death bed where none came to minister
To him who died.
A spot of green beside mountain road,
By warm Winds kissed,
Where strange large roses ope'd hearts that
gloWed,
Ana over him tbeir1blood-rod petals strewed
Whom love had missed.
For sweet maid Madeline had never guessed
Ralph cared for her
Save a friend while vainly he sought rest
Sure that no tender feeling IN her breast
For him would stir.
And sill his image buried she within,
Beneath her thought,
Wondering what happier girl lis heart would
win,
She drowned her vexing dreams in work day din
The war he sought
And after he had fallen comrade came,
Ard told her how
Upon the battle eve he bre rhed her name;
GtN IL, ~
claim"
And kep. her vow,
With her no lightest woo'ng ever sped,
No man might press
A soothing hand upon her weary head,
Or whisper comfort to the heart that bled
With loneliness.
For Madeline said: "Ra'p phi surely waits for ne
Bea Ond deaths gate;
Aud might miss him through eternity
By joining tat, with one les love than he
I, too, can wait.
Il could not bear another lovers kiss,
Because feel
That somewhere from the nights CT heavenly
Bis spr-t hither yearns, as mine to his,
Forever le4l,"
This to her silent heart alone she said,
Hu-hing its moan
That yet into her ri ST singing straye1
While all declared "a cheerful old maid
Was never known"
Sor was there. AS her poor song worth
And Uitchery stole
From muttiet minors, in them had his birth,
)ut of crushed Joy sprang k'ntnness and mirth :;
Her life was whole.
Whole, though it seemed a fragment, rent apart
From its true end,
Downward from de.thless clinging reached her
heart,
seadier to comfort for its hidden smart,
To all friend.
yone saw her tears save God and her love.
Surely that dew
lept mem ory poisoning fresh in fields above;
against deaths bars he must have felt the dove
That futterIng few.
o lived she faithful, an unwedded bride
HIS hand of snow
ge laid in blessing on her head. She died.
10 Ralph and Madeline now walk side by side!
The angels know.
-NeO York Independent. |