Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1872-01-25
The Heart of New England.
BY EnMuNn G. srEnMAN.

BY EDMUND c. sTEpMAN.
0 long are years of waiting. when lovers hearts
are bound
By words that hold in life and death and last the
half year round;
Long, long for him who wanders far and strives
But crueer yet for her who bides at home and
hides her pain!
And lone are TIE homes of New England.
Twas in the mellow summer 1 heard her sweet
reply;
The barefoot lads and lasses a-berrying went by !;
The locust dinned amid the trees; the fields were
high with corn:
The white-saied clouds against the sky like ships
And blue are the skies of New England.
Her lips were like the raspberries; her cheek was
soft and fair,
And little breezes stopped to lift the tangle of her
hair:
A light was in her hazel eyes, and she was moth
ing 10th
Te hear the words her lover spoke. and pledged
me there her troth--
And true is the word of New England.
When September brought the golden rod and the
NAPLES burned like fire,
bluer than in August rose the village smoke
h nd large and red among the stacks the ripened
pumpkins shone-
Cue hour in which to say farewell, was left to US
alone
And sweet are the lanes of New England.
Weloved each other truly hard, hard it was to
part;
But my ring was on her finger and her hair lay
next my heart.
IT'S but year, my darling" I said, in one
short year.
When our Western home is ready shall seek my
And brave is the hope of New England.
I went to gain home for her, and in the Golden
State
With head and hand planned and toiled, and
early worked and late;
But luck was all against me, and sickness on me
lay.
And ere got my strength again twas many a
weary day
And long are the thoughts of New England.
And many day. and many month. and thrice
the relling year.
bravely strOve, and still the goal seemed never
Ny Katie's letters told me that she kept her
promise true,
But now, from very hopelessness, my own to her
And stern is the pride of New England.
But still she trusted in me- though sick with hope
deferred
No more among the village choir her voice was
sweetest heard;
For when the wild northeaster of the fourth long
winter blew.
So thin her frame with pining. the cold wind
pierced her through
And chill are the blasts of New England
At last my fortunes bettered. on the far Pacific
And I thought to see old Windham and my pa
tient love once more;
When a kinsman's letter reached me: Come at
once or come too late!
Your katies strength is failing if you love her
do not watt;
0. it wrqng my heart with sorrow I left all else
behiLd,
And straight for dear New England speeded like
the wind.
The day and night were blended till reached my
boyhoods home,
And the old cliffs seemed to mock me that I had
And gray are the rocks of New England.
could not think twas Katie who sat before me
there,
Reading her Bible-'twas my gift-and pillowed
A ring. with all my letters, lay on little stand
She could no longer wear it. so frail her poor.
But strong is the love of New England.
Her hair had lost its tangle and parted off her
her brow;
She used to be joyous girl, but seemed an angel
Heavens darling now, mine no longer; yet in her
hazel eyes
The same dear love-ight glistened, as she soothed
my bitterest cries
And pure is the faith of New England.
month I watched her dying. pale, pale any
rose
That drops its petals one by one and sweetens as
Ny life was darkened when at last her large eyes
closed indeath,
And / heard my own name whispered as she
drew her parting breath
STILL still. was the heart of New England.
1t was woful funeral the coming Sabbath
day;
We bore her to the barren hill on which the
graveyard lay.
Ard when the narrow grave was filled. and what
me might was done,
Of all the stricken group around was the lone
lest one
And drear are the hills of New England.
I gazed upon the stunted pines, the bleak No
vember sky,
And knew that buried deep with her my hear
henceforth would lie;
And waking in the solemn nights my thoughts
still thither go
To Katie. lying in her grave beneath the win
ter snow
And cold are the SHOWS of New England.