The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1873-11-13


And trembled and hush'd in the foolish way
that lovers understand,
At the gentle sound of her plying voice, and
/ the touch of her dainty hand.
We sat in the quaint old parlor-ah, how well
knew it Of old
And the good old rector prosed away, about
his church and his fold,
The parish schools, and the state of the roads,
/ and the probable price OF hay,
Till Bessie at last jumped up from her chair,
in her old impulslve way.
Come, who's for my summer house," she
said Tor il is so hot in here
! What none of you speak? Then Charlie
| here shall be my cavalier,
| Mamma, dear, where is that magazine o,
! here it is, | see;
/ l want to read him the poem you know, that
! delighted mel'
| Then she took my arm and led me out, with
tender, sisterly care,
To the dear old garden, so dark to me, to her
! blooming and fair,
| Till We came to the arbor, the scene of some
| of my happiest hours o life,
| Ere | i put from my heart its browning hope
| of calling her my wife.
| Twas Tennysons very last poem she read.
and it may have been very fine,
| But somehow her sweet voice trembled so much
| could hardly follow line;
And at last she gave it up with a sigh, and
l. think it must be the heat, she said but
cannot read to-day
Then there came a pause dreamy pause
when in fancy | could see
The fair flushed face of the gentle friend
full of pity for me;
Then she laid her dainty hand on mine-her
hand that trembled SO
And the tears were IN her tender voice she
whispered soft and low
" Charlie, we two are such old old friends,
that you must think me bold
If ask on to tell me secret that else would
ever be untold:
What was it you wanted to say to me that
evening by the mere
Come, | am sure you'll tell me, won't you now2
for l should like to hear!
What you dare not tell me, you say !-ah,
we'll, think can guess i
And, Charlie, dear m sure you know my ans
would have been YesI
You know l loved you, without the need of
either promise vow;
And yet-how cruel, how cruel! you thought
l should turn away from you nop
Now, when your poor dark life has need of
tender and trusty guide,
Now, when m prouder of your love than of
aught in the world beside;
And did you think that this was the time l
should choose TO coldly part
All tbs little indeed you men can know of the
depths of a woman's heart
Charlie don't think me unwomanly dea-un-
womanly and weak
Because | give a voice to the love l know you
would never speak
'Tis better so than that both our lives should
be forlorn and lone;
And soft YOU care to have me dear Won
may take me for your own!
What need to tell of my answer, Jack-ef my
hearts ecstatic bliss
And my lips sought hers, and we sealed our
love with first warm, passionate kiss;
While my silent thanks went up to God ON the
Jacobs Ladder OF prayer
The God who had brightenedmy life with joy
that seem to great to bear.
And so we were married-Bessie and land
every hour of my life
Id cause to bless the happy day that brought
my darling wife;
Such true and tender helpmeet, she-so pa
tient, and ready, and kind,
She almost made me think at times twas a
blessing to be blind
She came with gold in her hand, sweet wife
but God knows that, far above
The home and the wealth she brought, prized
the richer wealth of her love;
And she tried to persuade me that l helped to
pay our way, you see,
By the stories and rhymings, grave and gay,
she loved to seribble tor me.
And children were born to us-frst, girl,
who'd her mothers eyes, they said;
Twas then that wept my saddest tears since
Bessie and were wed
For when they laid the mite in my arms,
and spoke of its baby grace,
l felt it hard l should never look in my little
darling face;
That l never in all the years to come her gem
tie face should see,
Meier look in her laughing baby eyes as l
danced her on my knee;
Nor marked, the happy years rolrd on,
each varying, changing mood
The baby pranks, and the childish grace, and
the blush of maidenhood.
Then our boy born, and my life stood still,
with a sudden horror and fright -
0 Jack, old man, shall | ever forget that try
ing, awesome night,
When | paced this room here, through and
through, with grouping helpless dread,
While my darling precious life up stairs was
hanging on q thread
But God heard my prayers-the blind man
prayers-and spared her to me, my sweet,
And our home grew merry with cradle songs
and the patter of little feet;
With the paLter of little baby feet, that would
toddle up to my chair,
To lay little soft head my knee, that
loved to nestle there.
So the years passed on, and even the life now
seem'd hard to me;
But when sat in the eventide, with my little
my knee,
While Bessie would sing us some quaint old
I'd think how good and pleasant it was to the
life had thought to lead.
Let's see tits a twelvemonth ago since first
1 noticed. with strange surprise,
That the darkness seem d to grow hghter-like
at times to my poor blind eyes,
And a yearnlng, passionate trembling hope
crept into my heart and brain;
But never word | said to the wife, lest my
thoughts should be false and vain;
Naver q word said To nv love lest her heart
should be overcast,
To know l had CHERISHED hope like this to
find it myth at last;
But l quietly told my story to Will, as We
saunterd up and down
The garden, and we two thought of plan for
getting me up town.
Then spoke to my wife Of book I'd planned
that iancied would answer we'll,
But l wanted some talk with firm in town to
see if they thought I would sell
And Willie had promised to go with me and
see me through 1t, l said,
For knew she couldn't leave the BARNS, or
Id like her to go instead
She tried to persuade me from it first, and
dolefully prophesied
All sorts of accidents and mishaps, and then
she pleaded and tried
To get me to take her with US, too; but at last
we settled it right,
And Willie pledged again and again not to
trust me out of his sight.
So we went to town for week so, and you'll
easily understand
Ny huttering hopes. and doubts, and fears,
now the test was near at hand;
Enough, that one wondrous day, Saul-Eke, the
scales droppd from my sight,
And tainted in Willie's brotherly arms in a
sudden burst of light
1 was dazed and giddy-like for while, but
soon got round again
And o, the grateful, passionate joy that
throbb'd in my every veinl
Dear God, what happy world it was-how
bright and fair TO see