The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1874-11-30


said, in asneering tone ait Is plain
to be seen You never had q child | To
ask mother such 0 question r.
! felt the sting abe meant / should,
but ! Answered her again: "True, I
have never had q child. I have never
been a mother-but and / looked
her in the eyes as ] spoke, as woman to
@onan-n Gan you ask me for the child
again2 Where will yo1 take her ;
What will you make II here And I
utterly gave way, weeping as I never
Sept before. She rose from her seat
now, looked at me intently, for some
minutes, then coming close 10 whore !
sat, still weeping, she silently took my
hand In both herb, and kneelihg, kissed
II, saying, in o low, half.smothered
Soice g l wish I had known you years
ago. Keep heE. ! give you my little
daughter, and I will never trouble you
nor her again. So help me God |"
With these words, hhe went out OF my
house, and out Of town, and ] never
Saw nor heard Of her again.
When my darling was sixteen years
old, Itold her the story Of her mother
and her life as far as ! knew, and /
showed her the dover Of roses with
which she had come TO me ; and Ihaye
them still, all pressed and withered,
and fragrant and sweet. Oh, that I
lay dead with them | She listened all
through my tale without a word, and
when l had finished, she threw her
arms around my neck, and sobbed and
kissed me, but she never asked q single
question, or spake OF her early life
again to me. 1 iancied, though, that
ever after she seemed 10 love roses, for
she wore them continually in her hair,
at her throat, and in her belt. All,
those days Why could not life have
gone on forever in that sweet compan.
ionship? ,. .r.e
There came change. II was in the
year Of the great religious revival. A
strange, new minister then came to our
town, and with his eloquent preaching,
wakened in the hearts Of the people
far and near o sense Of their sin and
unworthiness. he was o man OF rare
ability, as well rs OF rare atttactions.
Under his influence many ofour peo-
pie gathered into the church. Among
the number was my darling. Sho had
ever been ola serious turn Of mind,
and now, with this jealous, ardent
young shepherd TO lead her, she be-
came at last one Of the best beloved
lambs Of his flock. Ah, yes Glove
took up tho glass Of time and turned
itin his glowing hands, and ] came
in time to discover that, dearly as she
loved me, there was q "nearer and
dearer one STILL" limm 81.
/, I Ianswered yes" when OF last he
came 10 ask me for the, hand OF her
whose heart he held, but I told him
first her story, which he said he knew,
and "loyed her all the more for" Oh,
the world looked so bright 10 me then !
My darling was TO marry at once, aud
livewith me Just the same, and / was
singing o song Of thanksgiving down
in my heart day, and night.
AS the time drew near for the mar.
rage, the minister came 10 me one day
and said II had been the desire Of his
life 10 go abroad, and now, with the
kind permission and assistance Of his
congregation, he had decided to do 80
with his bride. II startled mo to think
I must part with my darling after all,
and 4 said I would 60 too; but I
fancied he looked displeased, and think.
ing he would doubtless prefer his rose
without q thorn, gave up my obiec.
tions. II was hard. She had been
mine-mine so long-and I must yield
her now They would return in the
fall, lie said, and so I could count the
days she would be away from me.
When her troussedu was being made
Bhe would have nothing but Of the very
plainest, the most necessary, and would
accept no portion" from me as o
gift. = t'l.' y
! 81 shall take him my 'doyer Of
roses,'" she would answer my remon.
strances at her persistent refusal.
t You found it enough Will not he 7"
When she stood in her bridal robes
ready for the church, and he came for
her that beautiful June morning, she
put in his hand her great bunch Of
white roses, saying (as she said to me
tha, morninglong ago), "I bring them
10 you. They are my dover !" and he.
bent down and kissed her. Oh, that
he had fallen dead OF her feet | N 7l
They went abroad. Letters came al
tirst frequent and gay with little stories
of travel and snatches Of happiness run.
ming through them then they came
luieter in tone-a little sad, / fancied
-dhomesiek for me-" my glad heart
then they ceased to
come at oil (: and the fall came, and
winter and still my darling did mot
come. I did not hear. I wrote and
wrote; the people shook their heads
md talked, end finally / fell Ill.
Close into 1.-THE valley Of the shadow Of
death I passed, and when I wandered
back into, the green pastures again,
there was q sad, gray.haired old woman
looking out at me from the glass.
II was Christmas eve. Isat over the
Gre, doing and dreaming always Of my
darling. / saw her, as / had seen her
last, 80 bright and beautiful in her
bridal robes, and tlenI seemed TO see
her as she came to me that sweet June
long ago, in her little cotton
gown, and with the bunch Of roses
in her timid grasp. Then
she changed again, and lay there at my
feet o woman, wan and pale. Iput out
both my hands, and Bhe did not 80. i
"Is IL you, my dafling%
md the phantom whispered back, oh |
70 sadly: "Yes, tits. ] come TO you
,nce again, but I have not even rose
% bring this time; my roses are oil