Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-08-12
HE HER AID.
BESSIE AND I.
IN TWO PARTS.

chat on "auld lang syne."
So tits seven years since you went away, and
have been married five;
What! you thought | "hadnt the cheek" to
propose to girl? Why, man alive,
IT'S the strangest, most delightful thing that
ever happened, you see:
didn't pop the question" at all. Twas
Bessie proposed to NE!
Here, Eddie and Sid. you may run off now,
and have game o croquet;
Come, YOU you know what mamma was to bring
YOU home, if you be good children to day,
Your uncle and | have lot O things, that we
want TO talk about;
And YOU shall come in again, my dears, when
we've had our gossip out.
And now for my tale, though hardly know
what Bessie would say if she knew
By Joge, how she'll open her eyes when she
comes to be introduced to you'll
As told you, she's spending the day with
friend-her cousin, by the bye
Who's just been obeying the old command, to
increase and multiply.
Well, you know what our prospects were, old
man-our mothers, and Kate's, and
mine
When you babe US goodbye to 60 to sea in the
navy doctoring line:
With the mothers pension and jointure, you
know, she was pretty well off, and then
We thought | was sure to make my mark,
what with the bar and the pen
| remember how you laughed at my rhymes
you unbclieying jew
And used to rout me out from my books to 20
and idle with you;
But, the mother and Kate believed in me, as
our foolish women folks will,
And Bessie dubbd me her laureate and knight
of the gray goose quill.
You know what Bessie was as a child in the
dear old bygone days,
With her big brown eyes and golden hair, and
her pretty wilful ways;
How she plagued and charmd and queen'd it
DER us youngsters oft and oft;
Yet what dear little heart it was, how cling
ing and tender and soft!
Her brother Willie and were cold particulars"
bear in mind
And the good old rector and his wife were al
ways hearty and kind;
So that hardly day would pass away but
found myself you see,
In the quaint old garden with Bessie and Will
and who SO happy as we?
Heigho they were pleasant times, old man
fresh, and hopeful and true,
Ere the foot of Time had trampled and solid
The sheen of life's morning devil
When think of those garden walks and pranks
what tender memories rise,
With Bessie the centre figure of all, with her
merry, mischievous eyes
Well, | went to Heidelburg, as you know, TO
finish nv school career,
In that quaint old home OF specialized lore
meerschaums and lager beer;
And when | came back, my child playmate had
vanishd and in her place
Was fair girl woman, shy and sweet, with a
gentle, winsome face.
Aud loved her, loved her-God knows how
well.-from her first shy, welcoming
glance,
With passion as strong, and tender and pure,
as the love of old Romance;
And she?-she was always pleasant and kind
with the friend of her childhood gay,
But whether my darling loved me or no was
more than could say
Willie and Kate we're engaged, you know, and
they'd look so conscious and shy,
That we used to tease and banter n both
his sister Bessie and l.
couldn't do less you'll own,
Than draw sweet Bessie away with me, and
leave the lovers alone,
We were out in the fields one summers eve
how well remember it still
And somehow we two had wandered away from
lovelorn Katie and WILL
Till we came in the dusk to the lone black
mere, where the aspen branches wave,
Vi bo - tn toll how ,tul
of love beyond the grave.
Then lool'd down into her soft brown eyes,
with their witchng and lustrous spell,
And Whispered, ''Dear, Eve another tale that
| should like to tell"
When we heard a merry shout from behind,
and up came Willie aud Kate,
And the loving words died out on my lips, and
| knew my story mnst wait.
But she secm'd from that very time to grow
more shy and distant, you see;
never could meet her out alone, or tempt her
to walk with me;
And when tried to draw her aside to whisper
loving word
Shed flush and tromblc, and fluttcr away, like
pretty frightened bird,
| saw she Stunned me, and said to myself
with proud and passionate throe,
'She loves me not, and would spare us both
the pain of telling me 50;
And I'd rather, God knows, that my heart
should break, in silence bitter and drear,
Than I'd poster a woman with whispers and
vows that she doesn't care to hcar!"
So l put away all hopes of love- and settled
gloomily down
To the dreary study of the law, in my cham
hers in town
| left the lovers tender role for the sterner
Romans part,
And thought to live my passion down, and root
it out of my heart
But in vain, in vain; for while my eyes were
bent on the musty page,
My truant thoughts would wander away to the
pleasant parsonage,
And in fancy Ia see her winsome facc-too
winsomc and fair to tell
With the soft shy look in her lustrous eyes
that knew too well, too we'll
Yet kept to my work with logged heart
that naught could conquer or tame;
'Since love is denied me" bitterly said, "I'll
make myself name"
| was up with the first faint streak of dawn,
with pallid and haggard looks,
And midnight found me with aching head still
bending over my books.
And you know the end!-h how mist would
clog my bloodshot waking eyes,
And circles culver about the lights in dazzling
rainbow DIVES;
Then a strange, dim blur of letters and lines
and then-all darkness there
Aud poor blind man upon his knees in an
agony of prayer.
Oh, Jack, dear brother! twas hard--'twas
hard! so young in sorrow and strife,
To be left sightless burden, old man, for all
my useless life!
Never to see the sun or the flowers, nor the
starry heavens above,
Nor look in the dear home faces again so full
of pity and Lowell
| know that Katie wrote to you, lad; but She
couldn't tell, dear heart,
Of her soothing words, and patient help, and
tender sisterly part;
Nor how the dear old mother would say, while
her pitying tears would fall
Poor boy, his home must be sways here
there's more than enough for all"
But must be burden on them, knew, as
u