Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-11-22
Miscellany.
The Village Girl.

The sun went down and evening came, the quiet
mer even,
mass Of glowing purple lay between the farms aud
weary troop Of mcn went BY their days hard labor
done,
Tired and conentcd, toward their homes they weud-
ed one by one.
Their work was done, their harvest rsapeJ, eoodly
harvest truly,
a wcl-appointcd band of foes all slain or captured
At dawn against this armed hand they had gone forth
10 night
Close by the ncd where all day long tho hard, hot
cottage by the waysiic stood, hsir-d,solaie and
apeing,
And on It's worn, low steps there sat silent girl and
And watched the troop come slowly by, in weary line
confused.
She looked like one who sought friend She scanned
each mans face nearly,
High burned the color in her check too hirh for sun.
set merely;
She sat quiet, looked warm so flushed with Sc
1t seemed she listened she gazcd and felt her own
heart beat.
But she saw the troop march by, and darkness
round them stealing
To every nle to every man, her anxious eye appeal
Seemed nutteriog in a shy distress question with
More silent than sigh Itself, too auguished to be-
seCch.
But when the men bad all gone past, and not a word
spoken,
The poor girls courage failed at last, and all her
strength was broken.
She wept not loud, but On her hand her weary fore
head fell,
And large tears followed, by one from a burn
ing we'll
"why dost thou weep? For hope may break lust
where the gloom is dccpestl
daughter hear thy mother'- voice: a needlcts tear
thou weepcst;
lie whom thy eyes seeking for whose face thou
Cuuldst not see,
He ia not dead, he thought of love. and s, he lives
for thuc
"IIe thought Of love; counscici him to shield him
taught him how to slip the fight, and leave them
ike straneer
D. force they made him march with them, but weep
l know be viii not choose to die from happy life and
us"
shivering the maiden like one whom awful
dreams awaken,
As II some grim foreboding all her soul In her had
She fingered not, she sought the place whe,s late had
And stole away aud swiftly fed aad vanished out Of
sight.
An hour went by another hour the nigh; had closed
around her;
1he mo1uslot clouds were slyor-vhta. but da Lucss
hung below them.
"she fingers long; daughter come thy toll is all
IN vain:
Tomorrow, the dawn is rcd, thy bridegroom =
here again.
The daughter came; with silent steI- she came too
meet her mother,
The palid eyeds strained no more with tears she
iaiu would smother!
But collier than the wind at night the hand that
mother pressed,
And winter than a winter cloud the lnaiden's check
and breast.
MAKE me grave, mother dear my days earth
uyeri
The only man that He'd to-day, that coward WAS my
lover;
He thought Of aud Of himself, the battlefield he
scanned,
And theu betrayed HE brothers hone and shaned his
fathers land.
"When past our door the troop marched by and their
ranks had numbered,
wept to think that like man among the dead he
slumbered
sorrowed, but my grief was mild, It had no litter
I would have lived a thousand years to mourn his
noble fate.
go mother, have looked for him whcro'er tie dead
are lying,
But Of all the stricken bear his features calm
dying;
Now will live more on earth in shame to sit and
sigh;
H. lies not there among the dead, AVID Therefore !
viii die L. l.. Efpsb'rH.