Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1878-04-24

interesting one III Is:
I've. METELLAL.
EILIGL. DvLCIss. DILECTIss.
vIX, ANN. VI.
"The letters DM at the top stand for
Dis Mamibus, something like" said |, with
a free translation suited to family compre-
hension, our Sacred to the Memory Of
The inscription then reads thus Sacred to
the Memory of Lucia Metela, little daugh-
ter most sweet, most tenderly beloved She
lived six years. Observe that the Romans
always, as Dir. Bruce remarks, avoided the
mention of death they tell us how long
person lived, never when he died. But is
it not interesting" went on, to find more
than thousand years ago, and among a
stern and warlike people like the Romans,
these little touches of family tenderness and
love ?"
With many expressions of interest they
presently scampered away.
All but one. My Lily, my youngest, the
apple of my eye, still stood, her fair head
resting on her slender arms, gazing in silence,
her lips slightly parted, tear trembling in
each soft, blue eye, upon the relics of the
little Roman girl. At last she spoke.
"Papa," she said, =" this little girl was Just
the same age that am"
"Yes, my darling, and moreover" | added,
as a playful diversion to the child's gloom,
"both your names begin with L-another
coincidence
But the thought that was in the child's
heart was too deep for playfulness. After
pause she spoke again, in pleading tones.
dear papa" she said, " it seems so pitt
full for this poor little girl to lie here among
all these queer things"
my darling" said I, these queer things
as you call them, are Roman things, such as
this little girl was accustomed to see around
her every day during her lifetime. Indeed
many of them came from the villa of which
1t seems very probable that she was the
daughter"
But, dear papa" she said, "you would
not like me, when | am gone, to be laid out
like a curiosity, and have strangers come and
examine the little things | used to be fond
of, and remark what funny shoes had
Well-but, my dear child said l.,
"what would you do with her ?"
." would bury her." she said, with child
ish seriouness, Sin the garden, beneath the
weeping ash, where good old Cato and my
dear little dicly aud WHY'S white rabbit
are buried--and," she added, in a lower voice,
IL would add upon the stone, if there is room,
Suffer little children to come unto me-
"My darling" said, 81 think all that
would be little incongruous; but I'll tell
YOU what we might do" went on, as a
device occurred to me, which | thought
might soothe the feelings of the child; "you
shall gather from time to time fresh flowers
| to lay upon her as she lies, and then, if her
poor little spirit can look down upon this
| / l.. hot tbou.,b tbAuea,, Il
years have passed, one dear little English
| girl still watches over her with tenderness
| and love"
80 yes" she said, Frightening at the idea,
IL think she would like that. will gather
fresh snowdrops for her now, and then when
summer comes again will change them for
violets."
When summer comes again !" A sudden
pang of foreboding shot through my heart as
| the dear child spoke. She, too, was most
sweet--she, too, was most tenderly beloved
| But we were not without our fears on heI
account, and anxious whispers had passed
| between my wife and myself respecting her
But cast aside the fears, as presently she
returned, eager in her little work of love
with the snow-drops she had gathered, anc
| sitting down by my side as was engaged
in making out the makers name upon tn,
vase, she wove them with deft fingers into {
| pretty wreath which done, she reverently laiC
it in its place, and hand-inhand we left tn,
room together.
The next morning after breakfast had
considerable amount of congenial work to dc
While was thus engaged my wife entered
the room with troubled countenance.
81 am very uneasy" she said, about dea
Lily; she talks in such strange way abou
little girl in white that appeared to he
last night. OF course it's all Imagination
but am afraid it looks as if there was some
thing not quite right with her"
ave must have it looked to Immediately,
replied gravely; "perhaps we ought to hav
had some better advice before. | will sen
off at once to London for DIR. 5 -, and a
the distance is not great, we may have hir
with us this evening. In the meantime
will you send Lily to me, and let me hea
what she has TO say 7"
"Now, my darling" said, as Lily eI
tered the room, " come and tell papa a
about it,"
She climbed upon my knee, threw he
!. arms about my neck, and hiding her fac
against my breast, as is sometimes the wor
!, of children when they have something gray
to relate, she went on
- fell asleep you know papa dear, wit
r my thoughts full of this poor little girl.
awoke in the night with trouble, coul
y scarcely tell what, upon my miud. When
e looked up, | saw standing by my bedside
i little girl all dressed in white, and pale
a Oh so pale. She held in her hand a wreat
{ of snowdrops like the one | had made, an
looking at me with mournful expression
; but still very, very kindly, she stretche
e forth her hand as il to hand me back Il
+ wreath When | looked again, she had di
u appeared
> | reasoned for some time with the chill
J. irving to persuade her that what she ha
e fancied she had seen was only the result
y her own excited imagination but | cou
clearly see that though her Difference to II
prevented her from disputing anything
3 said, her belief in the reality of what 81
l. had seen remained unshaken. | saw, To
Is that the feeling on her mind was somethiI
y more than mere sentiment. | saw ho
u deeply she felt panied that the loved daug
e ter of a thousand years ago should be treat
II so differently to our loved ones OF to-da
'e and resolved that great as the sacriii
~ was, it should not stand in the way OF d
y happiness, and perhaps the health, OF II
le beloved child.
So at last said to her, "Well now, n
darling, just tell me what you think shou
~ be done, and what this little girl would lii
At if she could tell us"
If She burst into tears, flung her arms roul
m my neck, and sobbed out
Or "oh, dear papa, know you are so fol
of it,"
IN any darling" | said, " all the antiquiti
IN in the world are as nothing-nothing co..
pared to my dear little girls peace of mine