The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-05-16
From the Cincinnati Weekly Times.
OUR FRANK AND MY FRANK.
sr THE AUTHOR OF "ruz DOUBLE LIFE" ETC.
CHAPTER I.
THE LETTERS.

CHAPTER I.
49, THE LETTERS.
I've seen the widest tempests blow,
- And the darkest storms arise,
From summer zyphers breathing low,
And the depth of azure skies.
Birth, marriage, death, parting, meet
dng-these are but trite and everyday
events; yet, through the golden links of
kindred, they send current of emotion
sahrough many hearts, and make epochs
in many lives.
Thomas Williams had sunk to the
I: floor, and lay writhing, ike one in phys
.icali pain. His face was Whit, and SET,
and deep lines of agony were about his
mouth. He held in his right hand, that
;twitched conyulsiyely, an open letter,
and at the lines traced there by trem-
bling hand, he was gazing, with dry,
burning eyes, like one fascinated. He
was q man subject to slight spasmodical
affections, when under, the influence of
grief or anger.
80, what evil has befallen us, my
love % said q delicately beautiful woman,
as she foated to his side, and looked at
the pallid brow and convulsed hand /;
eSpeak, o, speak, my love-" .
She received no reply, and she took
the letter from the twitching. hand, and
read the lines that had stricken the
strong man, dumb. They ran thus:
"DEARs Mr.. tWILLIAMs-We are be-.
reayed, and sorrowing. Your. brother,
Francis Marion Williams, departed this
life the 14th OF February. BE remem.
bered you, his twin brother, even in that
dread hour, in which he Mfestled with
the king of terrors. And he bade me
tell you of the great love he had always
borne you, that time and distance could
!, not change; and of his strong desire to
: see yen once more, before he passed
z away; a,desire that must remain unful-
filled, on account of the long distance
between your homes. But he said again,
with brightly. beamisg smile, we shall
meet sagain. Ifeel that must be so. . We
shall meet again, wnere earthborn care
and sorrows that wiring the hearts blood,
drop by drop, can never come. We
shall be happy there. Tell Thomas to
meet me before the great white throne,
with its rainbow lights, where seraphs,
cherubs, and spirits Of just men made
perfect, viii be- our companions, and
where we shall look upon the face of un-
? vailed Deity. - And more, dear sir, more
of SORROW. Your brothers wife followed
hiEY in q few hours; and they were
buried, ct the same time, side by side, in
the old ehureh-yard that you so well
remember, near the home of your child
hood, under the willow, planted years
ago BY the hand of affection. You will
remember the great dropping willow IN
the eastern side. They were lovely, and
pleasant in their lives, and in their death
they we're not divided And even now,
WHEN I am stricken 10 earth by this
lightning stroke from q clear sky, ! can
say its was kind of the All Father to
unite them in death, nor leave one to
look upon the grave Of the other, and to
live through long years of loneliness
from youth to age; for they were young
in wears. They, leave son FIVE years
old, named Francis Marion"
After Ellen had finished reading the
letter, she sat like one stunned by a
heavy blow, with cheek and lip from
which all the blood had receded. She
spoke no word Of comfort 10 her hus-
band, nor did it seem fitting time to do
80, while that strong tide of sorrow was
flowing over his soul. Tell not the
breaking heart to still its wild throb-
bings. Tell not one from whose life
great light has been suddenly stricken
to smile. At last the man found words,
and as he did the hot chords of pain that
bound his syelids were loosed, and his
tears flowed like rain.
"He was my twin brother" ne said,
amy only brother-the truest friend tina.
ever man had, he was to me. 0, how
can bear to know that his true, pure
heart beats no more forever, that his
voice Of love is stilled, the speaking eye
closed, and the beautiful head laid be-
meath the sod And, 0, how shall /
bear life, with no brother to love, and to
love mel O., what fatal folly led me so
far away from the home, and the loves of
my childhood; from the bold, frowning
scenery, the jutting cliffs, the towering
mountains, the laughing valleys, the
dancing streams that loved so well In
those happy years. Alasl it was a
dream of gold that won me from the
, dear, old, familiar haunts, and from that
loving brother. shall never forget how
he wound mis- arms about me, and en-
treated me not to leave them; and yet I
left them. o, was an migrate, heart
iess migrate"
And again sobs choked that strong
mans voice.
Talk not of grief until you have seen,
The tears Of warlike men.
HI promised to return soon," he con-
timed. 81 had said within myself, over
and over, Z will return next summer. /
will take Ellen, and our Frank, our beau
tiful Frank, and pay the dear old home
and my brother visit And I had
promised myself, and you, and the loved
ones there, 90 much pleasure from that
visit. Now, alss alas! my brother! o,
the love of gold! how many loyal hearts
it has broken, and trampled in the dust;
how many beautiful souls it has ruined,
for time and eternityl o, when will
vain, foolish man, born of woman, learn
that love is all he wants to make him
happy, and without that he must be for,
ever wretched. his life intolerable, and
the world about him darker than tenn
pestuous night-a charnel house-one
universal grave. You never saw my
brother, Ellen. He was noble-looking
man, a handsome man. Come here,
Frank" and beautiful boy. with jetty
curls and flashing, black eyes, bounded
toward him. "Now, Ellen, look at our
Frank" said the man, "and you can see
what my brother was, as long ago as
can remember him clearly. He had the
same jetty curls, the same flashing, black
eye, with defiant glance in its far
depths. do not think that it is because
he is ours, that I think our Frank a
beautiful child. He is really very hand.
some. And my brother was a beautiful
and winsome child, and as man much
respected and loved"