Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-01-01
atlistellanu.
Moss. Side.

hair was now waxing gray. He had beer
born and bred on the small moorland farm
which he now occupied; and he hoped tc
die there, rs his father and grandfather
had done before him, leaving family jus
above the more bitter wants of this world
With his own hands he had plowed ,soweC
and reaped his often scanty harvest, assist
ed, as they grew up. by three sons, who
even in boyhood, were happy to worl
along with their father in the fields Ou
of doors or in, Gilbert Ainslie was never
idle. The spade, the shears, the plow shaft
the sickle and the fail, all came readily tc
hands that grasped them well; and not {
morsel of food was eaten under his roof
or II garment wore there, that was no
honestly, severely, earned. Gilbert Ainslit
was slave, but it was for them he loved
with sober and deep affection. The
thraldom under which he lived God had
imposed, and it only served to give his
character shade Of silent gravity, but moi
austere; to make his smiles fewer, but
more heartfelt; to calm his soul at grace
before and after meals; and 10 kinde it in
morning and evening prayer.
There is no need to tell the character ol
the wife of such man. Meek and
thoughtful, yet gladsome and gay withal,
her heaven was in her house; and her
gentler and weaker hands helped to bar
the door against want. Of ten children
that had been born to them, they had
parted with three; of the seven that sur.
vived, two sons We're farm servants in the
neighborhood, while three daughters and
two sons remained at home, growing or
grown up, Il small, happy, Woodworking
household.
Many cottages are there in Scotland like
Moss side, and many such humble and
vrtuous cottagers as were now beneath its
roof of straw. The eye of the passing
not, but they stand peacefully in thousands
all over the land; and most beautiful do
they make it, through all its wide valleys
and narrow glens-its low homes enc;r-
cled by the rocky walls Of some bonny
burn-its green mounts elated with their
little growing groves of plane trees-its
yellow corntields, its bare pastoral hill
sides, and its healthy moors, on whose
black bosoms lie shining concealed glades
of excessive verdure, inhabited by flowers
and visited only by the far-fying bees.
In this cottage Gilbert's youngest child,
II girl about nine years of age, had been
lying for u week in fever. 1t was now
Saturday evening, the eve of the New
Year, and the ninth day of the disease.
Was she to live or die? 1t seemed rs if
4 very few hours were between the inno-
cent creature and heaven. All the symp-
toms were those of approaching death
The parents knew well the change that
comes over the human face, whether it be
in infancy, youth Or prime, just before the
departure of the spirit; and us they stood
together by Margaret's bed, it seemed TO
them that the fatal shadow had fallen upon
her features. The surgeon of the parish
lived some miles distant, but they expect
ed him now every moment, and many u
wistful look was directed by fearful eyes
along the moor.
The calm, noiseless spirit Of life was in
and around the house, while death seemed
dealing with one who few days ago was
like light upon the floor and the sound of
music, that always breathed up when
most wanted; glad and joyous in common
talk-sweet, silyery and mournful when it
joined in hymn and psalm. One after
another, they all continued going up to
the bedside, and then cominl away sob
bing or silent, 10 see their merry little
sister, who used to keep dancing all day
like a butterfly in the meadow-field in
summer, OF like Il butterfly with Shut
wings on u flower, triiiing for Il while in
the silence of her joy, now tossing restless
ly on her bed, and scarcely sensible to the
words of endearment whispered around
her, or the kisses dropt with tears in spite
nf .Inn,col,yn, how i,,,r forohonI
Utter poverty often kills the affections;
but Il deep, constant and common feeling
of this worlds hardships, and an equal
participation in those struggles by which
they may be soflened, unite husband and
wife, parents and children. Their souls
are not moved by fits and starts, although,
indeed, nature sometimes wrestles with
necessity and there is II wise moderation
both in the joy and the grief of the intclli-
gent poor, which keeps lasting trouble
away from their earthly lot and prepares
them unconsciously for heaven,
DO you think the child is dying?' said
Gilbert, with q calm voice, to the surgeon,
who, on his wearied horse, had just arrv-
ed from another sick-bed, over the snowy
range of hills, and had been looking stead
iaStly for some minutes on the little
pGlient: The humane man knew the fam
lily well, in the midst of whom he was
Standing, and replied, While there is life
there is hope; but my pretty little Marga-
ret is, fear, in the last extremity There
was no loud lamentation ut these words
all had before known, but would not con-
fess it TO themselves, what they were now
told-and though the certainty that was
in the words of the skillful man made
their hearts beat for Il little with sicker
lhrobbings, made their pale faces paler,
and brought out from some eyes greater
gush of tears, yet death had been before in
this house, and in this case he came, US he
always does, in awe, but not in terror.
There were wandering and wavering, and
dreamy dclirious phantasies in the brain
of the innocent child; but the few words
she indistinctly uttered were affecting, not
rending to the heart, for it was plain that
she thought herself herdng her sheep in
the green, silent pastures, and sitting
wrapped in her plaid upon the lawn and
sunny side of the Birk-knowe. She was
too much cXhaused-there was too little
li(e-too little breath in her heart, to frame
IL tune-but some of her words seemed to
be from favorite old songs; and at last her
mother wept, and turned aside her face,
wien the child, whose eyes were shut, and
her lips almost still. breathed out these
lines Of the beautiful twenty-third psalm:
"irhe Lords my Shepherd, III not want,
lie makes me down to lie
In pastures green; he lcadClh me
The quiet waters by"
The child was now left with none but
her mother by her bedside, and the family
sat down round the kitchen, for while in
silence. In about n quarter of an hour
they began TO rise calmly, and to 60 eacf
to his allotted work. One of the daughters
went forth with the pail in her hand tc
milk the cow, and another began to sci
ont the table in the middle of the floor for
supper, covering it with II white cloth
Gilbert viewed the usual household nr.
rcngemcnts with solemn and untroubled
eye; and there was almost u faint light ol
grateful smile on his cheek, as he said
10 the worthy surgeon, " You will partakt
Of our fare alter your days travel OF tol
and humanity " In short silent hal
hour, the potatoes and oat-cakes, butter
and milk were on the board; and Gilbert,
lifting up his toil-hardened, but manly