Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1879-01-28

of Il fallen flower growing beside her
sisters tomb, and softly saying between
whies-"sister lnez. Dear sister, with
out doubt, you are tcaze. Charles has
been looking for you this half hour
Sister Inez, shall let your flowers wa
ter themselves hereafter Sister lnez"
GLOW do you interpret this ?" we ask
ed our informant.
"Sir, that twenty sorrowful years have
passed away as half an hour, and she
thinks she is still a petted child, playing
among the flowers in her sisters gar
den"
We looked again. She should have
been In the maturity of her loycliness
and womanhood. She was weary, worn,
and wan. Her hands were as wax, so
pale, thin, and transparent. Her form
was slight and graceful, from the har-
mony of its proportions. The contour
Of her face was oval, and her eyes and
hair were dark. But her countenance
was blank as marble; her lips moved,
and syllablcs came, but not ray Of cX-
preston passed over the calm, blanched
features, that had once been an electric
mirror of the soul. Her mind was ut
terly gone; and we thought, while she
bailled child-llke over the fallen flower,
how even AS its perfume was lost her
fine intelligence also had cXhaled.
"But-Charles, is that hc?"
eyes, you see him there him we have
been speaking Of"
A prematurely old, heart-broken man,
with dropping figure, and long, silver
locks, blown by the flitful breeze
athwart his face. He had restless,
wistful air, as II he was ever seeking for
something which he could not find. His
manner toward his companion, whom he
seldom regarded, but whose lightcst ne
cent escaped not his ear, was a strange
blending of hopelessness and Kindness.
"What is he doing?" we whispered.
"Removing the chaplets of flowers
with which he is wont to deck his wllc's
tomb"
can appropriate, gracious custom"
we said.
Gle has done this every Sunday oven
ing for twenty years. His wife was
never Inferred beneath the sod, az many
were before these cemeteries were built |
She rcposes IN the mausoleum first erect I
el over her remains. II YOU notice, |
there Is q small recess or chamber IN tEc |
scpulchral tenement hNvlngN door which !
shuts the visitor ont from the world, !
light entering through the stained glass
set In IT, The chamber Is Furnished |
with an altar, u cruciflX, images. and
vases, and there ARE two chairs for the
bcreayed."
"Thc bcreaved, there only twoY"
"But two. Observe through the door
he has left al0r, he is filling the vases
with water, he removes the wlthcrcd
wreaIhs from the altar to supply II with
new garlands. The poor lady Joins
him, not understanding him. "Slster
lncz"--shc is calling The silent, inattcn-
tive dead as usual. lie throws himself
In char. "Charlcs has been looking
for YOU" she repeats. Ills forehead
sinks upon his knees. lie is weeping"
"Lct US retire yet further. Does the
not recognize hImy"
mo, she recognizes no one she is an
imbcclle. She simply lives and rclle-
rates the phrases we have heard"
"What does lc doY"
"Mouns, aud takes care of her. She
is killing him. Her blind, unwilling
hnnd, constantly tcalshls wounds Hfcsh,
aud will not let It heal Ills friends,
whenever he would permit them TO NJ
lnde TO the subject, tried TO persuade
him 10 send his dcmcnicd slslcr-ln-law
TO n lunailU asylum, but he would not
entertain the proposal. Life was blast
cd TO him, and there could bc no comfort
for him--what there could be was IN her
society"
A piercing, Wild, dlscorlml shrek at
Ibis moment iasucd from the chamber Of
Ihc tomb,
"shc has apasm, sald our compan-
lon.
Eplcpsyi We ncrd not describe this
terrible disease.
A carriage aud servants were In walt
ng without the walls Of the cemetery
h though IN readiness for some such
iasualliy, as had now happened. with
Ihc assistance Of the latter The unhappy
lady wns borne TO the carriage, the
hpart-brckrn wldowcr followed, and the
rUtcgc drove rapidly nwny,