Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1881-09-01

The pear tree with its rustic seat
Where l, when sitting at thy feet,
Had carved thy cherished name
All these, all these come back to me,
AS stand beneath this tree
And 1 scarce can believe that It's all a dream
OF my childhOod's days, sweet Maggie Bell,
As over the hill, and over the stream
/ hear the knell of the old church bell.
But all ere withered, or gone to decay,
The friends we loved have passed away.
Deserted the cottage stands as OF yore,
But there's no one to close the open door;
The lattice il broken, and the window pane,
The snow drifts in, and the driving rain;
The stars look down through the broken roof,
And the night bird now keeps not aloof;
The well-polc is broken, and lies on the ground,
The hedges are tramplcd, and scattered around;
And all that we cherished and loved so well
Has withercd, or gone to decay, Maggie Bell.
Oh, Maggie Bell, sweet Maggie Bell,
'Twere better for me had thy funeral knell
Been tOled, ere parted, upon the old bell
'Twere better for me, and better for thee,
Hadst been content with simple lot,
With honest toll and Il humble cot,
Had but made Mee my honor and fame
My world, and my fortune, ambition, and AIM
Thy love would have been all these to me!
We parted, both with many tears,
For three long summers, three long years;
We parted here beneath this tree,
Thou to thy chamber, to the sea;
And we both could hear the old church bell,
AS, with melancholy knell,
1t seemed to say farewell, farewell!
/ saw thee bowed with grief, depart,
With both hands pressed upon thy heart,
Till my dimmed eyes could sec no more,
And then hastened to the shore.
The boat put off, with gentle swell
The ocean billows and fell,
While family came the distant knell,
Tolling, from the old church bell,
Farewell, farewell,
Sweet Maggie Bell!
Oh, Maggie Bell, you never knew
The high resolves which filed my brain,
As on the deck | stood, while flew
Our bark like sca-bird, DER the Main.
As one by one the sails unfurled,
thought 1t was Il manly part
To forth and battle with the world,
To make me worthy Of thy heart i -.
, And SOL went, with highfhtent,t fs1~7f ~ "
From continent to continent,
On manlypurpose bent. =
The world was all my field,
/ sailed DER every sea,
But Maggie was my shield,
My star of destiny.
Oh how toiled in those young years,
With what alternate hopes and fears
battled with my fate
l struggled for single aim,
I.toiled for fortune, worked for fame,
To make unto myself name;
gained it-but too late.
Five years had gone, homeward came,
I had won honor, fortune, fame,
And with high and manly pride
l came to claim thee q bride.
sought thy homestead, Maggie Bell,
The twilight shadows deeper grew:
/ crossed the brook, passed the dell,
And soon thy cottage came in view.'
But darker grew the twilight shade,
I now had reached the little gate
waited for feltafraid
IfeH the tcarniHg Of a fate.
light from out the easement shone;
1 saw another tenant there;
Thy mother, Maggie, knelt alone
Beside thy couch in prayer.
crossed the garden, reachd the door,
I summoned with afaltering hand;
heard footstep on the floor,
Upon the grating sand;
1t nearer, nearer, nearer came,
A SLOW heart-broken, jOyless tread
In II read not of thy shame,
I only thought thee dedd.
Oh, Maggie Bell, that fearful night!
God only knows what then felt,
As on the floor, till morning light,
Beside thy couch knelt.
Thy father, with kindly hand,
Led me adown the lane
We reached the spot where now stand,
With madness in my brain.
His was the fOotstep on the floor,
Twas he who to the doorway came,
And here where tDe had stood before,
He told me, Maggie, of thy shame.
He told me how young Clarence Lee
We had been friends in boyish days
Had brought great riches from the sea,
And of his manly winning ways,
And how he talked and sang to thee,
While thou wouldst more attention lend,
Because he talked so much of me,
Because he was my friend;
And how, about two years before
For three since parting then had sped
There came message to your door
That was dead.
He told me of thy gief and tears,
And how young Clearance Lee,
Because he was my friend for years,
Was more cndeared to thee;
And how thy tender heart to his
Would more and more incline,
Because you seemed to feel that this
Was still link to mine,
The winter passed, the spring-time came,
Almost forgotten was my name
The roses to thy cheek returned,
And in thy gentle heart there burned
A love for Clarence Lee
But not as earnest, not the same
Contented, angel-ghted flame
That you had felt for me.
And then-thy fathers voice grew low,
He drew my head unto his breast
And, in broken voice, and slow,
He told me all the rest.
He said: "rhe night came apace,
Young Clarence Lee had sought his home,
And Maggie with troubled face,
Came to our little room.
She talked of all her childhood's years,
She spoke Of thee with many tears,
And, kneeling at her mothers feet,
Said she newer knew how sweet
Her home had always been.
She placed her hand in mine, and said,
While on her mothers knee she laid
Her fearful face serene:
Tell me, dear parents, were dead,
And in the quiet church yard laid
Beside my little brother Ned,
Whose graveis fresh and green,
Would You miss me much when the twilight came
Would l always be to you the same,
Would In your prayers be whispered my name,
Without any sorrow, without any shame?
Oh, tell me, would Maggie be, in truth.
A memory still, with the dew Of youth,
One Of the golden links of three
Removed to higher destiny?
Would you cherish her still, as If she were here,
Love her az fondy, keep her rs dear,
With never sorrow, never tear,
From summer to summer, from year to year?
Would you leave my chair In the same old spot,
The little table beside the cot,
The bible upon 1t, with never O blot
Of tear, when thinking of Msggie's lot?
Would you miss me much? would my memory be
As dear and as true as yours to me,
Till we meet in higher destiny?