The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-05-07
An Autumn MIG hts Droam.

The year was waning. The leaves of
the chutchyard trees hung red and yellow,
or dropped slowly to the ground. The
Ivy on the church gables was IN flower,
and the honeysuckle on the messy church
yard had put forth its second blossoms.
Chimney swallows and house martins con
gregated in scores upon the llchcncd
church roof, warming their wings in the
mild Autumn sunshine for flight to glow
ing lands beyond the sea, and starlin ss
mustered in hundreds upon the Downs that
sWellcd around the churchyard in mighty
waves of perfect calm.
But the birds had gone TO sleep for the
night-all except the hooting brown owl
as travel. bronzed, travel-stained man
walked over the downs, dragging his feet
YEARLY III spite Of the springiness Of tho
thy my turf, beneath a full moon which
made the shallow little chalk bottomed
sheep ponds flash with silvery radiance. 1t
was very still night. There was scarce
the falntest sight OF a breeze to STIR the
bramhle sprays. The hooting of the owl,
and now and then the drowsy tinklc of a
sheep bell were the only sounds floating
over the great land sea of huge waved
peace; but there was no calm in the
travellers breast.
On he ploddcd toward the churchyard.
There, after all his wandcrings, he had
come back to find, was his only home, if
Kindred make home; but 1t was home
Ill which he could hear no hearty shout,
receive no clnging kiss of welcome, the
lips of all his kindred were sealed in ever
lasting silence, if not crulnbled into dust.
lie entered the churchyard by the lych
gate, laid his knapsack On the dewy grass,
and sat down with his back against the
wall IN front of the stone their was his
family register.
The churchyard was crowded with
graves, but he had gone straight to the one
OF which he was in search, because he re-
membered the corner where the primroses
and Lent-lilies grew in which his mother
had often wished to be laid, and felt sure
since she had died before lis father, that
her wish had been gratilcd.
There was the tall stone, inscribed with
name after name, hers first upon the llst.
the latter entries crowded III smaller lot.
tcrS.
All his close kindred were buried in one
grave, before which he seated himself, and
longcd to be able to roll back the years, to
De again at home respected and bcloved, no
stain or shadow of future shame upon hi s
name, with IN intensity that made his he ,rt
literally as we'll as fgulaLivcly ache. He
could not weep. The fountain of Ills Tears
had long been dried up, and, deprived of
that relief for his feelings, it seemed to
him that he must go mad He raised a
wild cry that rang wearily over the still
Downs. The startled birds whlrled from
their roosting places in the ivy, and wheeled
round the church in black cloud.
Ere long, however, they settled again,
and the way faror was again staring at the
moonlit headstone in hopeless stiffness.
Hour after hour the church clock rang
out in voice cracked with age, whilst The
moonlight in quiet frolc marked fantastic
time upon the sun dial. The last stroke Of
one had just died away, when the waud-
erer started. The headstone fell flat, the
grave opened, and he was in his mothers
arms. My son, my son. she sobbed, at
last, after these many weary, weary years. )
And then from the grave rose brothers and
sisters, some Of whom greeted him but
coldly; and last of all his father, who
frowncd and turned aside without speak
ing.
But the weeping mother made peace be-
tween the son and the futher whom he had
disgraccd, and the brothers and sisters
whose portions he had squandered. The
years had been rolled back. He was a
young man once more, forgiven after some
mad prank by his father, the idol of his
mother, the darling of his sisters, the model
hero Of his little brothers.
The autumn moon went solemnly down;
but in its stead there rose the sun Of spring.
Other graves gave up their dead 1t was
May Sunday morning, and the country
side churchgoers, when they had come out,
stopped to chat with their neighbors in the
churcbyard.. The wandorcr saw faces.
heard tones, that ht had not seen or heard
for half lifetime; but it seemed quite
natural that he should do so-thc years had
been rolled back.
Instead Of mastering for departure
swallows had come again from their winter
quarters. Blackbirds, thrushes, skylarks,
woodlarks, tltlarks, goldfnchcs and green
hnches, Wrens and robins, yellowhammer rs
and whitcthroats, were singing; in the
hanger, sloping down to the pasture tuftcd
with paigles, more than ono night. ingale
might be heard. The tuft of tho Downs
was white-as If milk had been split up-
on it--with the flowers Of sandwort and
rogation flower, fulZe and bco haunted
broom were out in all their glory, the Ring
Wood was pink and white with the
blossoms of wild pear trees, crabs, and
rowans. The oak, the beech, the maple,
the barberry, the horse chestnut were also
in flower. The -of-the-vallcy and the
wood sorrel shook their soundless little
fairy team bells in the warm breeze that
had stolen into their cool hiding places
Forgct-mc-nots, veronicas. and brooklimc
made earth look sky-like with their streaks
and specks, and patches of brilliant blue in
places moist and dry. Buttcrcups and
daisies were scattered over the green earth
broadcast.
The strangely united family came to the
loafy lane, AT the bottom Of which sto I'd
the Old farm house, in the midst of few
remnant ricks and straw stacks, looking out
complacently on the springing crops it next
should garner. There was the orchard,
with the apple treos and the old mcdlar
tree in blossom, and the walnut and the
mulberry coming out in leaf; lilac and
hburnum, toxglove and flags, columbine
and peonles, were blooming in the gard en-,
Il