The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-10-19
THE OLD sCHo0L-RoUsE.

a Fsa
twas . sunny day In midwinter, and
the earth wss Wits win snow. Hwaa
during the hour of noon II I country
school hosas that crowned the top of n
old bill at the foot ef which two read,
met and crossed. Dinner ives done,
and the baskets had been returned tc
their places the big boys were across
the road south 81 the house in an old
meadow, playing bail. The big girls,
two by tive, were scattered hero and
theee; /; some were wandering along tbs
east lane, where golden-brovn, silken,
hazel tassels hung in all their quiet
beauty-parting the drapery Of SNOW
and peeping out to receive the radiant
s'mbeam's kiss. Now and then spray
found itseD entangled in the dsepe,
brown of shining curls; another, per.
haps, wss twined among raven braids.
Six little girls had climbed the tsnee
north Of the school house, and had
gained the top Of hill still higher than
that upon which the house was situated.
From its summit to its base, it was worn
slick by the little boys'. sleds. 8epa-
rated into two groups .ths little sirla
stood. The youngest Of each tho wa
placed betveen its elders. each Of whom
was holding tiny hand. Thus they
started from the top Of the crest hill
and ran to the foot Of it. Over and over
again they did this, and called II fun.
The twelittle ones were growing tired
Of skating, and at hast the little one,
whose hand We did not hold. gave out
her tired little feet gave way beneath
her, and those who had "skated her.
lacked strength to hold her up. Our
little skater was wiry and nimble and
we were as proud Of her a. racer of his
horse that wins the victory. But this i
not the burden Of our childish reeita-
tion. We and the little girl that ran
with us both laughed, oh how heart
lily and heartlessly at the broken-down
trio beside us-we loved them, but how
we laughed, laughed all the gladness
out'of our souls for somehow all that
afternoon we could not see, near, nor
think Of anything funny; there was
something in our throat and heavy
weight on our heart, and now we know
it was the spirit Of that naughty laugh
that added sorrow to the defeat Of our
dear little playmates and turned to
icicles the sunbeams that danced upon
our pathway. The teacher remarked
that the six wild little ones were more
quiet than usual that afternoon. He
did not know what q shadow had fallen
"a shadow that has stretched itself
through long and changeful years. Four
Of the six have wandered away and
sought the beautiful hills Of God, where
the feet never weary nor stumble, and,
for aught we know, the fifth may be
there, too-the fairy-ike, baby creature
whose, little hand we held-for, before
the winter was over, she was taken by
her parents into the sunny South, and
we have never heard of her since; but
if the eye OF Katie Lent should fall up
ON these lines We think she would re-
member those baby races down "old
Glover hill" She may not know the
speechless sorrow that fills our heart
with the memory Of that afternoon, for
even yet rs we wander through the old
country burial ground on the sunny hill
where three Of the six are resting and
where now the locust leaves are falliiig
and cleaning like gold amid the grass,
we find the old sorrow is still alive. It
was our first and our last laugh at the
misfortune Of others.
... ARs. J. v. II. KeoNs.