Milford chronicle., 1883-10-12

! NlC6 WIS over, anu Tue Altll6 GROUP
passed out of the holy place, every right
hand was kindly clasped by her, and
from every lip there fell blessing.
But one among them did not greet
her, though his gaze followed Rer intently
from the moment she entered till she
left. 1t was a stranger, a tourist, who,
charmed by the rural beauty of the glen,
had resolved as the stage left him there
on Saturday evening, to spend a few
days in rambling about in sunny spots
and sketching its picturesque rivers; a
highly-gifted, noble young man, dow
cred with a princely fortune, who, hay
ing completed his collegiate course, had
nought to do but while away his time in
the most agreeable way. But, now,
surfeited with the pleasures of fashiona-
BILE life, he had turned away to seek in
communion with Nature and her true
hearted children that congeniality for
which his spirit had longed but had not
found, either in his aristocratic home or
his wealthy friends.
His mother had been one of those spirit
ually organized beings to whom holiness
of life and devotion to duty are as necessi-
tous as breath, and though spared to
him but seven brief years, she so in
wrought her nature into his that all the
unfortunate circumstances of later years
could not eradicate 1.-THE angel sung
so sweetly in the far depths of his bosom
that the syren voices of temptation
sounded to him ever like hideous dis
cords.
The proud lady who, ere two years
had left their greenness on his mothers
grave. was installed as mistress of her
home, gave no affection to the pining
boy, while his father, a stern, grave,
taciturn man, though deep in his heart
there welled strong waves of passionate
feeling, manifested them only by seeing
that his temporal condition was we'll
cared for, and so he grew to manhood,
filled with affectionate yearnings, but
with none to breathe them upon, and
only uttering them upon the low grassy
mound where slept the gentle being
who had given him life.
Once indeed his spirit thought it had
found its mate. There fitted into the
brilliant saloons of fashion a radiant
young creature, who seemed the incar-
nation of a poets dream, and whose
spell soon bound the youthful Reuben.
But ere many months the charm was
broken. She proved but a gay coquette,
and after toying with many hearts, final
" surrendered to wrinkled age, barter
ing herself for gold. Reuben had be-
Heved he loved her, but when the dream
was so rudely broken, he found his heart
was fetterless-he had lovednot her, but
the creation of his own soul who he had
fancied was embodied there. For a time
indeed he scorned the other sex, but ere
long the vision of his own sweet mother
came to him in such vivid light, that he
felt he stained himself with sin to think
even harshly of those to whom she was
bound by the ties of sisterhood, and he
said within himself, Il will seek her
counterpart, and finding it, be happy"
So Lord Burleigh-ike, he wert about as
a travelling artist, and in the wild or
beautiful of nature, as CHANGED the
scene, his spirit drank in peace, and the
angel in his heart sang dearer and more
thrillingly.
Such was he who, in the little church
of Glen, had watched so closely its frail
Lily. Her Ioveliness, ever bewitchingly
delicate. was enhanced by the paleness
of convalescence, and she seemed to the
Young man like one Of those sainted
ones of whom he used to dream when
in his boyish sorrow he nestled on the
couch where his mothers spirit had de-
parted. There was no guile, he felt, III
those heavenly eyes, no mocking taunt
would ever sing from lips like hers-nay,
there was a purity OF soul visible IN her
very mien.
"Who is she ?" asked he, as he walked
home with the inn-keeper; "who is that
fair young creature who seems the
adopted child of the church? She walks
before us with the old pastor"
''She has another name, but we only
call her Lily or the Lily Of the Glen, a
homeless girl now, without a relative on
earth, and yet she will never want for
for, humble as we are, we will
ever make room for her by our hearths
and in our hearts, for she is an angel
whom we cannot entertain without a