The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1885-11-18
A GIRL WIFE.
The Old Bachelor Citrate Of Am.
berry.

1t was beautiful young American
girl, Lettuce Lee by name, who sojourn-
ing among her English friends for
awhile. crossed their fair garden,
br ght with the tender green's OF Spring
and all abloom with hawthorn, and,
tempted by the shadows of the lane be-
yond. strolled slowly down it, until.
coming to an old church set about with
trees and fanked by an ancient grave
yard, she entered there and wandered
among the messy stones, reading their
quaint inscriptions and thinking such
thoughts as youth and beauty do of
graves aud death-thinking pityingly
and with a certain sad tenderness, but
rot as of anyth ne with which she had
to do. or even would.
The willows were very old. The
shade was very deep The gray church
flung its own dark shadows on the
spot. The ivy of centuries draped its
walls.
1t was so different from anything the
grl-who had come from the land
where all the fine build ngs have a
brand new look and even the ivy that
is trained against church-wallS speaks
of a geometrically-minde gardener
had seen. that It fascinated her She
was romantic and poetical; and it IS
very hard to be romantic In America.
She leaned against great tree, and
looked down upon the gray grave
stones Most of them were so old that
no one lived TO deck them any more.
And yet the ages written on them
were often less than her own was that
day. One at her very feet bore this
inscription:
Here lieth Lucy-aged sixteen"
A tear came into the girls eyes as
she read it. Perhaps more would have
followed, but at that moment voice
close beside her broke the silence.
You are looking at the graves, my
dear. These are only humble stones.
Inside the church there are some very
fine tombs LIZ YOU would l. Ike TO see
them l can tell YOU all that is known
of them. / have been curate of Amber
ly for thirty years. y
The girl turned tow ard the speaker.
Thirty wears, That was nearly twice
her whole life. A very old man this
must be to speak of thirty years as q
mere portion of his.
!. She looked up into his face and an,
swered back the kind smile that shone
upon If. and felt thrill of wonder al
the sweetness in the eyes and on the
| lip. for in her short experience oil
men were generally either harsh OF
testy. or at least cold or unsympathz
| Ing.
She had no father, or grandfather, Of
any aged relatives A little woman
something of an heireSs, and very beau
| tiful she had always been petted BY
| her friends. and had never been unhap
pv; but of strong home ties that en-
dear even the old and the ugly. sh,
knew nothing. An old gentleman wa
some one who did not like noise anG
was rather averse to music. whom
was not unpleasant to see 90 out o
the room. and who generally paid tn
bills for somebody.
She gave the curate another smile
and said: ..Yes, she would like mucl
TO see the church and the tombs. He
name was Lettice Lee, and she wa
visit no Mrs. Holden, at the mansion
| wonder, and she was Just from Americ
for the first time. Perhaps he knew,
and the curate signifed that he di,
know, aud that Mrs. Holden was hi
dear old friend, and they went into th
church together.
A oil hat
beaut full than any young ones can be
Not many. il is true; for the evil pas
sions of our race-anger and greed
and malice and jealousy-are stron
within too many breasts, and mar
themselves outwardly upon the features
through the long, slow years of lon
life, too deeply. Griefs also line then
selves upon the brow, and hollow OF
the cheeks and dim the eyes, but no.
and then. some one, alike strong an
sweet. putting by the sin and bearin
the sorrow patiently, comes to th
autumns of existence with such
countenance as, it seems TO me, Go
meant that an old man should hav.
The curate of Amberly had done thi
The old bachelor curate had no r,
l lhltti>NCASCS W lAahC c"ctl, II
memoryof young head pillowed O
his breast. or fond hands that ha
claSped his.
Somehow. he thought of this as
ushered the young girl into the o.
church. She was so fair. and delica
and sweet-her movements were
, gentle! A daughter like this now
He checked the fancy. put
away with a smile, and walked {
among the tombs-
On the tomb of Lady Margaret
sculptured form lay with clasped hant
and closed eyes On that of Sir Pc
c!val Percy knelt a mailed warrior
!. PRAYER. Not more cold and silent al
: ar rest were these than had been Il
love that should have warmed tn
/. good life; and still. with closed eye
love slumbered in the Amer can Cir
breast They looked at Lady Ma
\ garet. at Sir Perciyal. az the gray ia
lets in the floor, and the WIN tie ones
the wall; al the painted windows al