The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1886-01-28
IN THE DARK vALLEY.


nd closed the door All the room
4 suggestive of her who lies dyini
II the chamber above. Her bird /.
iuging in it's cage at the window II.
nerrily AZ if sorrow were unknown
n the world Tho room.is noodeo
with the warm sunlight, ull Of III,
nd radiance, little in cousonancc
with the desolation Of the man
standing there alone. Her birds,
rer books. her lounging chair, th,
ouch and design that mike a home.
IRE hers. Her living presence
seems to animate the common
things and makes them gracious
aud loving like herself. And it is
only q brief twelve-month she stood
there bride, and listened to her
husbands proud welcome to their
home. Now sue lies yonder-dying,
dy ing.
Aud be, how can he bear it d?
How do men bear in their updis-
cipIined character tho mighty shock
Of such grief as this : 0h if he
could lean his head on his mothers
shoulder and sob out bis, sorrow, as
he used to do VIXEN boy. But be
knows of that unwiitten' law which
folbids a man to cry or wear bis
grief on his slecvo for the DAVIS to
peek at. lie must meet it alone,
and
Know how sublime n thing it is
To suffer aud be strong
And all the while tue scalding
drops of anguish are forcing them q,
selves to his eyes, soaring them as
with red.hot iron, while he stands
there trying to look in the face this
awful intruder, who has come an
uubidden guest into his house.
"She wants you she has sent for
YOU says ono of the household,
sobbing bitterly aud Id goes, with
vague, mechanical steps, up the
stairs to their room aud into her
presence.
"uave they told yor < Do you
know 2" she asks in IL whisper :
"Ob, love, We are going to be sep
arated. God is taking me from
you"
He cannot be so cruel" he says
bluntly and unreconciled, and he
takes her into his arms AS if TO defy
death to part them. The hours
wear OF, the clock ticks in the death
chamber
"Forever-never.
Never--forever."
He does not heed it his eyes are
fastened upon that beloved face,
changing from its bloom, and beauty
into the ashen pallor which the shad
ows of the unforeseen cast. Present
ly she opens her troubled eyes and
Gxes them upon his hagsard face
Read to me, DEAR she whispers
fnintly. He knows what che wishes
him to read. That ia one of the
beautiful intuitive qualities which
made Of their lives a perfect har-
monious sphere--a congenial union
rich in love and mutual faith, aud to
which there can he no fnaliiy OF
death or limitation. SO he brings
her Bible and turns the leaves IN
search Of some text of comfort, such
as they have often read together.
But which oue' There are SC
many, and all are good. He is not
compelled to decide. The blessed
Book opens to the most precious
one Of all, that has comforted SO
many homesick hearts, the sweetest
of the heavenly madrigals
"The Lord is my shepherd,
l shall not want"
She repeated it after him.
At intervals she broke forth into
snatches of speech
Though | walk through the valley
or the shadows OF death,
i will fear no evil"
at is dark in the valley--dark-
dark he heard her murmur.
"Oh. lave, there shall bo no night
there he answers brokenly, feeling
how poor comforter be is.
He holds her hand and she sleeps,
and dreams such dreams as the dy-
ing have, aud death goes on releut-
lessly with his work. Her bird
breaks out iuto joyful strain of
IN usic in it's cage below sounds OF
life come into the darkensd chamber;
| -.tob;no, frian1a ara naar aoon sha