Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1888-04-26
SAVED BY A DREAM.

You see. had known him for manv year;
Ard loved him with love such casteth out
No fault cou,d nv worshipful eyes family
In the tender devotion he lav1shed on me,
n, The hrieh, winsome face with its matchless
dark eyes,
Whose depths were an ever-increasing surprise,
And love such as maidenhood only can feel,
Had grown with my growth, Tor my woe or my
veal.
Nrv father entreated my mother plead hard.
That ! would my darling's warm suit disregard {;
They said he worthless, lacked manhood,
Twill NOT Yecall-for it made my heart sore;
said twas false rumor, twas enmits's blame,
And could have crushed those who stole his
The harder the world waged its venemous
The closer the tenderer to him my heart cung;
IA served bu, to deepen the love in my soul,
The love that had passed beyond human
For such deep affection the world seemed well
I'D c!eaye to him. love him. whatever it cost
when prayers and entreaties proved not to
avail,
Ny fathers hair whltened, my mother grew
A gloom settled down on the home hitherto
AS bright as the sunlight had been sifted
through;
NV heart strings were breaking 'twixt duty and
Distracted, turned to the Refuge above;
Al dusk of the evening dropped on my knees,
Al the feet of mans Helper my heart laid bare,
Unburdening my soul of its grief and despair;
Ny eyelids, sll swollen with the tears did
6zasdden. closed softly; I fell fast asleep.
What strange place is this What wilderness
Not a stripped, leafiess tree can be seen for or
Naught bu, IA wild, moorland, deep covered with
All drifted and heaped by the wintry winds
In the midst, all alone, stands little, rude hut,
The window frames broken, through which the
winds cut.
The door half unhinged, such desolate sight,
That tells its own story OF poverty's blight;
No path, not a footprint about the house lay,
To tell II aught human had been there that day
No smoke from chimney to tell If soul
Abode in the bleak, uninhabitable hole;
] ventured with boldness to open the door
Great heavens! what was that crouching there
on the floor?
Approaching saw twas a woman, who bent
o er a few dying embers, her gaze fixed intent :;
She held in her arms tightly clasped to her
An infant go fragile 'twould soon be at rest;
The womsn's thin features l scanned by the
OF the fast dying embers ah. me, what sight !!
Grief. hunger, neglect, remorse, too, could
bn what must have once been a beautiful face;
drew a step nearer; her head quickly raised,
And then-irue as heaven-in my own face
gaZed.
My feet, for a moment, seemed rooted to earth /;
NV heart 10 stand still, when cry OF wild mlrth
escaped from the poor creature 8 pale, bloodlesS
That shook me with horror to my finger tips.
Don't you know me? No wonder" she then
For now I'm no longer the joy and the pride
BIZ hearts that would shield me from all you see
here.
IN the wfe"-but l waited to hear nothing
rushed from her presence flew over the moor
o find the kind parents whose treasure she d
efore She deied disobedience's sin.
found the old homestead, rang loudly the bell,
ut stranger appeared, and tins was the Kne,i
hat fell on my breaking heart, seethed through
Her parents are dead by her they were slain ~
shrieked in my sorrow, and awoke from my
v limbs had so stifened with pain 1 could
scream -
v interlaced fingers were chilled to the bone,
oht,s darkness had fallen and was alone;
cropped my way tremblingy down the front
ID gratefully stood in the chandeliers glare;
unwonted peace now succeeded my gloom
ld | parted the portiers and glanced In the
was there; had long been awaiting me
down
as II fancyp or did detect dark frown?
Il needing my arms round his meek ent"ihe,
knew in my heart it would be the last
dream was a warning. God given, could
tell.
bitterly weeping. bade him farefell;
face was as white as the dead; neither
spoke
. Il pain or white anger my words had
awoke? ,
ever shall know for he turned on his heel,
d left in silence, without one appeal
lile travelling years later on the banks OF a
stream
passed a rude hut like the one in my dream
og howled so piteously outside the door
gged my companion to go in and explore;
found there an infant and-maybe-a wife;
both were exiting uished the last spark OF lie ;
vas the home OF the man had so loved In
youth,
had broken some other poor heart in sad
truth;
IN hunger and sickness he heartlessly fled,
left 1t for strangers to bury his dead
Hannah More hoLduS in Inter Ocean.