West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1888-05-25
MARRIAGE.
Ito be continued

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Selected for the DEMOCRAT. '
"I have been with thee in thine hour
OF glory and of bliss;
Doubt not its memory's living power
To strengthen me through this.
And then, mine honored love and true,
Bear on, bear nobly on;
We have the blessed heaven in view,
Whose rest shall soon be won."
.4.ts Mrs. Hemdns. :
AT the close Of September (while
am writing this), the year is ripe.
1t reaches its completion not only
in the harvest, hut in all its other
harmonies, in the perfect tempera;
ture, and the perfect balance of
night and day. The sky and the
earth correspond; veiled by the
morning mist. the sun rises late, as
if it had not much to do; and every
one seems also to have finished his
work. 1t is us though it we're Sun
day, or the repose of evening. And
what is autumn, after all, but the
evening of the year2
Beautiful season !-at once pleas
ant and pensive. A few flowers yet
remain, but they drop off one by one.
The astef rcsists the seasons ad-
vance. The cold, splendid dahlia
still struggles on, through all Octo-
ber, despite the morning frost. The
swallows sail around and around in
the air, calling to each other. In
the North, the Stork, having on one
foot gravely planned his journey,
prepares to desert his fayorite
haunts.
All this is much more impressive
in places by the sea, which is near
them, without being seen from them,
so that You cannot behold its sub
lime scenes, but can hear its sub
lime voice. The earth, already in
repose and silence, hearkens to the
lamentations and the wrath of old
Ocean. who strikes upon the beach,
recoils and strikes again, in solemn
iteration-that deep bass which one
hears, less with the ear than with
the breast. which strikes the shore
more lightly than it does the heart
of man. Melancholy warning, with
the measured appeal of the pendu-
lum of Time!
l see yonder lady (the one
whom this book found in her youth.
and has accompanied to her declin-
ing age), walking pensively in
small garden; it is already stripped
of its blossoms but sheltered, like
those we see behind our cliffs in
France, or in the lowlands Of Hol
land. The exotics have already
been placed in the greenhouse. The
fallen leaves have unveiled the stat
ues near them, which afford increas-
ed pleasure now that the flowers are
gone. These are luxuries of art.
which somewhat contrast with the
very simple yet modest and digni-
fed toilet of the lady--a blond or
grey silk, relieved only by lilac
ribbon. tc 45a
Though without ornament, she is
none the less elegant; elegant for
her husband, and simple to the prof
it of the poor.
If / did not fear to disturb her
quiet meditations, / would say: Are
you also melancholy, Madame ?
What can be wrong With you, who
are so discreet, so sensible and so re-
signed {?
"What is it, sir ?" she answers
"That which everything feels at this
time, desire for the great passage,
a need of taking fight. But | have
no beautiful wings-neither the
white sails ofthe swan, nor the false
wings of the swallow am held
down, held tightly here. God calls
me, and yet l feel myself bound to
my rest. Bound by whom by God
himself. This is the discrepancy of
my nature. These birds are happy;
they emigrate in families.
We, almost always one by one,
make solitary migration towards the
other life. In life we were together,
but we start out alone on the un-
known journey Age brings fear
and sadness to those who love. l
hope, believe and trust. shall die
only to live again. But, alas! if in
that second life should not see my
beloved!
"Do you wish to know more ofmy
melancholy Z? / am sad at be
ing still so imperfect. He calls me
his sanctuary, and how little do /
deserve the name! l had wished to
retain for him the true purity of
virgin treasure of wis
dom, place of respose which should
be the paradise of his heart.
L had wished to pluck a thorn
each day from this garden of his,
aud add to it a flower. This culture
has resulted poorly, and / am no
longer capable of anything"
These are her dilemmas, the ques-
tions and the answers that she i'm
aoines, while walking up and down,