The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1892-12-02

her husbands death occurred she was
herself confined to q sick bed which
she did not leave for long while after
he was buried. Still longer days
passed before she had permission, or
even strength, to go into the open air.
When she did, her first efforts were
essayed to reach Gilbert's grave.
What a pang sung to her heart when
she found it could not be pointed out
to her With the careless indiffer-
ence which is shown to the corpses of
outcasts, poor Deiarer had been
thrown into hastily dug hole, with
out anyone noting, or noticing it, or
remembering which it was.
subsequently, several other paupers
were buried in the same spot, and the
sexton could only show two graves to
the disconsolate woman and tell her
that her husband was positively one
of the twain. During the latter stage
of her recovery she had looked for
ward to the consolation of coming to
his tomb as to a shrine, and wiping
her tears there land it was bitter that
such could not be. The miserable
widow even attempted to obtain the
consent of the proper funtionaries
that the graves might be opened, and
her anXieties put at rest ! When told
that this could not be done, she deter
mined in her soul that at least the
remnant of her hopes and intentions
should not be given up.
Every Sunday morning, in the mild
season, she went forth early and gath
cred fresh flowers md dressed both
the graves. So she knew that the
right one was cared for, even, if an
other shared that care. And lest she
should possibly bestow the most of
their testimony Of love on him she
knew not, but whose spirit might be
looking down invisible in the air and
smiling upon her, she was very care
full to have each tomb adorned in an
exactly similar manner. In a strange
land and among strange race, it was
like communion with her own people
to visit that burial mound.
''If | could only know which to bend
over when my heart feels heavy
thus finished the sorrowing being as
she rose to depart, then it would be
q happiness. But, perhaps, l am
blind to my dearest mercies. God in
His great wisdom may have meant
that should not know what grave
was his, lest grief over it should be-
come too common a luxury for me,
and melt me away"
l offered to accompany her and sus-
port her feeble steps but she prefer
red that it should not be so. With
languid feet she moved on. l watch
ed her pass though the gate, and I'M
der the arch saw her turn, and in a
little while she was hidden from my
wiz Thnn | nnrAf1,tlyr nnrfn1 fhn
flowers upon one of the graves, and
sat down there, and leaned my face
in my open hands, and thought.
What wondrous thing is woman 5
love. Oh, Thou, whose most mighty
tribute is the Incarnation of Love. [
bless Thee that Thou didst make this
fair disposition i'll the human heart,
and didst root it there so deeply that
it is stronger than all else, and can
never be torn out Here is this aged
wayfarer, a woman of trials and griefs,
decrepit, sore and stepped in poverty,
the most forlorn of her kind, and yet,
through all the storm of misfortune
and the dark cloud of years settling
upon her, the memory of her love
hovers like beautiful spirit amid the
gloom it never deserts her, but
Yes, this creature loved; this wrinkled,
skinny, gray haired crone had heart
to swell with passion, and her pulses
to throb and her eyes to sparkle.
Now nothing remains but IL lovely re-
membrance, coming as of old, and
stepping in It's accustomed path, not
to perform its former object, or for
mer duty-but from long habit. Moth
,,,o chat j.. ~ hn
deal? Without doubt she wished
many time3 that she could be placed
beside him.
Then the weary spiri shall no more
be weary the aching head and the
aching heart shall be strangers to pain;
and the soul that has fretted and sor-
rowed away its little life on earth will
sorrow not any more. When the
mind has been roaming abroad in the
crowd, and returns sick and tired of
hollow hearts and of human deceit,
let us think of the grave and of death
and they will seem like soft and pleas
ant music. Such thoughts then
soothe and calm our pulses they open
a peaceful prospect before us. do
not dread the grave. There is many
a time when | could lay down and
pass my immortal part through the
valley of the shadow, as composedly
as | quaff water after tiresome walk
For what is there of terror in taking
our rest? What is there here below
to draw us with such fondness Life
is the running of a race-a most weary
race, sometimes. Shall we fear the
goal merely because it is shrouded in
a cloud?
Irose and carefully replaced the part
ed flowers and bent my steps home
ward.
If there be any sufficiently interest
ed in the fate of the aged woman, that
they wish to know further about her,
for those l will add that ere long her
affection was transferred to region
where it might receive the reward of
its constancy and purity. Her last
desire-and it was complied with
was that she should be placed mid
way between the two graves.
THE REFORMED SMOKERS.
Two men, both smoking stumps of
cigars, met this morning.
Il am smoking too much," one of
them said, land l believe you are.
Let's quit.
They agreed to it, and threw away
their stumps. Then they talked a
long time about being men, and how
they intended to break away from
the habit that was running their
health and costing SO much money.
: Then they got to talking about other
matters, and finally one of them said !:
"Have a cigar?''
The men moved toward a cigar
store, selected and lit a cigar, and
then the reformers went their differ
ent ways, smoking, entirely forgetting
their resolve to reform.