The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-10-04
ON THE HILLSIDE.

/
long and narrow strip Of earth, and now
the soil shows dark where late the green
sod grew.
The men have done their task and are
waiting Soon n long, dark line shows
against the woods below us procession
wcnds its say across u broad field and W
the slope of the hill. They carry a'burdcn
IN front of the line, ard the hearers toll IN
the ascent, while weird but melodious
thant floats upon the air rs they draw neal
the spot where the men still wait with un
covered heads
Though strong young arms carry the
burden, there are aged men there whose
dusky faces are furrowed, and whose forms
are bent with age. There are women
too, no less venerable with kcrCliefs
the insignia of their order pinned H.
snowy folds across their hosoms They
! knew his mother in the dear old days that.
, they love to remember when they were
! children and played on the hillside to
, gether.
! He, whom they are Carrying home,
/ had played there, too, and when far away
( he knew that his sickness was "unto
! death" There came to him in feverCd
/ dreams visions of the soft greensward the
starry flowers, the clear brook at the foot
! Ol Ino nlll tDe ripe berries ne uSCu JC
gather there, and he pinned to rest his
failing eyes on the dear spot once more
He lonRed for the sunny land and for the
little cabin there, where on the threshold
he had sat in the twilight at his mothers
knee. Can goP Could l get there?''
he asked with eager eyes fixed on the face
of the kind physician who had been his
employer and his friend, ard who did not
fail him now.
The longings of the homesic soul had
been filed, for the wanderCr died by his
mothers cabin door with the few simple
flowers that her hand had planted bloom
ing near by. Aunt Dinah nursed him
carefully, and she had theory of her own
about the flowers.
at do seem," she said, like dey done
open sooner dis spring fer purpose SOS he
could see EN- He di crave for em so. y
He died at sunset, with the SOFT fading
light on the cabin door, and Aunt Dinah
believed that the last rays fingered there
that the dying eyes might behold their
glory a little longer ere they should open
upon the brighter glories of the new Jeru.
salem.
Now the bearers pause and set their
burden down on the cool green grass
among the flowers that he loved. The
solemn silence is broken by the careless
whispering of several boys and girls, la
borers who, from an adjoining field, had
followed the procession.
"Hush, child'ni" said Aunt Dinah re.
provingly. "Br'er Dan'ls gwine ter side
in prayr.
An aged man, whose hair was white and
whose face was furrowed raised his trem-
: bling hands, and every voice was pushed
1--WE is called on, my frcn's, an likewise
my hrcd'rCn, an my sisters in de Lawd,
ter form desc last otTcnses fer dis, our
'seascd br'er befo us us he done 'pent oh
his sins an done fessCd Lnwd We say he
done gone home, but Cf der he airy hr'Cr CT
likewise airy sister in dis congregation dat
knows BrCr Tom nerson amt gone ter
y glory let hm--tr likewise her-speak now
at dis prcsn' time err hol his tongue after.
ward an ferebGr mo-.
der amt nonet' Cries of mo, nor
Den we ac' Oh de delusion dat he done
gone dar; darfo' let us pray"
The words may be told, but the spirit
of the petition that followed may never be
made manifest.
, IAN now, hear us, good Lawd, We
'seech an pray! He done trod de fiery fur
= nish oh Fiction in dis col worl longsid6
er Meeshack, Shedrack an Bcndigo"-
Eyes, Lawd!' responded nearer.
2 IAN de roarin lions couldn't YOUR him
ner neither de fiery flames couldn't scotch
0 him, an now he's done gone wild Lazcree.
t an Diyess inter Aberham's buzzum, whal
dey amt got nary drap er water ter coo
der burnin tongues wid"-
mary dap Halleluyer - was respond
@ ed.
I, "But dis, our br'er, he done gone wha
= de wicked coast from troublin an de wear,
, is at res"
d Here his words were almost lost in til,
confusion that Acknowledgements, groans
shouts, responses-and above all soft mo
II notonous chant was heard The mass O
humanity, which pressed close to tn
= speaker, swayed to and fro, as If swept b,
mighty wind
l. Suddenly the speakers voice resume,
it's wonted tone, order was restored ant
J. the prayer was brought to close
IAN now Dress we alls, our Father
= an when we is call'd may we go like W
trus dis, thy servant, is done gone, out
II desc bouns OBJ nic'erty and de gallds c
bitterness, inter dy gates OBJ real COLE al
Il silver, fer his sake, amen"
3. In u few minutes the crowd has dis
n persed, seemingly foraetful of the late ex
element, and the things of everyday lif
d resume sway. AS they follow the marrow
path down the hill. Aunt Dinah, walking
beside her, tells Sis Chloe of late wonder
= full achievements of her own "speckle
pullet" in the egg producing line. He
?, nearer, barely suppressing a sniff of in
/, credulity, bestows "a sound cuff on the lon
n suffering cars of black Sam, the cowboy
II asking, rs she encores the proceeding
"See dat sun dar? How low down it don
gone, an whar dem cows, does you 'spect?
1s Even Uncle Danl, so recently ofiiciatin
at the solemn ceremony, and who held hi
s. hearers as by spell, tells Br'er Johnsin
y of the mysterious disappearance of ia
+, porker from the pen at his house "la'
st night" eying his listener, meanwhile,
d perchance he may show signs of conscious
lie ness, for, as one of 1.-THE members" ono
g remarked, "Br'er .Johnsing have he
p weakness, dough he do pass 'roun de hat.
They are all gone now; their voices al
dying in the distance and silence comes
with the mantle of night to the new mad
oraNn ON tho hillside lprnthy Mayn |