Year: 1861

Evening Thoughts.


Who does not love to gaze on scene like


this glowing sunsetf The western sky is all


ablaze and CLEANS like FURNISHED gold, and


all objects beneath its gilded rays are bathsd


in golden light. Even that small, feecy


cloud floating near seems tinged with gold.


After all, this is a beautiful world, and con.


tains many bright spots among the clouds
Oh, that we could make our lives so beauti.


full that, when bowed down with grief, we
could rise above the gloomy thoughts that
oppress us and see thestar Of hope still bright
and be led to believe that the darkest cloud
has silver lining and that
"Behind frowning providence
God hides smiling face"
This beautiful sunset reminds me Of anoth-
er OF which this seems the counterpart. Years
have passed since thon, but the incidents of
that evening are as bright to my mental eye
as those of this morning. Time cannot oblit-
crate them while life lasts or season holds her
throne.


Again I seem to stand in the darkened
chamber whore weeping friends stood around
the death-bed of the. dearest friend have


ever lost. Again gaze upon the marble
brow where death had set its seal, and the
half-cosed syelids, ss she would lie in gentle
slumber, or the CLASSY gaze in her waksful
moments, all presents picture on which
had never gazed before that wsll-rsmembered
evening. was then quite young, and she,
our dying one, was young. But little moro
than twenty years Of sunshine and shade had
passed over her head. When child she had
known what it was to lose the dearest of all
earthly friends, a mother, and was left with
no sympathizing heart to share her joy or
sorrow. She lived in her fathers house sur.
rounded by every comfort wealth could pro-
cure. Teachers were employed, and, being
OF thoughtful turn, she bent her mind to
study. Her fathers library became her IA
vorits resort, and there she would sit for hours
among the great and noble minds which there
held sway. They seemed inviting her from
every shelf to come and partake of the rich
feasts, and she did partake most freely. She
would sit for hours cleaning rich gems OF
thought from her favorite authors, and the
knowledge she thus obtained was destined to
be of great benefit to her in after years, when
she moved ia the literary world. In her
ssventsenth year she welded. against her
fathers will, poor but worthy young man.
l shall say but little Of this one act of diso-
bedience that mars the otherwise beautiful
story of her life. Let any one who would
cast blame upon her, remember that her
youthful days were spent withouta mother.
watchful care, and that of all who hava YET
lived upon this earth there was but one al
together perfect.


But she was soon called upon to mourn
the loss Of her husband who was laid low by
the hand Of death. To this great sorrow she
bowed in meek submission, saying that, ss
she had forgotten God and worshippsd an
idol, He had seen fit to remove that idol
When forsaken by kindred and friends, and
the chord Of sorrow grew thick and dark, Il
was then that that great mind began to work.
Day after day her brilliant pen was engaged
in giving to the world bright gems cleaned
from her gifted mind. Living pictures Of
life were portrayed; old thoughts arraysd in
a new light, and others, new and genuine.
we're put on paper. Her fame .pread. snd
numerous friends hocked round her again
but her only surviving parent still held him.
self aloof, and the dear ties Of kindred re-
mained asunder. But that dreaded disease,
consumption, had fastened upon her, and shs
felt she was doomed to an early death.


But she had obtained, through faith in
Christ grace to sustain her in the hour Of
trial, and she believed that God would give
grace for the dying hour. It was almost the
eleventh hour that her father relented and
forgave his dying child and brought her to
her old home; and ON that beautiful evening
she was just leaving it again for brighter
one in heaven.