Year: 1860

the hour when they shall rival and, perhaps,
surpass their sire in height, strength and
speed-when they shall become men, and
go forth into the busy world and make
themselves name. But for the daughter
she entertains an unmixed tenderness she
is drawn to her by more close feeling Of
sympathy, and by consciousness of her
own weakness and dependence on man, she
is led to look anxiously forward to the fu-
ture fate of her child. Every unfolding
trait of gentleness in the character of her
girl at once grati6es and grieves her-since
it is impossible to tell whether her sensibili-
ty may not prove bane to herself. But
this child lived not to prove either the sor-
rows or the pleasures Of the world, dying,
like its predecessors, in early infancy.


Slowly did maternal love, thus one by
one bereaved Of its treasures, admit that
each afaiotion might be a blessing in dis
guise. She listened meekly to the conso-
lations Of the good pastor, and hushed her
sobbings as he spoke Of the crimes and sor-
rows from which they had escaped. But


nature will have her due, and she grieved
long and bitterly after each deprivation
At length she had two sons born in day /;
and though their existence was long pre-.
carious, they finally triumphed over the
thousand ills of infancy, and promised fair
to arrive at mature years. They were fair
haired, blue eyed boys, and seemed, from
their unbroken unanimity, to have but one
and the same spirit. >


Their mild and unassuming manners en-
deared them to every beholder. To their
parents they were treasure richer than
the wealth Of Cresus. At an early age
they gave promise of talents of no ordinary
description and in their twelfth year they
had made such progress in the various
branches of learning, and were so advanced,
that the father in the honest pride of his
heart, determined that one of them should
study divinity, the other physic. But death
suddenly broke in upon their bright visions
of felicity and future fame for the iudul-
gent father and parent was found lying nj
one of his own fields with the spark of life
utterly extinguished. .r..


This was indeed griefto the widow and
a terrible loss to the orphans. But the ne
cessity which called upon their surviving
parent to ,endeavor to supply to them the
one they were deprived Of, proved an anti
dote oher sorrow. Obliged, for the sake
of her children, to superintend the cultiva-
ton of their few acres, the widow had not
time to sit down and weep. She had no
opportunity of indulging in lamentations


And to grieve as one without hope, while
her boys remained to her, she knew was
both weak and wicked.


Rather more than the first year Of her
widow-hood had expired, and it was mid
summer. The few domestics that she re-
tanned were employed in getting in the hay,
and her twin sons had entreated permission
to 60 ur the mountain side, to look after
their sheep that were feeding on the bar
rem fields of its upper region. The indul-
gent mother could not refuse such simple
request, and after dinner they set out on
their expedition. The day was uncommon
ly fine but very sultry, and some of the ol.
der farmers had predicted thunder storm.
Those, however, who never apprehend an
evil until it is close upon them, looked up
to the cloudless sky and laughed the storm
fore-tellers to scorn. But in very little
time there came sensible gloom over the
face of nature, and the sky darkened in the
East, the quarter from whence the wind
rose. There had been during the day no
perceptible breeze, but now the trees were
visibly agitated-their leaves shivering and
turning up their pale under sides; while
the dry grass in the fields and the dust in
the lanes were scattered and blown about
in contrary directions. Still the atmos,
phere was hot and oppressive, and the storm
clouds became still darker and spread them.
selves all over the sky.


No one coald now deny that the thunder
storm was approaching, and the hay-makers
returned unanimously y to their respective
farms, for so dense was the gloom, and so
appalling the solemn hush of nature, as
to awe the stoutest heart At last the
forked and vivid lightning flashed its
blue quivering fame through the disparting
clouds, followed by the thunder, that with
a long, loud crash burst overhead, and then,
after rolling away and returning again with
many heightened peal, at last died away
in the distance. Again the lightning fash
ed and the thunder rolled-apd yet again
then large, heavy rain drops fell upon
The hot earth, and were rapidly followed by /
others, until they descended in one over
shower. The conflict of the ele-
nents was truly awful. The heavens ap.
oeared to be one sheet of fame, so vivid was
he lightning, while the very earth seemed
% rock as if in terror of the thunder peal.
The wind, an unusual adjunct of a summer
storm, shook and bent the full foliage of
The trees, till the more pliable ones swept
he ground, which, as the rain fell in tor.
.ents, was deluged with water. Altogether
t was one of the most terrific storms which
,ad for many years visited that district.


And where, during the fury of the storm,
lid the twin brothers shelter themselves
On the hill ton thew would be exposed to