ONE DDLIAR PER ANNUM INVARIABLY IN ADVANCE. TOWANDA: Thursday Morning, June 19, 1862. jsjlttftb (From The Louisville Journal.) IN STATE. 0 Keepers of the Sabred Key, And the Great Seal of Destiny, Whoe eye is the blue canopy, Look down upon the warring world and tell us what the end will be. " Lo, through the wintry atmosphere, On the white bosom of the sphere, A cluster of five lakes appear ; And all the land looks like a touch, or warrior's shield or sheeted bier. " And on that vast and hollow field, With both lips closed and both eyes sealed,'' A mighty figure is revealed— Stretched at lull length and stiff and stark as in the hollow of a shield. " The winds have tied the drifted snow Around the face and chin, and 10, The sceptred Giants come and go, And shake their shadowy crowns and say : " We always feared it would be so.'' " She came of an heroic race ; A giant's strength, a maiden's grace, Like two in one seem to embrace, And match, and blend, and thorough-blend, in her colos sal form and face. " Where can her dazzling falchion be ? One hand is fallen iu the sea ; The gulf stream drifts it far and free, And in that hand her shining brand gleame from the depths resplendently. " And by the other in it res f , The Starry Banner of the West Is clasped forever to her brest ; And of her silver helmet, 10, a soring eagle is the crest 1 " And on her brow a softened light, As of a star concealed from sight By some thin vail of fleecy white. Or of the rising moon behind the rainy vapors of the night! " The sisterhood that was so sweet— The Starry System sphered complete, Which the mazed Orient used to greet— The Four and Thirty fallen stars glimmer and glitter at ber feet. "And, 10, the children which she bred, And more than all else cherished, To make them strong in heart and deed, Stand face to face as mortal foes with their swords cross ed above the Dead i " Each hath a mighty stroke and stride, And onejs Mother true and tried, The other dark ank evil-eyed ; And by the hand of one of them his own dear mother surely died 1 " A stealthy step—a gleam of hell It U the simple truth to tell— The S°n stabbed, and the Mother fell : And ioshe lies—all mute, and pale, and pure, and irre proachable. " And then the battle trumpet blew : And the true brother sprang and drew His blade to smite the traitor through ; And so they clashed above the bier, and the night sweat ed bloody dew! " Now, whichsoever stand or fall, As GOD is Great and man is small, The truth shall triumph over all— forsver and forever more the Truth shall triumph over all!" Thus sath the Keeper of the Key, And the Great Seal of Destiny, Whose eye is the blue canopy ; And leaves His firmament of Peace and Silence over bond and free. Selected © ah, The Mystery of the Library. No searching eye can pierce the veil That o'er my -ecret life is thrown ; No outward sign its tale. But to my bosom known, Thus like toe spark whose livid light In the dark flint is hid from sight, It dwells wilhiu, alone. Mrs. Hemans. " What have you concealed there?" I said, taking hold of the heavy silk drapery attached to a rose wood-cornice, and falling in graceful folds to the floor. " Lillian ! Lillian, don't raise it !" exclaim ed Mrs. Thornton, springing from the esy chair in which she had been reclining with the list lessuess of a dreaming child, and darting to my side she pressed so heavily against the veil that I could discern the outline ola picture frame " A picture!" I exclaimed. " Oh, I must see It, for I can never rest where there is anything toysterious." " But this yon cannot—must not see." I did not reply,for having been an inmate of the house only a week, and this being my first ▼ifit to the library. I did not give utterence to the thoughts which rushed through my mind. Perhaps Mrs. Thornton divined my thoughts, as after a moment's silence she said : " You are to have access to this library at all times, even, to rummage the drawers and pigeon holes of the de.-k, if your curiosity de mauds it ; but you must not look beneath the veil that hides this picture?" and her pale lips trembled, her dark, expressive eyes were fixed upon mine. "Just one glance," I said pleadingly; but she moved her head negatively, and I went on ; " How can I stody with that mystery ever beiore nse, and then I shall never sleep sound ly again, btit dream the livelong night of this tnystical veil, and that it hides some strange, weird image ; or worse,become a somnambulist •nd Irighten every servant (who happens to fear shots) from the house by my midnight ex plorations and wanderings " " No eye but mine ever looks upon this veil *d picture. It is sacred, for it is the ouly relic I have preseived of my past life ; ail that I have to remind me of happy days too bright to last —of a brief period when life's pathway was strewn with flows, and I dreamed uot that THE BRADFORD REPORTER. beneath those fair, perfumed flowers, petals, sharp, piercing thorns were hidden." Her face was pale as deatn, and those deep, dark eyes moist with pearly tears. I saw that her heart was deeply pained ; that swelling from memory's fouut came pain lul remembrance, and truly penitent I said, " Furgive my thoughtless words, aud I promise never to raise the veil from this picture, nor pain you by my questions." An intense smile stole over her pale fea tures, aud kissing my cheek, she murmured, " Dear child, pe~haps some day I may lift the veil aud tell you all." • Then turning away to hide her tears, left me standing before the veiled picture. It was rather curious how 1 came to be a dweder in the house of Mrs. Thornton. Two years before, when but fourteeu years old, I came to New Haven to attend school,and soon after my father leaving home for Europe,where he expected to remain three years, intrusted me to llie guardianship of Mr. Howe, an old friend of his college days. It was at the house of Mr. Howe, that I first met Mrs. Thorutou. She went but little into society, and my guar dian's was one of the few families she visited Her pale, expressive face attracted tne, and then, too, there was an indefinable something in her dark, liquij eye®, now so sad, aud glow ing with an intense smile, that awoke an answering echo in my young heart. She always called me to her side to ask me about my studies ; and when a new book was announced which she thought would be suitable for me to read, she placed it in my hand with my name engraven cu the fly leaf in her own hand writ ing. Was it struuge that my heart wanned toward her; that her coming was looked for ward to wiih pleasure, cr that I vlteu begged for the privilege of visiting tier, in her quiet, pleasant home. My visits there were not V( ry frequent; and when there we sat in her boudoir, which was fitted up with artistic taste, and having never been admitted to the library 1 hud never seen the veiled picture. I nad a pleusaut home with Mr. Howe's family, yet it was a glad surprise when he said that 1 could board with Mis. Thornton, if 1 wished, and thought I could b: happy there. Mrs. Ti 0 i ton had propose I i', as Mr. Howe's family anticipated being abseut from the city most of the summer, and the following Satur day 1 removed to her house. it was my first holiday in my new home, and I had gone to the Iturary with Mrs. Thorn ton to select a book when on passing around, my eyes fell upon the silk drapery shading the walls in the furthest corner, and was about to draw it aside, when her exclamation prevent ed me. I had pri raised nt to look beneath the mysterious lolds o: Vat sukeii veil, yet 1 was not satisfied; curiosity proniytcd me to try to catch a hasty glimpse when Mrs. Thornton was occupied, but honor farbude. Summer and autumn passed, and the long winter evenings were spent in the cosy, cheer ful library; and though I cast many a furtive glance toward the veiled picture I dared not question Mrs. Thornton, and began to despair of the da wing of that day when she would re late the history of the picture. It was a mild evening in spring, and we were sitting before the grate in the library; I watched the fast dimming coals that had burned low, while Mrs. Thornton with closed eyes, sat near in the easy chair. My reverie was broken by the tremulous tones of her voice, saying: " Lillian, do you remember your mother?'' Then I answered that, though I turned leaf after leaf of memory's book, yet I could find no record of a mother's love 6he died when I was about two years old, yet my fath er had been kind, and, as far us possible,filled the place of both father and mother. Mv childhood had passed happily; my father was both friend and instructor, and my first great grief had been when I was seul to school und my father sailed for Europe. " Was your mother's name Lillian ?" and tliore was something iu the tone of her voice that startled me. " Iler name was Flora—Flora May. Was it not a sweet name ?" " Very pretty," and the glowing intensity of her eye, as I met its gaze, made my heart throb with a struuge sensation. " I can't tell where she was buried. Once when I a>ked my father, he said it was fur away, and we would go to the place of my birth when I was older. My father was lonely after mother's death that lie sold his home in New York and removed to Ohio. I have no recollection of my first home, but shall ask my fathrr to take me there before we return to Ohio.", " And your father loved his wife?" " What a strange question," I said. Yet she appeared to have spoken without thought. " If he had not loved her, do you think he would have remained true to her memory fif teen years." " 1 have a headache, and shall retire," Mrs. Thornton said, rising; and coming to my side, she kissed me tenderly, and with a flushed cheek left the library. For a long time I sat gazing into the dying coals. Weie her questions the magic key that had u: locked the casket where the mem ories of ray childhood were stored ! I could not tell. Yet there came a dim remembrance of a time when I was playing alone in the garden, and a strange face peered into mine, as some one clasping me in her arms kissed me again aud again, while my face was wet w.th tears. I n ver knew whence s! e