The Port Gibson herald, and correspondent. (Port Gibson, Claiborne Co., Miss.) 1848-18??, 1851-06-27
Silver. Voice and Her Sister Zoe.

be beheld for sale little girl, so beautiful,
and yet so sad, that though he was on the
way to conclude bargain for fifty thou
sand ardebs of beans. he could not prevail
on himself to pass indifferently on.
"Of what country!' he inquired.
"a Candiote," /" replied the slaye-dealer.
She was from his own beloved island.
"How much?"
"F'ive thousand piastres."
81 viii pay the price," The bargain
was concluded ON the spot. Another mer- !
chant got the beans; but Kariades took |
home the Silver Voice to his house.
The girl followed him, silently hanging
down her head, and refusing to answer
the questions he put in his kind, bluff way.
Some great sorrow evidently weighed up
on. her, and she refused TO be comforted.
When, however, Kariades presented her
to his wife, and said,
"This shall be our daughter" the child
opened her mouth and cried,
"Wherefore, oh, father, didst thou not
come TO the slave-market one short hour
before!"
He asked her meaning, and she explain
ed that her sister had been separated from
her, and sold to Turk; 'sand," cried she,
81 will not live unless Zoe be brought back
to my side.''
Kariades smiled as he replied,
81 went forth this day to buy beans, and
have come back with daughter. Must
needs 90 and fetch another!'
"You must!" said the girl, resolutely.
From that hour forth she was queen in
the house. Kariades returned to the slave-
market, but, strange to say, could find no
clue to the fate Of Zoe, although he offered
double her price to the dealer. Ii was be-
Ieved that she had been bought by stran-
ger merely passing through Cairo, and
making no stay; for the public crier was
employed to go about the, streets and pro-
claim that whoever would produce the
girl, should receive whatever he deman-
ded. All was in vain, Time passed on;
and the active grief Of, the Silver Voice
sobered down into steadfast melancholy.
She continued living as the daughter, or
rather as the mistress of the house, know
ing no want but that of her sister, and en-
chanting every one with the nlagnifcenee
of her singing, until she reached the age
/ of sixteen years. -
One day Kariades said to her,
/ aMy child, I must seek a husband for
| thee among the merchants of my people. +"
But she firmly refused, declaring that
there could be no JOY for her unless she
hnew that her sister was not living IN
| wretched thraldom in the house of some
cruel Turk.
"But," said he, "what if death have
overtaken her!'
"We promised, as we lay folded in each
others arms the night before we were par
ted, to be happy or sorrowfvl together-te
j laugh at the same time, to weep at the
same time and if one died, the other wa:
neverto cease grieving. remember that
as they were dragging Zoe away, she
turned her pale face, all sparkling Will
tears, towards me, and cried, for eUer!p :
!, "Meaning that you were parted to
eve?''
"No; but that we were to be faithful Il
our VOW for ever. / never shall forget tht
) agonizing expression of that face. How
7 can 1? .Isee it every night in my dreams
and painful though it be, rush into sleeI
as eagerly 70 behold it as if were going
) into Paradise. No: Iwilfnever marrywhils
} that face threatens to interpose between
my husband and me-"
nThen this vision torments thee?"
.Ah, father!" and she shuddered, ant
bent her head.
J Ii was evident that her mind was weak
ened by too much contemplation OF on
idea.
Kariades yielded before will stronge
than his own. and nothing more was saal'
either about marriage or the lost Zoe 10
!. nearly year. AT the end of this time
silver-Voice appeared before the good Oh
. man, and said,
D .Father, give me money; have though
+ of means by which | may find my siste
5 Zoe"
He looked sadly at her, but gave he
what she required. Next day she dissT
! peared, and was not heard Of for severs
/ weeks. Then she returned, consoled he
!. adopted parents by her presence for
/ while, and again departed without glvin
e the least indication Of how she employs
: | her time. Nor did they ask her, conhdei
that all she did was prompted by that mo
powerful Of all loves-the love Of slste
n supplying a mothers place.
d The truth was tina. she had hired
. number Of houses. IN various parts Of Cair
: and visited them alternately, in order
a pass the evenings singing on the terrac
e1 Despite the failure of.the researches mat
Il by Kariades, she remained persuaded tn
ii Zoe was in Cairo, and hoped that the &c
,e oes Of her magnificent voice might
e-Ilength go as messengers into the depths
ID every harem, and make known her pre-
j: ence. The whole city was BY turns re
lel l.dered happy.by the Silver-Voice; but
,s ii was heard now.in the Citadel, now ne
q. the Bisket-el-Fil, anon at the. Bah Zuw'
E. leh, men began to think strange thing
Ii Ii was curious, indeed, to hear the spec
ar lations Of the gossipping Turks about Il
+, ubiquitous voice. One Of them, who b
7 !. heard the fable Of Memnon's statue, de
vi onstrated that the sound came from no b
M man organ at all, but was produced by
II rays of the setting sun striking 10 sol
l;.~.. ,x,s,., ,,,,oy,- the NINA rete