The daily republic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1853-1853, 1853-07-23
THE REPUBLIC.
SUMMER SKETCHES-No. 6.
BY MARY !. WINDLE.

Il
SHANNoNDALE SPRINGS, July 20, 1853.
"A rosebud for your thoughts, fair lady," OK
claimed handsome Virgnan to Miss ----, as
she leaned listlessly against the balustrade of the
portco; ''what calamity has befallen your Ilas
your canary, weary Of his glded prison, strangled
himself between the wires, or are you inditing
elegy;" t a a ~
| Miss -- raised her lovely blue eyes, half
filled with tears, as she replied cit was foolish
thought, and is not worth your beautiful bride;
but you shall have it, such it is. was wish
ting FOR fairy to wait on my will, and to bring
me some new delight. - az
| Shame your desire, and let me be your fairy!"
| Miss --- laughed and shook her head: sob!
you cannot, for l want to be Queen of Tableau
this very night.' i
| "And SO you shall this very night Two hours
hence we will reassemble in the parlor, each of
us prepared to take part in the amusements of
this evening"
| Quite brilliant circle assembled in the spa
cioua dining room at eight O'Clock to witness the
promised representation of Tableau. Miss -----
was to personate Cleopatra at her toilet, attired
/ by Charmion and Iris.
| The curtain suddenly rising revealed the gor
rously did the graceful Kate S. personate
the character.
| Arrayed in a rich undress, she lay luxurously
pillowed on splendid couch, with her rich, black
hair unbound and partly gathered in the hands of
a graceful girl, who was braiding it with jewels,
while darling little Susie knelt by the
couch and tied the sandal on foot Of exquisite
proportions. Magnificent drapery, flowers, and
gems, were lavished in rich profusion around; and
the whole scene was redolcnt of beauty, grace,
and splendor
'Ihe rare Egyptian" lay in attitude Of charm
ing lnnguor; her dark, eloquent eyes, where love
seemed to be dreaming, were half closed; her full
crimson lips were parted slightly, and her clear,
brown check, ''most passionately pale, was pill
lowed oman arm round and graceful as that of
Juno. But the lightly-veed bosom was seen to
heave, and, as the first symptom of restlessness
on the part of the performer had been agreed upon
as the signal for dropping the curtain, the radiant
vision vanished from our view.
Again the curtain rose The food of rosy light
upon the stage illumlned shape that we held our
breath to see. Attired in transparent-howing
slip, with dropping wings and hands clasped Ian
guidly before her, graceful Peri leaned against
what seemed to be cloud, bending her head, and
listening, with her large, ustrous eyes upturned,
as if in wondering rapture, while strain of low,
delicious melody from some invisible source rose
softly on the air. 1t was soft gliding, and yet
with richness of tone we had never heard be-
fore-now swelling out into melody that vibrated
deep into our beating hearts-then dying away to
whisper faint as the sigh of child, only to rise
again in such thrilling, unearthly sweetness that
ILL. I'D
by an inhabtant of earth.
You could have heard your heart beat, SO pro-
found, so wrapt was the stiffness that prevailed
Not breath-not sigh. Bathed in that pale
rosy light soft, radiant, erial as dream of Hea
ven, it seemed. as though adoring reverence were
the needful homage. Sweet little Susie
she seemed an angel from the regions above, SO
fair and spotess did she look, the light falling
her soft white slip, and weaving her hair into a
tissue with the mingling of its own bright rays.
Never to my dying day shall forget the thrilling
expression of those statue-like features, solemn
with intensity of feeling, she stood in breathless
rapture, with parted lips, till the music died away,
us if the sounds had been withdrawn again into
the Heaven to which they belonged.
The cessation of the music seemed to unbind
the chains that held her young soul captive-for
shy, timid glance stole into the sweet childish
face, and faint smile to the parted lips, as she
vanished from our view.
Dear, lovely Susie --! she seemed indeed
Peri at the gates of Paradise, listening to an air
from Heaven, like the south wind over an Eolian
harp, bearing on it's wings the odors of celestial
flowers and the tones of angel voices.
Again the curtain rose.
The picture presented was scene from English
history, which came with a strange, deep meaning
to the breathess spectators.
The light strcamed in long, soft rays upon the
kneeling figure of Mary Queen of Scotland. 1t
was the hour of confession before execution. If
queens have divine right to beauty, this lovely
girl might have been one of the most royal, for
she had presence and bearing remarkable for
dignity.
The rich, dark brown hair streamed back from
low Medicean brow, while the upturned face
and the divincly melancholy eyes-made lumi-
nous by the living soul that shone through them
were cast as if in earnest suppEcation to Heaven;
and the white caspcd hands-emblems of purity
and fraglity--as though mploring mercy Oh
the unutterable agony of that Madonna-like face
How full of anguish was the appealing look of
those soft eyes as they seemed to grow dim with
the misery of approaching death. The plying
glance of the priest rested on them in deep COM
miseration.
A moment and it vanished from our sight; but
soon buzz of awed admiration was heard among
the spectators as the curtain again rose and re-
! vealed the death scene.
! In kneeling attitude, her polished neck upon
the fatal block, appeared Scotland's ill-tated
queen Her hair now fell in sofl brown rngets, sif
wishing to burst from its sable confinement in or
der to shade the touching melancholy Of her timid