Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1856-05-07

child OF song. and so fingered Ia her presence
chained by sympathy Of mind over mind.
Annie did not ask herself if Earnest lovet
her. She only felt his kindness. and wa
blest in her own absorbing passion.
One summer day Annie was surprised By
the arrival of Earnest. She had not beeI
warned of his approach. and she sprang oyel
the door sill with light almost Wild step. to
! welcome him.
s'You did not tell ms you was coming Ear
nest, and now am more glad that you did
not. for this surprise is very sweet.
81 have come sooner than thought to,
| for have something tosay to you, Annie, ]
love most tenderly, even pass;onateiy, love-
" girl. Do not turn Jour eyes from me,
! am sure you are my good friend.
6. Is she rery beautiful Earnest. said Annie
trembling. r
"Ab. yes, Annie. more beautiful than
even your widest fancy ever wove into song.
VIII you. dear child, when you are IN the
glow of your highest inauguration. write .
bridal song and let it be more rich in beauty
than the sky is at midnight with stars, Oh,
Annie. she is divinely beautiful. for gifted
soul looks out of the soft features, and tinges
the smiles and lights the eye with more than
human beauty. Will you not rejoice with me.
that at last can see with lovers vision
that the scales have all fallen from dead eyes,
and now everywhere see newness of life.
Annie was silent; she did not say she re-
joiced in her friends happiness.
'sForgive Inc, Annie. for Withholding this
secret from you so long. 1t was sweet to
keep it in my soul and gloat over it, and look
at it with a miser's eye. You forgive me An
nie?"
'' Yes, yes. forgive"
Earnest and Annie did not meet again till
the family circle were gathered for the even
ing. Earnest sat apart from Annie. and en-
gagged the old people in pleasant conversation.
Annie listened. but looked out into the night
on the soft moonlight on the green sloping
bank. She was exerting more than physi-
cal power over her thoughts, and striving to
beat back the low rumblngs Of the tunlult
that in her young ardent nature was bursting
into fresh rebellion
The effort was too great A dizziness stole
into Annie's over-taxed brain She saw the
trees dancing. the brook waving back ward
and forward, and the moonlight shadow swan
before her eyes. She uttered faint cry, and
would have fallen from her seat, had not Ear
nest who had been watching her intently, !
sprang forward and caught her in bis arms !
They took Annie to her bed.
The powerful excitement of the day with
her effort to conquer it, had created fever in
her veins and her brain. For week Annie
lay in great danger.
In her unconsci Gus state, Annie talked !
constantly of Earnest, of his beautiful bride /
and of her own grief Sometimes she would |
fancy she was preparing the bridal wreath. |
and would call for fresh flowers from the /
brook. Again she would repeat the words /
Of Earnest !
"Ah, Annie, she is more beautiful than t
your widest fancy ever wrote into songa !
Then she would improvise rhyme, saying i
'' this shall be the bridal song. l will not be {
the naughty child of my dear friend. I will I
write him bridal song, and sing it too 1t his |
wedding"
Earnest at such times, would listen with |
the deepest feeling to all those revelations of
ler poetic soul. He wrote on his tablets each /
inc of the sweet verse she had named the
e bridal song" He was never absent from
her side, and the first object that Annie saw
1n the return of consciousness was Earnest
May She held out her thin white hand to
lim and tried to speak her thanks for his
presence.
Many weeks of weariness and languor came
% the poor sick girl ere she could leave her
,ed There seemed to be something holding
Ter back from health. Her mind was not
|
luite at rest. /
Earnest read the soul of the young girl,
md on each day felt more than ever like
,uiltv wretch who had crushed in his rude
land beautiful and fragile flower. Well as
he had imagined he had understood her, he
ound he had no conception of the extreme
leiicacy and sensativeness of her nature. No
ttention or kindness from him could in any
yay wipe out the great wrong he had done
Ter. But what was in his power TO give he
ave with earnestness and devotion. It was
le who sat by her bed side, and stroye by
Ieasant conversation and reading to entice
er back to health and cheeIfulness. His
run bore her slight frame from the sick
hamber into the genial sunshine.
Nor was Earnest wholly unsuccessful in his
forts to restore Annie to health and when
he soft air touched her pale cheek, there
prang up again in her soul desire to live,
{ I at to revel IN the beauty of nature.
One day Earnest bore Annie into the gar
len arbor. Annie was still weak, and very
ale. from the effect of her long illness. She
eemed as fragile as an infant in the arms of
he strong man. How slight a breath might
ip the beautiful flower and vet strong
7ill was beating in her bosom, and a brave
cart was in that frall tenement, that was
uoying her on the wave of destiny and
7ould surely bear her safely to some protect
ng harbor.
Earnest drew from his bosom tablet upon
7hieh were inscribed the lines of the song
nproyised in Annie's delirium He com
lenced reading it to Annie, who sat perfect
' absorbed in the strange mystery. The
hyme, the thoughts was hers, but how could
he account for the treble lines?
Earnest closed the verse, and replaced the