Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-03-21
EVENING STAR,
THE STAR ND0w;
OR, r HE OLD MANS DARLING.
BY wINIFRRD woopFRRN.

Few passers by e'er come this way.
Night after night, day after day,
Ii stands, serene and calm and gray,
AS Ii SO long has stood
A peaceful silence over all
Mos grows upon the massive wall,
And on the easements good.-W. w.
There were many other rooms in the large,
| old-fashioned house, many rooms smaller and
lighter, and fitted out with modern furniture,
| with beautiful pictures, frames and screens,
| music racks, and hanging book shelves. But
| from the time when L, tiny child of five
years old, had gone to live at my dead mother s
birth place, l had always loved this room
best; because it was high and dark and gloomy;
because the silver moonlight, entering through
| the drapery of morning glOries, shimmered ON
the floor and walls In a thousand fantastic
| shapes; because a certain carved book case
| of black wood stood in one corner of the room,
and held choice selection of old romancss,
and ghost and fairy stories; and an ancient
piano with little brass knobbed drawers in the
sides, which had belonged to my mother in
| her girlish days; and last, not least, because
her portrait hung there-the red lips always
smiling, the blue eyes always looking kindly
| down upon her little orphan child. In deep
| bay window, at the end of the room, was my
favorite seat, the old armchair where she had
rocked me to sleep throughout my troublesome
infancy. large and heavy mahogany table
| stood in the recess; it was well furnished with
| my writing desk, and the books loved the
best. Ny guitar case stood within n convent
ent distance, and the heavy crimson curtains
| of the recess shut me in when choose to have
them. Here was my dreaming plsce-my
happy valley-my "eyrie," as Clyde Hami-
| ton often called it.
My guardian was widOwer without chill
dren, who lived in this grand old house, with
| his servants, his old housekeeper, and his two
wards-Clyde Hamilton, Ibis nephew,) and
! myself, Clyda Stanton. We we're related, in
| distant way, and Clyde and L were brought
up together like brother and sister We were
| much alike in person, as well as in name
Both tall and slender, both fair with brown
| hair and eyes of clear, dark gray both mer-
| ry, active, daring and thoughtless. But here
| the resemblance ceased, for Clyde was gentle
and yielding in disposition, while L was sin
gulary determined and fiery. My guardian
| used often to look at US and sigh, and once
| heard him say "Clyda should have been
| Clyde" This brief remark made a deep
impression on me, young as L was. L often
used to weep secretly, because | was so head
strong, and resolved to do better, but at the
| first provocatiOn, presto. the eyes flashed, the
face flushed, the little hand was raised, and
Clyda bent meekly before the storm.
My guardian was a very handsome man.
He was tall aud erect, finely formed though
slightly tending to cOrpulency. His majestic
| form-his straight, proud features, his high
| white forehead, and curling hair, nearly au-
burn in hue-hiS heavy, curling beard and
| mOustache, and the calm, immOvable express
sion of his face, all denoted strength-and
admired and was proud Of them. But his
| smile, though very sweet, was sad there
was glance of restless pain in his large blue
eyes; and an undertone Of melancholy in his
voice, like the distant music of the lonely sea.
l often wondered what could be the reason Of
this, but never dared to ask. 1 was his pet
and favorite / climbed up his knee and
nestled in his bosom; both Clyde and myself
were taught to call him "Aleck, y in the place
of the more formal Guardian" or " Mr.
Hamilton - but though we were with him so
constantly and Familiarity, he drew a line be-
tween as uncOnsciously, and his soul said to
mine, '' Thus far shalt thou come, and no far
ther !" Never, by word or deed, or look, did
L step over the boundary line; not that L
feared him, but because l was too proud to
intrude upon his inner life.
My guardian was not an old man. Not
more than thirty years had passed over his
head, when my sixteenth birthday came
round. But on that day, as / sat upon his
knee and rolled his soft curls of shining hair
round my finger, / saw, what had never no.
ticed before, that they were slightly sprinkled
with gray. l could not quite repress an ex-
clamatiOn OfEsurpri.e; he looked up from the
eyes still fixed upon the eurls. His face
changed at once, and saying abruptly " You
are growing almost too large a girl to keep
this old place upon my knee" he put me
from it, rose, and went into the library and
locked himself in His words panied me, for
liked to be near him, and lay my head upon
his shoulder. But they were forgotten the
next day by US both, and L took my seat
again without reproof. l had lot grown too
laru at IN ha hod uiy
in his heart.
He was our teacher. -Four hours every day
were spent with him in his library, and Clyde
and l studied Latin and Greek from the same
book. Nor was our musical education neg
lected. Clyde's voice was like Alek's-a fine,
clear tenor, though lacking the rich and
mournful music that thrilled the heart when
ever he sang. Mine was deep and rich con-
tralto, and our concerts in the music room
were by no means to be depised. My guar
dian played, as he sang. divinely. He was a
genius III this respect. The organ was his fa
vOrite instrument. l played upon the piano
and guitar, and Clyde loved best to awake
the soft echoes Of the flute. And the greater
part Of our evenings were spent in the music
room together, where all these instruments
had their accustomed place. Then came the
good night kiss and greeting, and we sepa
rated, to await the coming of as happy NOR
row.
But the "Star Window Yes! that was
what was going to tell you about 1t was
the bay window of which L have already
spoken, and was known by that name, be-
cause from its open easement we had traced
the consultations on many a winter evening
And also, because L had q peculiar habit of
sitting there, each night, when the evening
star arose, and dreaming such gorgeous
dreams as colored all my inner and outer life. |
1t became q by-word in the house when 1 was
asked for, at this particular hour. "She is at
the Star Window talking with Venus" Ger
tainly the Goddess of Beauty had somewhat
to do with those exquisite dreams. And when,
from the music room below, l heard the solemn
tones ofthe organ, or the mellow notes of the |
flute, such vague lOngings, such wild desires,
beginning and ending in o pleasing pain,
would thrill through my heart, that 1 could |
only sit and weep passiOnately. or walk tie |
floor in wild and melancholy unrest.
In such mood, one night, L hardly noticed |
that the organ had ceased, till my guardians |
arm passed around nay wrist, and his step |
kept pace with mine. The gathering twilight |
ii