Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1857-07-23
Gboite Mlisttaa11p.
From Godey's Lady's Book, for August.
THE SHADOWS WE CAST.
BY e. s. ARTHUR.

A child was playing with some building
blocks; and, as the mimic castle rose before
his eyes in graceful proportion 8, q new plea
su.e sweiied IN bis heart. He felt himself
to be the Greater of thing of beauty.' and
was conscious Of a newborn power. Arch.
wall. buttress. gateway, drawbridge, lofty
tower, ana battlement were all the work of
his hands. He was In wonder at his own
skill in thus creating, from an unseemly pile
of blocks, structure of such rare design.
Silently he stood and gazed upon his castle
with 81 mething of the pride of an architect
who sees, after months or years of skilfully
applied labor, some grand conce2tio in his
art, enbodied.in imperishable stone. Then
he moved around, viewing it on every side.
1t did not seem to him a toy, reaching only
few iDchessi in height, and covering but
square loot of ground, but real castle, lift.
ing itself hundreds of feet upwards towards
the blue sky, and spreading wide upon the
earth it's ample foundations. As the idea
grew more and mure perfect. his strange
pleasure increased. Now he stood, with
folded srms, wrapped in the overma >tering
illusion-now walked slowly around, view
ing the structure on all sides. and noting
every minute particular-and now sat down,
and bentseser it with the iondness of d
mother beading over her child. Again he
arose. purposing TO obtain another and more
distant Ssew of bis werk. But his 'oot
struck agains: one of the buttresses, and in
sssa6fB. with a crash. wall. tower, and bat
stleusent fell in hopeless ruin.
In the room, with the boy, sat his father,
.feading. The crash disturbed him; and he
uttered sharp. angry rebuke, gIancing, for
a moment, towards the startled child, and
then returning his eyes to the attractive page
before him, unconscious Of the shadow he
had cast upon the heart of his child. Tears
came into those fair blue orbs, dancing in
light a moment before. From the frowning
face OF his father, to which his glance was
suddenly turned, the child looked back to
the shapeless ruins Of his castle. Is 1t any
wonder that he bowed his face in silence
upon them, end wet them with his tears.
For more than five minutes, he sat as
still as if sleeping; then, in mornful kind
of way, vet almost noiselessly, he commenc'
ed restoring to the box, from which he hat
taken them. tae many-shaped pieces that
f,ly Joined together, had grown into noblt
building. After the box was filled, he re
placed the cover, and laid it carefully upor
shelf in the closet.
Poor child! That shadow was q deel
one, and long in passing away. His mothe
found him, half IN hour afterwards, asleeI
on the floor, with cheeks flushed to an un
usual brightness. She knew nothing of tha
troubled passage in his young life; and tn
father had forgotten, in the attractions o
the book he read, the momentary annoyance
EXPRESSED in words and tones, with powe
in them to shadow the heart of his child.
A young wife had busted herself for man
DAYS in preparing pleasant surprise for he
husband. The work was finished at las,
and now she awaited his return, with hear
full of warm emotions. A dressing g-growr
and pair of elegantly embroidered sliPPer'
wrought By her own skilful fingers, wer
the Gifts with which she meant to deligt
him Whist .troop of pleasant fancies wa
in her heart, How, almost impa'iently, di
che wal. for the eomii.s twilight, which W.
itohe dawn, not approaching osrkness'
her! -q
At last. she heard the step of her husOsn
in the passage, and her pulses ieapeo VIII
huttering delight. Like a bird upon u
wing, she alH,os,' few down to meet nin
iimpstient for the kiss Ihst aw sitea nsr.