The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-11-11
and erO he returns the archer may smite him

and ere he returns the archer NAV smite him
| sore.
! "Oh, Jasper, it is hard to lose you When"-
! Poor youth, she needs your arm now
| 60 tonight, poor Ruth, this very night"
| OH woe, can she appreciate those words,
those deadening words Does she feel that she
is to lose him-her pride, her Joy her beautiful
one-now, and perhaps forever Does she feel
the meaning of all thisr
Nestle closely, it is but little while longer
" And where?"
place in which i can go through a probation.
make fortune to lay at your feet when the bet
ter days come"
I" The better days! Oh, Jasper!"
DO you believe III omens, Ruth ?n asked he
abstractedly
| al don't know, Jasper. have hope that
makes me put faith in any omen that is propi
tious, and disregard every one that is adverse"
How true to moral physiology were these
words of poor unconscious Ruth The glow of
healthy hope, and the sickly pallor of despair,
equally color our fancies-the one in rose, the
other In Jaundice--and equally do they furnish
the hight IN which we interpret them. The ora
Gle IS translated to our WISH and, like Croesus,
we see the possibility of only such sense as
accords with our purposes Panurge consult
|
away all the adverse features of the responses,
is but type OF mans eternally hopeful nature
and OF the universally of that Choking for
ward" expectant of better things, which alone
! keeps the knife from our threats
The future is not all dark Ruth / have
hopes, and here, at our old trysting place, dear
old love-spot, give you symbol of my faith.
which, absent shall remember, which, pres.
ent, you shall take strength from seeing. On
the bark OF our tree, Ruth, carve something that
will endure after | am gone and it shall be a
token to US both, of eternal eonstancy and etcr-
nal hope"
And Ruth leaned on his shoulder in a fond
way, while, in the beginning moonlight he bust
ly Clipped out the beech bark, and carved out
his emblem, his talisman.
Ruth, said he, suddenly, pausing in his
work, Let us die here together, and then they
cannot part us, but will bury us together in one
| grave. Then, with one brief blow, one little
sharp pain, we will be victors over all" He
held up the sharp knife, and its blade CLEANED
in the moonlight. Here" said he, touching
her white throat, one little thrust here at this
deep life-channel, one for myself, and our blood
will mingle as our dying signs shall"
TWAS the flush of a wild despair that impelled
him. Again he spoke, this time passionately,
for the thought of death had brought in its train
|
Oh, Ruth, die with mel When am gone
away, they will marry you to some one else. and
l shall come back to find my hearts love gone,
and naught left me to cherish save despair and
dark murderous thoughts. Let us die Ruth, it
is not hard to die in the arms of those we
Lowell"
There are moments in all our lives when we
are able to hoe the passions of the Mantuan
lovers, and to realize in our own bosoms the
fury and despair of Romeo and Juliet Then
the mad mtse en- scene seems no longer mad and
the honeyed phrases no longer cloy upon our
senses. We can STAY our Tybalts then, and our
County Parises, and break into the tombs, and
drink the draught, with head upon our dead
loves bosom. AT other times, and luckily, and
to some men always, (unuckly for them the
whole affair seems but a blending and pot pour
RI of Guava Jelly and blue lights Romeo
whines. Juliet is light O. love: Nurse and
triar, bawd and " Sir Pandarus Of Troy" Capu-
let and Montague, two hectoring knaves, as quar-
relsome and inefficient as New York aldermen.
and the only real characters, that rough bully,
/ Tybat, and that lickerish fellow of fine fancies,
| the Bon Gualtier, .Mercutio., -
Ruth's womanIy fash rebuked JasIser's I'M
patient despair Putting one arm about his neck,
with the other she pointed to the halffnished
token on the tree, saying, mildly
DO you already forget the talisman, Jasper?
Let us not think of dying, dear heart, but of
living in hope of the future. The day sciU come,
Jasper, If we are true to ourselves, when our
faith shall receive its reward. L promise YOU
this, Jasper, | will never be bride if not yours
No other arms shall clasp me- | am yours,
yours only, yours forever"
Jasper bowed his head, subdued bv her i'm
pressive manner. A little while they calmly
1 talked, cheering each other, until the carving
upon the tree was finished and then, hand in
hand, they returned to the cottage. Jasper
gave her hand one silent grasp as he released
her, and then stepping up to her father he said ::
Mr.. Congreve, would shake your hand be-
fore | bid you farewell. l you much graft
tude for many kindnesses, and am going away
for long time, perhaps forever"
his generous trankness conquered.
Jasper" said Mr. Congreve, as he rose and
took the proffered hand heartily in his, I" am
very sorry for you, my lad, for l love you as
do my own child. | have had hopes, Jasper"
continued he, and his voice faltered, " that this
intimacy between you and my child would have
resulted in blotting out very dark and melan-
choly past-perhaps in reconciling those who
were once very close and dear friends. But |
| did not measure things by their proper stand
ard, and l am punished by finding how wrong
! was 1t is too late to prevent that, but can
arrest--but / grieve you. will say no more,
only that it is absolutely necessary you should
see Ruth no more, and that there should be
nothing between you, until-until there is a
change. | will give you gift before you go,
my boy; it is precious one, this Be erer
the master Of yo,v pride, not its Uictim. Fare
well, and God bless you"
| Again Jasper turned towards Ruth Her
eyes cleaned with the radiance of that bright
faith so completely her own. Her face told of
a resolute recognition of the need to be calm,
in order to spare him pain.
Thus their parting was quiet. A grasp Of
the hand a long look into each others eve, a
murmured, choked word on the lips of each.
Yours, ever, only"
And Jasper hurried away nor turned his head
to look back upon his losses, but walked on,
through the night.
And Ruth went out again, and stood gazing
at the token craven upon the bark of the tryst-
ing tree.
1t was symbol, this craven something.
For the knife of Jasper had fashioned deep
In the bark the shape of an anchor.
And the Anchor is the emblem of Hope.
In its attempt to identify Mr.. Letcher with
the Tenth Legion, the Examiner finds no better
success The assertion that Mr.. Letchers
" voice has cheered that faithful Democracy
of the Tenth Legion) in the dark hour of bat
tie, -" for quaoter Of a century" is particular
ly unfortunate. The darkest hour of battle
which has yet demanded the devoted efficiency
of the Tenth Legion, when the Wilmot proviso,
al, IL. II. n n