St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1858-08-05
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There was one piece of music in
which Nictorine exccllcd. For the
whole evening she had failed to detain
the senator by her side for more than
q few minutes at a time. Her charms.
she feared, had failed of their effect.
and this one last effort must be tried.
The voice that sang must steal to his
soul with n subdEing power.
Eva looked up bewilderingly, and
| involuntarily she lifted her hands to
her aching brow. A sudden, painful
darkness struck upon her brain, ant
stilled to silence the wild throbbings 0,
: the tried heart.
Leave me, Lucy I will CO." The
words sounded strange and hollow
the girl Withdrew.
Eva laid the dead boy upon the
couch, and with her hands closely
claspcd together, and with faltcring
step, descended to the parlor. What
a blaze of light and beauty struck her
sight What an enchanting being
met the gaze of the beholdcrs
Her dress of SIMPLE white, not a fold
was displaced, and the long trcsses,
SO damp and dark, swept down over
the white shoulders, half concealing
their iaultless symmetry, half shading
the marble paleness Of that sweet
face-ycs, lip and brow were even
winter, if possible, than the transpar-
cnt garb of light she wore. For a
moment the large, wild eyes were
lifted what world Of dreamy love-
illness, of mournful beauty, of wild
sadness was there.
The rooms were stillcd as if by
magic hand-thc voices of the guests
were hushed they were gazing Won
dcringly on that ETHEREAL, an gcl-like
being that glidcd on past them.
She stood by the piano For one
moment the white hand was pressed
upon the brow, as if to still some pain
there. and then it lay upon the keys,
llstlcssly, as if no strength was there.
There was wild start-Nictorinc'
rich voice broke upon the deepening
silence. Trcmblingly the wcaricd fin
gers passed over the keys, and the
sounds they gave forth were low,
sweet and mournful Closer drew the
crowd around her the melancholy
measure had stolen with bcwildering
power over the listening heart. Low
cr and lower grew the wild, spirit
tones, and were stillcd. The strain
had changed. A low dirge for the
dead was played instead. And the
beautiful numbers tremblcd in all
their mournful wildness. in .all their
ly rooms, and thl1rIcd back with it
strange and hallowed power to each
awakened heart, like some immortal
minstrclsy, like the wild moan of an
angel, lone wandcrcr here on earth.
\ shadow fell upon the keys Eva
looked up. The Secretary stood there
beside her and what look was
there that met his troubled gaze. The
startling eye of the young girl fell IA
faint hue rose to the pale temple and
fled again-the hand was stilled upon
the cchoing keys. lnvoluntarily he
laid his hand upon her's--it was cold
as ice, she did not Withdraw it she
had not the powerto do SO she could
not breathe, yet she did not faint, but
leaned almost wholly against the in
strumcnt for support.
Miss Ashland" 1t was the deep
low voice of Henry Sherwood that
broke startlingly upon the painful
fearful stiffness.
Eva, Eva The father had re-
turned he stood close beside her
She looked up wildly into his anxious
face the gricved lip quivered with
the broken words that stole slowly
over them.
Father, father, it is tomorrow
now
With fearful pang at his heart he
gazed upon his child. Slowly she
passed before him she had left the
room. He bent his head distracted
ly; the secretary placed his arm with
in his and drew him away. The scna-
tor, Nictorine, Mrs. Ashland and some
others followed
Mechanically Mr.. Ashland led the
way to the chamber of Willie. The
door was flung open the room was
still, was cold as if it was the home
of death. Family burned the lamp
upon the table, yet its dying rays fell
upon Eva she sat like still shadow
there with Willie in her arms.
Eva, Eva, my dear child" Mr..
Ashland approached and knelt down
beside her One low moan tremblcd
upon the fearful stiffness there. She
laid the stiffcned form of the departed
one in his arms.
Father, it is tomorrow now
That dreadful darkness had left her
brain she was herself again, now
that they knew Willie was dead.
Great God :" was all that the fa-
ther could say +; the deep agony Of his
soul burst forth in this.
The secretary took up the dead boy
from his trembling arms and laid him
upon the couch.
Mr.. Ashland's grief was frantic in
the extreme, and Victorinc wrung her
jeweled hands, and broke forth in Ia
mcntations of sorrow, still betraying
the most extravagant signs Of suffer
iilS, dlttI tht. HltuiicI VI SOllc iliiiioi-
tai heroine, of some immortalromance.
But Eva still sat there, shrouded in
her drapcry Of light !; sat there, still,
and cold, and motionlcss--no other to-
ken OF woe was seen. Yet it seemed
as if her heart would break, its suffer
ing was too deep, too terrible for
| tears.
The secretary stood apart gazing
with earncstness upon her. He could
not speak to her then, in that hour of
woc-hc could not then offer words of
consolation for grief so sacred, it
would have been sacrilegc.
CHAPTER ".
The day had come for the Honorable
Henry Sherwood's departure. There
was a formal farewell morning call