Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1859-03-25


her Perdida-the Lost One' My moth
er would have preferred something more
common and home-like; but l maintain
ed that she was no common child, and
should, therefore, not have a common
name.
As time wore on, Perdida thoroughly
recovered from all the effects of hard
ship and ill-treasment, which were very
preceptible at first. She grew plump
and rosy, and more magnifcently beauti-
ful than ever. But in mind, alas there
was but little improvement.
Dark, however, as was the veil which
obscured her mental faculties, there were,
as have already intimated, from time
to time, momentary and partial revela-
tious of feeble and fitful light Within
which, like CLEANS of Lightning in SOM
bre sky, were all the more striking in
consequence of the gloom that shrouded
them.
The poor little girl evidently under
stood the pitying, yearning expression of
my mothers countenance, as she would
bend compassionately over her, and she
would sometimes seize her hand and kiss
il, while her gazelle-like eyes were fixed
upon her with sad, simple earnestness,
most mournful to behold.
1t seemed as if some feeble reminis-
cence, some faint, far off CLEAN of female
tenderness, shining through the misty OBJ
scurity of the past, regulated, or at least
influenced her conduct towards my moth
er. Perhaps some trace upon her mem
orY of her mother who hung over her in
fant cradle, and who might even now be
pining in hopeless misery for her lost dar-
ling.
Her love for me, on the contrary, seem
ed like a new revelation, fresh and hith-
erto unknown. We two were her all, and
she fairly worshipped Us. Like some
mighty river which had absorbed within
itself all neighboring streams and left the
country they should have watered arid
and unproductive, love seemed to have
swallowed up all her other faculties and
to have added their combined intensity to
its own. 1t was moral hypertrophy of
the heart, at the expense ofthe brain and
all its dependencies.
1t was a summer evening, nearly two
years after our lovely foundling's first
appearance among US, and We were seat
ed together on our little piazza, watch
ing the last CLEANS of glorious sunset,
as they gradually faded away into the So
Der gray of approaching twilight.
; At this moment, from some point far
down the valleys, was borne to our ears
the sound of what 1 have since learned
to be a rude negro corn-shucking song.
Negroes were very rare in that region,
and at the time l had never heard any
thing of the kind. Except the novelty
of the thing, it had really little TO recon-
; mend it, but the time and place were such
as to give tinge of beauty to the mos
uncouth sounds.
It's old Van Horn, de niger trader
Hilo. Hilol
7 He sold his wife to buy niger
: Hilo! Hno!
He sold her first to Louisanner-
Hilcl Hilo!
$ And den from dat to Alabammer-
Hilo. HfIo!
d Of long string of similar doggereI
r. this is all that can now remember. TIL,
> air, if it can be called such, was rude an,
> monotonous, but there was something il
st the cadence off the chorus,in the alternate
e ly rising and falling infection of the long
n protracted Hilo ? which had sOothin.
and yet melancholy effect.
/ Good graciousl' = whispered my moth
e er, 'just look at Perdida!' 2
The child had abandoned her customa
ID ~ listless air for one of interested atteu
k ton. She listened intently. and as th
le sounds became more distinctly audible,
st flush of pleasure crossed her face-he
y lovely features glowing with tempors
ry animation most beautiful to witness.
to 4 never saw her so agitated before
$ said nv mother. What can there b
h. in that vulgar song to move her so?
re is very strange
IN The advancing negro made long pau
lie es in his songs, which he varied from tin
ut to time but his voice gradually Dire
Id nearer, while the little girls excitemei
ad increased in proportional degree.
last we caught glimpse Of a dark f.
he ure in the distance, and the moment Pc
ry dida saw il she sprang from the porc
so and bounded towards him with the spe,
lily Of an arrow. We followed, and wh,
.ss we came up with her found he= caperii