The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1860-03-31
A winters Evening Tale.


r nm New YEARS. eve. Two old men so dit
2 ferent rarely sit in social converse for one
81 u as tall and his shoulders were broad, ana
e his Ioad .sHa / ba l''rang out merTily now
and then. and its healthy bloom was still up 4
On his cheek; only the first frosts OF HES
winter whitened his abundant hair, and a
Cherry. good humored light still beamed
Efron, his bright blue eye.-T The other. so
,,sle and wrinkIed, so bowed down, so hum
ble in address, in utterance so feeble and IN
distinct that his companion turned his ear
patiently toward him in good naiured close
Z attention. Only few scattering locks rof
/. gray were left to stray over his furrowed
brow, and bis dim, half-elosed eyes, bur-
! rowing under the shaggy eyebrows, wan
dered listlessly over the table and the floor,
!, while his words fell hurriedly and trembling
( from his tongue The two were talking
over the storms that had swept over the
!, ocean of their lives; but while one spoke
of tempests safely out ridden. and rocks and
shoals well escaped, the other told of long
and fruitless wanderings in far-of lands.
under scorching Guns. tormenting spirits
!, urging him on. and vain, delusiye hopes
smiling in mockery before him.
- Come, come, Phil said his entertain
err: ..you and are too old now to mind
much the raking up of old school boy
pranks. Pray, now. what high crime and
misdemeanor, or what atrocious plot against
the staid decorum Of virtuous society was
il that drove you forth into this wilderness
of the world, where. in truth, you seem 10
have culled goodly bundle of sage experi
ences; what was it, Phil, that sent you on
yonr travels = 80
@ Phil Hopes nervous mouth twitched
~ more than ever, and his hand trembled as
. he raised his glass and sho"k half the con-
tents out upon The marble table; but he took
heart when the last drop was emp,ied dows
his throat, and again the glass flowed with
the dark-red wine, anu again it was drained
to the bottom.
Then Phil Hopes eye was raised till it
met that of his employer. and it wayered a
moment and wandered off along the fres-
coed walls, and over rich gilded frames of
e. great mirrors. and back again till 1t fixed
upon the Brussels carpet.
lit is hard, Mr.. Willard, he began
thus. low and tremulouSly.--.'hardt to open
ones lips so late in life TO a secret they have
kept so long locked up within them; but
there is something within me now that drives
me to confess against my will. and that
tears my secret from me, though hoped it
should be buried in my grave" And his
voice grew husky, and once more the heavy
decanler was clutched in his feverish grasp,
and third trimming glass followed the
others down his throat.
II was far different, Mr.. Willard, from
what am now, when l went to pass my
summer vacation in a lovely village among
the mountains of Massachusetts. They
called me handsome young man then
here shadow of a smile fii:kered over his
wan visage-''and was in much better re
pute for feats of agility and skill in the ath
letic games of college-life than for any pro-
fciency in sience or diligence in learning
With the last dying rattle of the chapel bell
flew away all thoughts of study, and cram
ming my favorite volume into my pocket,
and choosing out the safest resting place on
the coach top for my rod and gun, whirled
out of the barrow valley. | found employ
ment enough in the beautiful country had
chosen and many were the dark secluded
pools sought out, buried deep in noun
tain glens, where the trout lay still and Sc
cure, or played coquetishly with the CUR
Cling ripples that poured into the deep qui-
e: basin, or went whirlins round and round
in whipping eddies. 5.J. sg
'.It was early one beautiful morning,
when / was following up the coy wander
ings of new stream. brushing away the
sparkling dew as I stole along, stepping
lightly over broken twigs, and softly push
ing aside obtruding branches that might
come unawares upon my game. had just
left the meadows behind me. and had plunged
into the deep chasm between opposing crags.
beyond which there stretched away long
narrow ravine that formed here and there
deep shaded hooks. where the grass spread
out in a bright green carpet. and many
colored MOSES. clinging to fallen trees, aud
gathering thick upor the rough rocks. made
a soft and gaylyvariegated bed on which
to repose the weary limbs. Just before me.
ca,elessly reclining on one of these luxuri |
Gus couches. Just where the stream spread
out over its gravelly bed into shallow pei |
lucid pond. lay graceful female form
Nois-lessly stealing, with heart bent on
mischief, over the softly cushioned earth, I |
d peered unseen over the shoulder. But, oh.
how changed were my feelings then. when !
caught a glimpse, through the glossy
brown ringlets. Of bright eyes that danced |
under the shade of long dropping Iashes; of
red lips that parted in hurried breathing.
while the white bosom, half-revealed by The |
Negligent morning dress, heaved. painting
with exercise. aud the flush upon her cheek, |
and the sparkle in her eyes as the lids slow |
ly opened. showed that she had only now
flung herself to reet upon her verdant bed
The white iapeIing arm reposed upon a lit
tie basket. and the fingers toyed languidly |
with bunch of mountain flowers.
lia -'Amazed. and forgetfui of all else. there
Istood, when. with glance, her eyes met
my stupid gaze, and with slight, half
frightened scream she was boundin" away
before could think to de,ain her. But in
her haste she fell, and her liltle basket rolled
away, and her flowers were scattered over