Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1864-02-02
THE SHADOWS WE CAST.


blocks; and, as the mimic castle rose be.
fore his eyes in graceful proportions, a new
pleasure swelled in his heart. He field
himself to be the creator of "thing of
beauty" and was conscious of a new born
power. wall, buttress, gateway, draws
bridge, lofty tower, and 5aitlement, were
a the work of bis hands. He was in won
der at his own SIX I'll in thus creating, from
an unseemly pile of tlocks, structure of
such rare design.
Silently be stood and gazed upon his
castle With something Of the pride Of an
architect, who sees. after months or years
of skillfupy applied labor, some grand con-
ception in his art, embodied in imperisha-
lie stone.-Then be moved around, views
ing it on every side. 1t did not seem q.
toy, reaching only few inches in height.
and covering but square foot of ground !
hut real castle. Lifting itself hundreds ofl
feet upward toward the blue sky, and
spreading wide upon the earth its AMPLE
foundations. As the ider grew more and
more perfect. his strange pleasure increas-
ed. Now he stood, with folded arms,
wrapped in the overmaste-ing Illusion
now walked slowly around, viewing the
structure on all sides, and noting every
par;icular-sud now sat down, and bent
over it with the fondness of a mother bend
ing over her child. Again be arose, pro-
posing to obtain another and more distant
view of his work. But his foot struck
against one Of the buttresses, and INSTANTLY
! with crash, wall, tower, and battlement,
| fell in hopeless ruin.
In the room with the boy sat his father.
reading. The crash disturbed him; and he
uttered a sharp, angry reLuke, glsncing,
! for q moment, toward the startled child, aud
then returning his eyes to the attractive
page before him, unconscious Of the shadow
| he had cast upon the heart of the child
| Tears came into those fair blue orbs, dane
| ing 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 it any wonder that he bowed his
face in silence upon them, and wet them
with his tears?
| For more than five minutes, he sat as still
as if sleeping, then, in a mounful kind Of
way. YET almost noiselsssly, he commenced
restoring to the bcx, from which he had
taken them, the many shaped pieces that,
! 6tly joined together, had grown into o no.
| ble building. Alter the box was filed, be
! replaced the cover and laid it carefully up
on q shelf in the closet.
! Poor child That shadow was a deep
one, and long in passing away. Ills moth
| er found him, halt an hour afterward,
asleep on the floor, with cheeks flushed to
| an unusual brightness. She knew nothing
of that troubled passage in his young life /;
| and the father had forgotten, in the attrac-
| tons Of the book he read, the mnmentury
| annoyance expressed III words and tones,
with power in them to shadow the heart
Of his child.
A young wife Lad busted herself for
many days in preparing pleasant sur
prise fer her husband. The work was fn-
ished at last and now she awaited his re.
turn, With a heart full Of warm emotions
A dressing-gown und pair of elegantly-em-
brordered slPpcrs VT ught LIZ her own skill
! fnl 6nsans were the EiIts with which che
meant to delight him. What troop OF
yl'asaut iancies were in her hearth
How. almost impatiently. did she wait
for the coming twilight, which was to be
drawn, not approaching darkness to
her.
To men in the world Of business, few
DAYS pass without their disappointments
ard perplexities. 1t is mans business to
bear this in manly spirit. They form
but portion of life's discipline, and should
make them stronger, drawer, and more en-
during. UnwisCly, we may say uniustlv
too many fell to leave their cuisines cares
and troubles in their stores, work shops
or counting room, at the days decline -
They wrap them in bundles and carry
them hlme 10 shadow their house
holds.
1t was so with the young husband on
this particular occasion. The stream OF
business had taken an eddyiug whirl ant
thrown his vessel backward, instead of on
ward, for brief space; and though i,
wass still in the current, and gliding safely
onward again. the jar aud disappointment
had fretted his mind severely. There was
wife. not because love had failed in anv
degree but because be had let care over.
shadow love, lie drew his arm AROUND
her but she was conscious of a di.
minsh pressure 10 that embracing arm
Are you not we'll p
With that tender concern was the ques
tiOn asked
Very well.'
He might be IN body, but not in mind
that was plain; for his voice was far frou
being cheerful.
, She played and sang his favorite pieces
! hoping to restore, by charm of music
brightness to his spirit. But she was COZ
sciOus of only partial success. There wa
B still gravity in his manner perceived be
fore. AT tea time, she smiled upon hir
so sweetly across the table, and talked I
him on such attractive themes, that tn
{ right expression returned to his counte
nance and he looked as happy as sh
8 could desire.
, From the tea-table, they returned I
3 their pleasant parler. Aud now the tim
t came fer Offering her gift, aud receiviu
3 the coveted. reward of glad surprise, follow
: cd by sweet kisses and loving words. Wa
o she selfish? Did she think more of he
, reward than of the pleasure she woul
9 bestOw? But that is questioning too clos,
ly.
= i will he back in q moment she said
Q and passing from the room, she went ligh
p ly up the stairs. Both tone aad name
betrayed her secret with which her hui
r band was to be surprised. Scarcely ha
l. her loving face faded from before hi
Q eyes. when thought returned, with sing
It bound, to an unpleasant event Of the day
y and the waters of his spirit were asai
J. troubled. lie bad actually arisen, an
i crossed the door once or twice, moved by,
10 restless concern. when his wife cams hac
It with the dressins-gown and slippers. Sh
b was trying to force her countenance into
grave expression, to hold back the smile
II that wero continually striving to break
E. truant circles around her lips. when
d single glance at her husbands face to-
ID her that the spirit, driven away by the e!
orcism OF her love, had returned sgain
l. his bosom. He looked at her soberly
'e she came forward.
IT what are they 2" he asked, almO
j coldly, REFRESHING surprise, and effectiI
an ignorance in regard to the beautif
present she held in her hands. that he d
r not feel.
. IThau are for unn dAnr I MAJ