The Shasta courier., 1866-09-01

ana leaning I'D an easy posture over Its tall
1 carved back.
:" Not for diadem would we harm thee
dearest" said he. g Yet by our sword W,
would sooner forfeit every acre of old Navarro
and leave Italy the brightest jewel in ou,
rivals crown than to f"rego thy love. Tho,
must be ours :" and the enraptured monarch
hraced her ere she could extricate hersel
from his arms.
Hist heard you no noise?" breathet
she softly. and she held her finger towards
! the door. He heard none, nor had she arc
she twined her small fingers round -hel
wrist. I" In two hours hence it shall b,
midnight. Meet me here when the towr
clocks chime. PRAY. my Liege till then re
tire said she. and she opened the door.
= Dost mock u'. Ellen ? Say, wilt tho,
keep thy promise?''
= Assuredly my Lord does not donbt M,
when ay yes? See the revelers from tn,
hall seek yau one lst. join them, ant
remember the appointed hour"
Francis retired ahashed. when with gen
tie force he had been expelled from the ora
tory and Ellen quietly resumed her devo
tons for the night. Tranquility she aros,
and her manner betrayed neither excitement
nor emotion. though from repeated effort
she made to trim the chamber lamp, ant
furtive glances she cast often Mt mirror
dull must one he who could not distinguish
that she was i'll at ease. She paced round
the apartment. which was small and mean
| ly furnished, its only ornament being few
pictures in embroidery on Scripture Snhie is
In one corner were suspended lnose sheets OF
vellum, parts of a missal FIR festival pur
poses, and in another seemed perch to have
been erected, upon which was pcrched n
hawk, but so in the shade that it was diff
cult to determine whether it was part of the
ravelled tapestry or real bird
At length she sat on low stool and en-.
compassed her knees hetween her hands.
rocking to and fro as if engaged in unravel
ling some painful train of reflections. IF
inward beaury can he nowise retained excet
by outward hurry. better the hodv know
scath than the soul be defiled.: said she.
reviewing herself in the grotesane mirror.
with pensve expression which soon cleared
into cheerfulness. g Now. vanity aside. y
continued she. Nell. did vou ever think
you were sa pretty as to make a conquest of
king? Never. Neil. neverl Nell must be
lovely to have accomplished that La. what
toyshop of charms temptinglv piled in
Wonder glass; aud she shook The oi. so that
its wavy'ight fell ON the mirror Blue ewes
and black hair are pecuIiarities not nfien
seen together. Yet here | have them in
Milesian perfec ion. albeit the average spirit
of my eyes is half merriment. half melnn
choly. And cheeks are here, that though
they may not shame the rose they NAV nev.
er know the blush of counterfeit. Teeth.
likewise. which, though pa ssing white, anv
elephant-hunter would at once discover were
not ivory; and lips which n truer wooer than
My Lord Francis told Ellen were gushing
ripe, anv wild bird would know at first peck.
ing were not worth sweet Strawberries
Well. and as | was thinking, it's n pity all
this toyshop should be in an hour or two as
sad to look on as a sepulchre."
She called her maid, and bade her bring a
chatting dish. heaped with live charcoal and
sulphur in bar, which done the maid retired,
and Ellen sat once more alone. Suspending
the basin of spirit lamp over the dish. she
dropped in the sul phur, and as it fused.
yellow fame fickered up, and cast dull
halo around the chamber. She shook ont
her hair from the golden pins that bound it,
and it fell luxuriantly TO the floor, before
she combed it with the greatest care, as if
she intended to rebrush it again. Redress.
ing her tresses never had more for with
SClSSbIS sic CliH!tu TpuHu Htdu llit IL WIS
shorn of all its beautiful curs
Smearing her forehead and cheeks with
oil the sulphuric vapnr arose in poisonous
influence us she leaned over the fatal DISH
Her eyelashes were the first sacrifice to the
fume and her panied eyebals roI ed in their
sockets as if they were driven inward by
gusts of fire. The fairness of her forehead
became dark olive hue. and assuming a
charred blackness !; the skin burst over the
auiverng veins. Her cheeks soon we're
Eereaved of all b'usa and beauty. and her
lips if they had any sinlitude Of fruit, par
took less Of the rowan than The 81 e. She
endeavored TO allay the pain by averting her
head from the vapnr but tire evasi, only
increased her agony. for her neck. upon
which drops of the sulphur crystalzed. lie
came acutely sensitive to the light of n
string OF pearls. One by one she removed
them from the smartng flesh but the clasp
behind had sunk so deep that its withdrawal
gave her torture intensely severe.
With inconceivahle effort she preserved
herself from nsensihility. and with copious
draughts of water allayed the burning fever
in her throat. Her voice lost its sweetness,
and she exT resSed her grief in such harsh
ness and mpnotony that she started from her
seat as the clock struck twelve. As pc !
after peal swept dsmally along she t"ttered
to the donr, which she opened, and cropping
her way along the walls, for her eyes were
dim. searched for hood and bells, which she
shook The perch in the corner rocked
backwards and forwards, as the hawk on it
1apped its wings and screamed so loudly the
sounds of its favorite emblems OF chase, tint
the chamber rang.
The King, who had been walking in the
corridor. approached. bearing in one hand
a small chamber lamp. and in the other a
scablardless sword Ellen mustered sufh
oient strength to speak, for ohscurely he saw
that something was amiss, and he inquired
the cause. go, :.
II will tell you my lord. most willingly, y
and the screaming hawk pounced at div RS
shadows as if they were It's prey. Alas
| ,here was now no occasion to cast down her
eves for little If their lustre remained.
=. NV Lord, had hearkened to your snit.
NV f,tber's welcome had been paid with
wrong. and your Majesty's chivalry been
more eclipsei than my charms could bright
en-. Happily brief pain has preserved your
hunor F" -.
20 infatuated. but noble minded girl
| what hast thou done?" exclaimed be, cast