The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1866-08-29
THE OLD sToR,

THE OLD STORY.
He came across the meadow pass,
That summer eve of ewes
The sunlight streamed along the grass,
And glanced amid the leaves
And from the shrubbery below,
And from the garden trees,
lie heard the thrush's music flow,
And humming of the bees.
The garden gate was swung apart,
The space was brief between
But there, for beating Of his heart,
lie paused, perforce, to lean.
lie leaned upon the garden;
lie looked, and scarce he breathed
Within the little porch she safe,
With WOOdbine OyerWreathed.
Her eyes upon her work were bent,
Unconscious who was nigh;
But oft the needle slowly went
And oft did it idle lie
And ever to her lips arose
Sweet fragments sweetly sung
But ever, ere the notes could close,
She hushed them on her tongue
Her fancies as they come and 90,
Her pure face speaks the while;
For now it is a fitting glow,
And now breaking smile
And now ii is q graver shade,
When hOlier thoughts are there
An angels piniou might be stayed
To see a sight so fair.
But still they hid her looks of light,
Those dOwucast eyelidS pale,
Two lovely clouds so silken white,
Two loTelier stars that veil.
The sun at length his burning edge
Had rested on the hill,
And, save one thrush from out the hedge,
Both bower and grove were still
The day had almost babe farewell,
But one reluctant ray
stu loved within that porch to dwell,
As charm'd there to stay
1t stole aslant the pear tree bough
And through the WOOdbine fringe
And kissed the maidens cheek and brow
And bathed her in its tinge.
o, beauty of my heart he said
Q, darling, darling mine
Vas ever light Of evening she'd
On loneliness like thine?
Why should [ ever leave this spot
But guze until die q
A moment from that bursting thought
She felt his footsteps nigh
One sudden lifted glance-but one
! trem0r and a start
80 gently was their greeting done
That who could guess their heart?
Long long the sun had suuken down,
and all his golden hail
Had died away to lines of brown
In dusker hues that fail.
Ihe grasshopper was chirping shrill-
No other living sound
Accompanied the tiny rill
That gurgled under ground
No other living sound, unless
Some spirit bent to hear
Low words of human tenderness
And mlngHng whispers near.
The stars like pallid gems at first,
Deep in the liquid sky,
NOW forth upon the darkness burst
Sole kings and lights on high
For splendOr myriad-foId, supreme,
NO rival moonlight strove
Nor lovelier e'er was Hesper's beam
Nor more majestic Joye.
But, what if hearts there beat that night
That rocked not of the skies,
Or only felt their imaged light
In one auother's eyes?
And if two worlds of hidden thought
And longing passion met
Which, passing human language, sought
Aad found an utterance yet;
And il they trembled as the flowers
That drOops across the stream,
And muse while the starry hours rG' M
Wait Ter them like a dream;
aud il, when came the parting time,
They taltered still ana chung;
What is il allan ancient rhyme
Ten thousand times besung:-
That part of Paradise which man
Without the portal knows
Which hath been since the world began
And shall be till its close
ere is the poem" If it peases you iavej
others Of the same ling and tone which yeu mayl
For the present. with congratulations On theI
Gather (up norrh) and condolences On the DEATH
loctor7 Dostie, remain
Yours. IyDEBrI.r-s.
E ANTIQUITY OF EARrH.-Geolgists have adya4cedI
er proof of the great ANTIQUITY of the world In