The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1866-09-28
thought until she spoke, and he suddenly

|
Long afterwards when many years had
passed, Frank Liston sometimes tried to re-
call and bring to life again the many hours
that he subsequently passed within this
room. How were they spent? What had
he done? What had they talked Of? What
had been the charm that had made these
three-so unlike in all outward circum-
stances as they werc-draw to each other :?
He could never tell,-could never breathe
life again into the dead ashes Of those hours.
Twenty years afterwards, could he have
gone and spent hours each day with two
poor untaught women-womcu who could
not read nor write, who Mother knew nor
dreamt Of the height or depth OF anything
in this great world whose universe was
almost bounded by the four square walls Of
the mean hahiIaion where they dwelt,-
could he have passed hours each day with
such as these and found his heart grow
knitted to them? He could not. But he
did it once in the old, dead days Of his early
faith and hope, when he saw brother or n
sister in every kind face he looked on, and
where the pure high heart gazed forth on all
the world though the light of its own trans
| figuring sunshine.
Day after day, and even week after week
passed on, and he remained still ia Rouen.
lie had meant when he left home to visit
some three or four of the Norman or
Brctaiguc towns: but he had let his heart
get welded to this one old city bv the Seine,
and he could no. leave it till his holiday was
ended. 1t called him to stay with voices
| that he could not resist !: it spread its silent
beauty out before him, discovering to him
| day By day some new unexpected loyeiiness;
it gave him its old grey walls to study, the
records Of its grandeur and its decay: it
gave him its old heart to dsinter: and it
gave him Christine. Perhaps she kept him
more than all beside; perhaps the one hui
man interest was deeper than all that could
attach itself tosculptured stones; but he, at
least, if it was SO, was scarcely conscious of
OF it. He did not seek TO weigh the sepa-
rate interests apart lie only knew tina. she
was to him, that she remained to him
through his whole life, one nseparable por-
| ton Of Rouen, and Of that summers holi
day.
II was perfect holiday, even although
( each day till almost sunset he worked away
| bravely at those sketches Of his those
sketches which were half right, because the
feeling in him for everything around him
was 50 deep and so true. and yet which in
their execution were nearly always SO i'm
mature and feeble, except when here and
the band a sudden strength. Ii would have
! been no holiday to him at all if lie had been
compelled to lay his pencil down. Such
work as he did here was his best refresh
men', his dearest rest. With never ending
delight he drew al day; and every evening
he passed with Christine.
Sometimes they srent the whole of those
evenings up in the poor garnet of the mar
\ Gt hut nfIan hn
her basket and her earnings home. anu then
they would wander far out Of the town
together, southwark across the river. or out
to the open country, north and west, or
eastward, away upon the hills. They would
sit in the woods and fields, playing some
times like children, gathering flowers and
filling the holows of their hands with water
from tho hill stream. She could sing pref
tily, and she would teach her merry French
songs to him, singing them again and again,
till he learnt both air and words. And
then he would talk to her. He was full of
dreams and hopes about his life. and Of love
for hundred things, living and dead, that
she never heard of. and of enthusiasm and
reverence and faith; and of all these he
talked TO her: he would spend hours go,
pouring out his boyish heart; how half of
all he said to her must in her ignorance,
be like dead language to her--he forgot
| that: she listened and symr1.hsed with
him, and that was all he asked.
They spent six weeks SO. At the end of
that time they parted. The last hours that
they spent with one another were on a
bright soft Sunday evening. They took
their last walk eastward by the river, and
then up on the rising ground to the summit
of Mount st. Catharine, and there sat down
on the hilltop, with the fair city lying at
their feet.
ooh, Christine, l shall not see it all
again, perhaps" he said, when he had sat
gazing at it for long time.
They had come here together and had
spent other evenings SO before now the
hill, the town, the river, the dark cathedral
towers against the summer sky, had all be-
come familiar to the boys eyes that were to
see them now no more.
" Perhaps you will come here again next
Sunday, when l shall be hundreds ST miles
away, Christine" he said. II wonder if
all this will seem like dream them
cit will not seem like a dream to me-" she
answered softly. " You will have other
things to do; you will be at home then with
the people that you love about you; but
shall have nothing to do, monsieur, but to
sit still and think Of all this time
She always called HIM Monsieur" even
STILL He had asked her long ago to call
him by his name, but she had never done it.
81 have never been SO happy in all my
life,' he said presently; he had thrown
himself down on the grass, and laid his
head upon her knees; he was looking at the
old town, not at her. elf l lived for a
hundred years naver should forget these
weeks. If ever | have holiday again,
shall come back, Christine ?"
81 should be glad if you came back" she
said
She was bending down little, not touch
ing him, as he lay, but only king at him
with the lashes low over her eyes.
"If l come back next summer don't
think l could but supposing iid-should
we have all our old walks over again? Do
you know, Christine, they say we never
enjoy the same thing twice in the same
way. But don't believe that If were
to come back again next year, why should
we not be just the same as we are now ~
perhaps we change when We do not
know it, she said
"We need never change in some things
he answered, hastily - don't know
whether you mean to forget me, Christine,
but shall remember you to the last hour
live"
Monsieur, shall not forget you," she
answered softly, after moments silence
What shall have to do when you are
gone, but to remember? When come here
can forget how we walked and sat togeth-
er? When 60 home to my mother can
forget how your comm uGed ia make hnr