The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-09-04
ness snd yefreshment oyerthe facerof

nore than an hour. did Ihngec
/ b cath her window. I held my.
ID. 'th quite closely, and i did not
ltnnt a.muscle or limb. SO fearful was
I that / might disturb her slumbers-
o, so fearfull. The window itself was
guarded by the gauziest of curtains,
but still my eyes could not penetrate
through them.
at last, I made up my mind to
ascend the stairs. 7 felt cutie sure
that my darling was still asleep, and
I longed to look upon her features
once again--only just this once.
How noiselessly crawled up them;
the serpent himself creeps along less
silently than I did then. Presently,
| 1 reached the top, and my breath
was hot against the glass of the win
dow. Still I stood there, fearing to
move'a step. Then I pushed back
first one side of the window, then the
other-O, so cautiously! for 1 dreaded
to wake the sleeper. Next 1 listened :;
but all was quiet. "Quiet MS DEATH"
I said to myself" yes, as death;"
and as repeated the word, 1 started,
and my foot Jared against the win
dow; and my ears could tell me that
my darling, surprised by the sound
in her sleep, had moved. I think I
must have waited half an hour; but I
heard no further sound. So I pulled
aside the light gauzy curtain, and
thrusting forward my head, I could
see that my darling lay stretched out
before me in sweet deep sleep.
Cautiously-how cautiously-I ad-
vanced forward step. to let my eyes
rest once more on her dear loved
face. was close beside her. then
perceived that she must, in sheer
weariness of delight, have thrown
herself on the couch directly after
she had left the company of her
friends; for she still had on her a
robe of white muslin, and her golden
hair was still bound with the blue
ribbon that she always loved. Yes.
she was just as in the olden time.
Not trace of difference had four
years wrought upon that lovely fnce
since l used to call it mine, mine! I
repeated the word. She was mine
no longer. But why should she not
be?
Still I gazed down upon her; and
still she remained wrapped in slum-
ber
thought heard n noise of some
one behind me. 1 looked, but there
was no one there. It was merely the
wind lightly rustling the gauzy cur
tains; but as looked toward the win
dow, I could descry in the distant
horizon the first faint streaks which
speak of the coming dawn, and then
L knew that my time to linger thero
was short. Still 1 gazed down upon
her-upon that angel face, upon that
wealth of golden hair resting upon
the most spotless of white robes.
Suddenly the vision of the morning
seemed to appear to me again. a
robe of pure white, dyed with Grim
son spots. What did it mean? Ihad
not known before, but 1 knew then
we'll enough.
White and crimson-rare colors-
rich, beautiful! o, the contrast-the
crimson of passion and the palor of
death! Still I gazed; and as I gazed
my life blood came and went-now at
fever, now at freezing point. My
whole frame trembled, for I had in
terpreted the import of my vision.
My hand clutched in my pocket a
knifepurchased long since in q foreign
land, containing in it q dagger-blade
opened by secret spring. L drew it
forth, I touched the spring and the
dagger was bare. A wild, mad kiss,
an uplifted hand and then the dagger
was plunged hilt-high in my darling's
bosom. The ruddy torrent gushed
forth, and my vision was accomplish
ed. A shrek in the agony of death,
resounding through the low-vaulted
corridors of the mansion, and the
household rushed to the chamber.
had bolted the door; it was burst
open, and there they saw my darling's
murdered form-the robe of white
stained with the crimson of blood.
But they saw not me. I had moved
behind the window curtains. o, so
cautiously; and 1 could see from my
station all the attendants, the father
and mother weeping and wailing for
her who, in few hours time, was to
have been q bride. Last of all he,
the betrothed, came; and when he
saw the sight, he swooned in desola-
tion and agony of spirit. And seeing
him, and hearing his cry of woe from
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