Smyrna times., 1868-02-05

=
trees through which the sylph-like form would
o presently glide, and then | watched her til
1 she once more disappeared beneath the leaves
e and had to look for an opening further on.
At length she happened to turn her eyes
S toward the hill, and SO became aware of my
= presence. This was one point of sympathy
b between us established already; she too must
be lOng-sighted, for she could evidently distin-
/ gulsh that was not shepherd at least in the
/ practical sense of tending sheep-in the Area
r dian meaning, was little in that line-for
| she would not otherwise have taken so much
' notice of me standing still and looking full
at me; walking on, and stealing hurried side
: glances; watching me from sheltered spots,
where she fancied could not detect her.
/ After playing at bo peep for about quarter
} OF an hour, the deep tones of a bell was heard.
and she hurried off toward the house. As she
, took one last look in my direction I rose up.
and laid my hand upon my heart; she waved
her handkerchief in answer, and vanished. =
On the following day | returned to the same
spot at the same hour, and saw her again.
kissed my hand, she kissed hers. The firta-
ton was as desperate as it we'll could be, con-
slderlng the distance between u.s. and the inse-
cure nature of my footing.
" continued to haunt that hill sometimes
saw the. divinity of the garden, sometimes
L did not; butwhen | did she was always alone
and we exhausted our ingenuity in exchanging
sentiments by signs.
" However timid and respectful lover NAV
be, he does desire after time to approach
nearer than a hundred yards to the object of
his affections, and that was the closest could
get by stationing myself on the lowest spot
which commanded view over the wall. Be-
sides to enable a telegraph to work satisfacto-
rlly, the parties communicating by it should
meet together first to explain what their sig.
! nails M m haarf Ioono1 MIL Il, l.
when, on the fifth day of pantomimic perform
ance, she unmistakably beckOned to me.
ran down the hill and was under the wall in
half minute.
Are you there?' asked the softest and
sweetest voice (present company always ex-
cepted) that | ever heard
:" Loveliest and fairest, am
Bang came something on the top of my
hat. 1t was large stone, with the following
note attached to it by piece of string:
Mysterious unknown, are you another foe
or friend? A secret instinct inclines me to
deem you the latter Know you my pitiable
storyE Have you sought me out, and come to
my rescue? Or have you been drawn by a
mysterious magnetic power to the foot of these
walls, Ignorant of whom they contain? IF the
latter, inquire not of others, lest your questions
excite suspicion. There are spies everywhere
| myself will my tale unfold (Shakspeare)
Az hI1luS duu place. ODeak not, Dut
adopt my method of communication.
''The style was, to my then taste, charming
The t Shakespeare was rather eccentric per-
haps; but did it not show a sweetly tender
conscience, only too rare in these days of whole
sale plagiary?
II should have liked to have returned an
answer In poetry, but there was not time for
an impromptu. So | tore leaf (there were
plenty Of blank oncs) out of the note book in
tended for my epic (which indeed eventually
proved to be all JIank verse) and wrote the
following letter:
:" Fair and afflicted lady, you are right
am indeed friend and know not who you
are. An almighty inhuence-need name it i?
has drawn me toward you. | know nothing,
| seek to know nothing. but that | am your
blind and devoted slave
Pretty, was it not? Well, I tied that to
the stone, and remembering my own accident,
and that my charmer did not wear tall. stiff
nat, uttered warning-cry, and tossed the
missive over the wall Then ran up the hill,
to see how she liked it, and assembled high
enough in time to observe the whole process
OF reading the note, which she did holding it
at arm s-length, clutching ii with both hands.
| lips parted. 1t she had studied under pre
Raphaeite painter, she could not have done it
better.
| w hat had said seemed to be satisfactory
to her, tor when she hid read it she kissed the
note twice, and thrust it into her bosom; look
ed up, at the sky, clasped her hands, and
walked rapidly off toward the house. without
attempting to communicate with me further.
Immediately after that commencement of
correspondence wet weather set in, and did
not see the mystery of my heart for week:
at that time the sun reappeared, and on noun
ting guard on my hill perceived that she was
once more In the garden. She appeared glad
| to see me, and motioned me down to the foot of
the wall again, and when was there tossed
me over another letter :....-.....
81 can not fully trust you till I have scanned
your features more closely. Swim the moat
and scale the battlements, SO we shall converse
at ease.'
What did she mean by the moat? Was it
playful allusion to the quantity OF rain that
had fallen? Or a sarcastic ihtimation that the
difficulties had to overcome were trifi ng in
deed to those which lovers In the good old
times thought nothing of? Or was she merely
lndulging in poetical license? / left all this
tor future consideration: the battlements were
indubitably the wall, and her meaning was suf
hciently plain for immediate practical enter
prise. .t .... -...- ...,......'.
I come, fair lady, I council I cried. look.
ing about for good climbing situation. But
the wall had been newly painted, and, there
were no cracks or crannies into which finger or
boot tips could be insinuated. A smooth sur
face was presented to ME up which a cat might
possibly have run, though l doubt it, but be- |
fore which clawless creature was helpless.
! was now well provided With writing ma
terials, and explained my difficulty on gold |
edged, tinted, and scented note paper, promis- |
ing, however, to get oyer it and up the wall
next day, or to perish in the attempt; though |
how either alternative was to be accomplished |
could not tor the life of me. imagine. ~ /
But the night brought counsel; and on
the following morning pracured several large
nalls, or staples, and a malleti and going to
the place sooner than usual. and frs: ascertain |
ing IRON my postoa the hill side that the coast
was clear, proceeded to drive nail into the |
mortar at about three feet from the ground |
another higher up, and then, standing on the
lowest and holding on to the other with my
lett handH knocked a third in still higher |
ana sot after many tumbles and abrasions of |
'ne SS'n' ! contsived series of points Of adj |