The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-10-25
For the Sunday Crescent
THE LONG AGO.

Away from far-of, down in the shadowy dis
lance Of the past, cdmes the music of Long Ago,
sad and low, reminding one of the departed
friends and lovers Of childhood, who played to.
getber and walked arm in arm on the great high
way of life. and died before their journey was
finished or their work was done. Again, the mu.
sic swelling and dying away, louder and louder,
and now soft and lew, the sad sweet music Of
long ago. f
The thoughts of Long Ago, some sad and sweet
even in their remeEt brsnce; some dark and fear
full some ghostly aBd mysterious, like the shadow
of the trees in the nioonlit and silent graveyard
where the tall church spire points upward, show.
ing the way to Heafen.
The hap1tng fac]s of the Long Ago, in youths
bright hour, when jail was happiness and love,
come like dark drelms of the night, dim and ndis.
tinct they rise snd vanish; again they come and
are gone. Among them one dark and gentle
eyed, with long, w4vy hair. and eyes like stars
bright stsrs-shiniDg on the cold earth and warn
ing all with their dark and gentle beauty how the
haunting faces Of the Long Ago have passed
again they rise andlare gone.
The companions of the Long Ago, who were
then in their pride and beauty are now-some
lying under the waving grass In the green and
silent graveyard. with the wind signing through
the trees and whispering Of the long ago; some
beyond the foamtbg waters of the dark and
bounding sea.
The wall of the Long Ago was whispered by
the winds to the meadow, where the brook runs
babbliDg along; 10 the dark woods, where the
tall tree trunks Look like the palace pillars of the
great Earth King, far below the dark mountains.
Then the spirits OF the flowers raised their heads,
and wondered what the mournful words meant
but when the low sad wall was again heard, they
hung their heads IN grief, and said !: "Ah, the
Long Ago. When all was happy on the green
earth when the flowers and grass were left to
grow ~ and they repeated, "Ah, the Long
Ago!'
The winds still whispered their wall of the
"Long Ago." ard bore it of to the great ice
palace CT the Frost King in the far north. When
the rivers heard IL they froze at the words; but
when they were SO. they were not busy, so they
thought more OF the "Long Ago.
And the winds carried il into the palace Of the
king who sat darn and terrible on throne OF clear
ice. TIE hall shone with thousand lights, for
the lamps Of the king were lighted, and flashed
and fiickered along, which the people said were
the Northern lights, not knowing they were the
torches Of the Frost King. Dark looked the king
upon his throne with q crown of fire cones upon
bis head. and the great staff of Wooden In his
hand. In rush the winds and stood before the
king. "Wbat mesnest thou by this ?" said he,
and the winds trembled but the north wind took
courage and told the tale of the Long Ago to the
king who said, "Gol" The word was repeated
by the long dark passages and caves OF the
mountains and echoed Co." and even the king
was made sad. Out rushed the winds and carried
laden with snow and when the winds whispered
the story TO the trees they shook with grief, and
the snow fell to the ground.
An angel, hearing Of the wall Of Nature, came
to the earth wherever she went, the light from
her eyes warmed all, and made them think no
more of the Long Ago, but of the Present; aud
the angels name was Hope.