The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-05-17

And of pale young mother, the old
Emir's only child, lovely beyond fancy's
fairest picturings, who, in her young girlhood
loved stranger from the Western cline.
Loved and welded in secret. Yes, that
mother, whose youthful voice, full of sweet
harmonies, gushed at eventide beneath the
tower, where many a path connects garden
terraces, and moonlit meads; and over her
brow of beauty hung the golden chain work
the maids of Zeyd and Chiras wear.
And again her vision teens with the added
links of a strange lifes story: The evening
shadows fling broad belt of light over an
altar of solid silver; an urn of gold shoots
upward into jet of flame, and the ballus-
trade, supported by porphyry pillars, glows
with rich moresque work of precious metals;
high above curtained galleries float in solemn
chant ',Alla il ALA !"
Before the altar kneel two figures. A viz
gin in the rich Oriental beauty of the far East,
and beautiful as the Houris-dark soulful
eyes, with ebon locks, glossy as a herons
wing, hanging down her back in rich, shining
masses, and luxuriant in the fiery tinge of her
clear olive cheek, kneels beside stranger of
the Western land, with chestnut hair and
clear blue eyes. There they kneel, impress
sive types of widely different races.
He, wanderer from the far off Virginia
hills, in the New World-she daughter of
the Orient
They knell there beneath the lotus-wreathed
columns Of the pagan temple. for their mar
riage ceremony. The Gheber priest in the
white robes of Ararat, from his withered
hands scattered blessings on the strangely
welded pair. They rise-they leave the
temple.
Time passes on-a year has foated into the
sea of memory. The old Emir learns of his
daughters strange union with the stranger
He tears his child-alas! another now-from
the embraces of her husband, and flung him
into prison. Years pass on-and then the
fair young mother dies Died of broken
heart-so pale, so changed, that in the sad
wreck extended on the bier none might dis
Germ the adored divinity of the young Vir-
ginian.
And now the old Emir's vengeance hath its
way VI ute SuHte tOHtOb Htt utdI UJe ultI Ute
living husband are inclOSed.
But where was the child-Zera? Fer the
cold walls of the dismal vault shut him in for
ever, the young stranger was permitted to see
his daughter-now almost woman! To her
he explained the story of his life and intrust-
ed to her keeping a package to be sent far
away over the western main; for one, he said,
who--no matter! He stood for a moment
silently, put back the ringlets from her brow,
and gazed upon her face.
The features were his own, though of
darker lineaments-his child whom, when
grief was heaviest, sat in his heart like the
sweet night-fower when darkness brings its
weeping glories out-then gazed he on that
dear face, as we look upon those we love long
and tenderly-looked and kissed her passion
ately-kissed tears from the luminous eyes
kissed lips that writhed in anguish then
turned him from the spot
81 am ready" and was seen on earth no
morel
But now Zera, sleeping in the tent on the
battlefield, moves-uncloses her dark eyes.
She starts to her feet, and hurries through the
aperture to the low couch on which the
wounded soldier lies.