The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-02-14


cred himself he was alone In the forest. Next day
| Robert visited Gertrude. but spoke little; he was
absorbed In his esgerness to obtain the gold herb
which would make thei. fortunes. On the eve OF
"Oh, Robert ]" said the girl, &C. hsve been 80
anxious about you. Last night had most fear
Never mind about dreams, love,r interrupted
| the huntsmsn; :" 1t is folly to give credence to
them. l am often, myself, alarmed by strange
sights and fancies of the night; but daylight dis
| pels my fears.'
She seated herself on the bench outside her
Promise me-" she whispered, that you Will
| run into no danger"
Certainly" answered Robert; al will not
willingly imperil life which is loved by such as
| yon."
After talking to one another for some time,
| Robert kissed Gertrude and babe her farewell.
She was anxious about him, without well know wing
the reason why, and she remained at the door
watching bis retreating form till it was lost In the
| gathering darkness. Then with sigh she retired
| to her room. When she went to bed she could
not sleep, strange phantasies passed through her
| excited brain, and walking images appeared be-
fore her eyes as in dream, yet she was not asleep,
for she was thoroughly conscious Of her restless
| ness and wakeful condition. At one moment she
| thought she saw huge gray wolf spring upon her
| lover; and then he seemed to her to be clinging
| to q crag above yswning abyss in an agony Of
muscular tension, expecting momentarily TO fall
| into the gulf. Then she heard distinctly call
| from the distant forest, waited In at her open
moment she sprang out OF bed, slipped on her
clothes, and without well knowing why. she hur.
ried forth she ran, trembling with anxiety and
fear into the forest that draped the mountain sides
Shortly before midnight Robert had kept his
| appointment. At the base Of the pine, on whose
| trunk be had laid his hand in oath. stood the
| strange old miner. shaking his head and wagging
| his glistening white beard. ..
"Wel done 7" spoke the aged man "Robert,
| you are punctual. Remember to fulfill exactly
the conditions rebearsed to you. and which must
| be pursued with the utmost fidelity the gold
| herb 10 TO be won."
| al will do my best,n answered the huntsman,
| wish beating heart "God grant -"
| "Hist!" interrupted the miner. passionately.
north, bow over the earth. and on no account
turn your head or utter other words than the In
| cantation."
| Robert walked forward. The forest was In.
/ tensely still. Not q leaf quivered. not grass
blade stirred. As the young man stepped along
| be was unconscious whether the aged miner fol.
lowed him, and he was not permitted to inquire or
| turn his head TO ascertain. No glow worm was
| visible. II seemed to Robert as If steps sounded
behind him, and long breaths were drawn by some
one following. He could scarcely refrain from
looking. The sweat broke out on his brow. Then
be heard mutterings and whispers among the tree
shadows, and one husky voice continued to chatter
in q suppressed tone on his left. A cold touch on
his cheek sent his blood tingling into bis temples.
Before him, through the foliage glittered north.
| ern star by which he took his direction; but no
CLEAN Of luminous insects on the grass guided him
| to the spot where the wished for herb was to
bloom. Mocking chirrupy laughs rang in the
| bushes, as though the birds and squirrels were
ridiculing then the filters ceased, and were re.
placed by disconsolate signs. His eyes. still fixed
| on the star that flashed toward him from the hori-
zon, II flicker and change position, then disap-
| pear and again light up. Was il JACKIE lantern,
misleading him? He hurried toward it. Star it was
not but cluster Of fire-flies, nuttering over the
| grass, and glow.worms deep buried among the
green dew.moistened blsdes. The whisperiugs,
signs, and various strange sounds that had accom-
panied him now ceased. But through the arches
| Of the forest rang cry: " Robert!" he knew
the voice at once, and would have turned but
cold breath was bresthed into his ear. and white
band thrust over his shoulder, pointed toward the
glow.worms. Then he thought Of his Vow, and
| Of the old mans threats. The RELIES futtered
| before him, as though singing to him In advance.
| Again he heard Gertrude's cry Robert
Where are you?" Two forces contended with
one another In the young mans breast; his love,
which urged him TO turn, and his greed which i'm
| PEELED him forward. He felt as though his feet
were rooted to the ground, and that heavy
| weights were attached TO his limbs, 30 that he
could not move his knees. 1t was though he
was endeavorng TO ascend precipice. 80 labori-
Gus and painful was each motion of his body. He
heard the steps of his betrothed behind him.
"Whstl What are you doing! am faint with
fear. Help me! " she exclaimed, stretched her
l
He heard her fall in the grass, and would have
yielded to the impulse Of his better nature TO turn
and succor her, had not the village clock in the
| valley at that moment struck midnight. The last
stroke found him kneelIng, and leaning forward,
peeriDg intently into the rank grass. with the
drops Of Precipitation falling from his brow. AS
the chime OF the bell ceased, before him among
the herbs appeared the pale spot of light like q
flake of moon, twinkng among some strawberry
leaves. Immediately all anxiety left his breast,
and was replaced by joyful expectation. He
thought over the words he had to repeat, and the
busky voice whispered them slowly into his ear.
BE stopped forward over the Pickering light and
said in q low tone:
Thrice In seven years | bloom
| In the silent forests gloom,
Blossom golden, gtarry bright,
| Bursting at the turn of night.
Then the light steathiy rose above the leaves
and Robert discerned q delicate pellucid green
stem, sustaining q howerbud Like that OF the
Grass of Parnassus. The delicate leaves begun
to unfur and to fold back and silver drops to fall
of; at one time 1t more like pubblng
fountain than flower, the clear green stalk
seemed to be rising column of luminous fluid
which foamed into brilliant light at the summit,
| end then scattered itself IN rain of spanglng
drops. At another time, however, the shape Of
the opening leaves was perfectly distinguishsble,
the delicate petals unfuring displayed the authors
blazing with golden light, and forming rapidly
| widening ring OF glory.
Presently, from the heart Of the flower face
|
illness, with golden hair waving around the temples
and luminous blood shooting through the trans
parent veins. Slowly the whole head developed
out Of the center of the flower, then the breast
and arms disengaged themselves, and Robert
knelt before a nymph of peerless beauty, in q
trance Of rapture, and without trace Of his
former fear and anxiety remaining in his bosom.
Her hand beckoned him 70 follow, and be moved
after her readily, till they stood on the edge of
precpice that descended into frightful chasm
deep in the bowels of the mountain. The beauti
full being beckoned him on. Her lips moved, and
though no words sounded in his ears, yet the
words formed themselves in his soul: Has,
thou courage and love? Then follow me into the
abyss" The light from her robes stresmed down
the chasm, irradisting the rough crags and illum
mating their interiors, so that the young man could
see through them into a land of wonder, where
lay planes of mslschite, out of which grew
metallic trees, glistening with drops of gold and
silver where precious stones of countless tints
and colors strewed the soil. and steams of liquid
crystal fosmed over rocks of amethyst and jasper
The nix smiled at Robert, and again words formed
themselves within him: 90 Follow me to my land
OF wonder" Then she wound her beautiful
arms around him. kissed his burning lips and, for
getful of Gertrude and Of home, he lesped with
her into the gulf.
Next morning a wood-cutter, traversing the