Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1869-05-28


ward over the Pickering light and said in a
low tone
Thrice in seve years | bloom.
In the silent forests gloom.
Blossom golden, starry bright,
Bursting in the turn of night
Then the light stealthily rose above the
leaves, and Robert discerned a delicate pei
lucid green stem, sustaining a flower. bud
like that Of the grass of Parnassus The
delicate leaves begun to unfurl and to fold
hack, and silver drops to fall off at one
time it was more like bubhlng fountain
than flower, the clear green stalk seemed
TO be a rising column of luminous fluid which
foamed into brilliant light at the summit
and scattered itself in a rain Of spangling
drops. At another time, however. the shape
of the opening leaves was perfectly distin-
guishable, the delicate petals unfurlng
displayed the anthors blazing with golden
light, and forming rapidly widening ring
Of glory.
Presently. from the heart Of the flower.
face looked up at Roberta face Of super
human loyelness, with golden hair waving
around the temples and luminous blood
shooting through the transparent veins
Slowly the whole head developed out of the
center Of the flower. then the breast and
arms disengaged themselves, and Robert
knelt before nymph of peerless beauty, in
a trance Of rapture, and without trace Of
his former fear and anxiety remaining in his
bosom. Her hand bockoned him to follow
and be moved after her readily. till thev
stood on the edge of rrecipice that descend
ed into a irighttul chasm, deep in the bow
els of the mountain. The beautiful being
heckoned him on. Her lips moved. and,
though no words sounded in his ear. Vet the
words formed themselves in his soul &c Hast
thou courage and love? Then follow me in
10 the abyss The light from her robes
streamed down the chasm, irradiatng the
rough c78gs and Illuminating their interiors,
sJ that the young man could see through
them into land of wonder, where lay
plains @. malachire, out Of which grow me
tailic trees. giisteuing with drops Of gold
and silver where precious stones of count
less tints and col1rs strewci the soil. and
streams of liquid crystal ioamed over rocks
of amethyst and Jasper The nix smiled at
Robert, and again words formed themselves
within linn Follow me % INV land of
wonder" Then she wound her beautiful
arms around him. kissed his burning lius.
Z
leaped with her into the gulf
Next morning, wood cutter trayersing
the forest. passed near the spot, Hold,
said he, " what is that lying in the grass 2''
he found Gertrude lying with her face TO
the earth. and her arms extended toward
the prccipice to the north. She was pale
and unconscious. The dew had saturated
her long hair, and drenched her clothing.
The old man bore her gently to the mill
She Day long Ia a fever. and on her recovery
% health. it was found the shock she had
sustained had disturbed her intellect. Where
was Roberto No one knew. He was sought
in all directions. but was not found. Ger
trude was questioned, but her answers were
50 strange and mysterious that nothing sat
istact0ry could be gathered from them All
they learned from her was. that she knew
what had heiallen him. and that with her
alone lay the power Of releasing him. ' Re
leasing him from wLat2' they asked Thon
she looked blanklv in their ewes. and said.
Is. viii release him
The poor girl spent her days in relieving
the necessities Of the sick and iamishing.
She gave presents to churches and m0naster-
ies and no baggar left the house without
aims Whence all this money came none
knew, and when askcd. she replied. .' They
give it in the night" So the report spread
that she had treasure In the forest. that she
slen, it in charity. in hopes o, thereby rc-
leasing her lovers soul from purutory
Gertrude was rarely at home tv night. but
wandered among the rocks and forest She
never .gmissed her way, and rasseiwith
feat safety along the edges of the most per
appalling precipices. Charcoal-burners.
returning home late, often saw her seated
on the verge Of the chasm. down which she
knew Robert hadiallen. In this wild strange
manner of lie she rapidly altered in appear
ance, and her beautiful brown hair in a
very few years became quite gray. Her
delicate complexion faded. and her smooth
brow became lined with furows. In ten
years she was old; in twenty. she seemed
like crone Of eighty; and people account
ed for this by saying that she bore on her
shoulders the penalty Of Roberts transgress-
ions. But though changed in appearance.
her goodness of heart remained unaltercd
she was gentle, unc0mplaining, and full Of
love % all who needed her sympathy.
Twenty-one years had elasped. On the
thirteenth evening after the feast Of st.
John, Gertrude was observed going down the
valley. She created cheerfully all she met,
and who heard her speak thought that her
voice had recovered the sweetness Of you'll.
In the forest was a hermitage. near a chap
el. She visited it, and said TO the recuse
" Good inther the time of release has air
rived. The Lord is good and merciful, and
full Of compassion" Then she vanished
among the shadows Of the trees, signing TO
the hermit not to follow. That night fear
F. fol 81. Ig
of lighting and the crash Of thunder were
continuous, but, by morning, the tempest had
cleared away, and the sun looked down out
Of a cloudless heaven on tnrbid streams and
dripping trees, and sparkling meadows. 4
party Of woodcutters were on their way
through the forest; suddenly one of them
exclaimed " Look Gertrude is lying in
the grass at the food Of the precipice l'' The
men stood still. startled and distressed
then they stepped cautiously toward her
She lay with her face downward, her head
resting on one arm, and her knees bent, as
though she had fallen asleep while engaged
in prayer. The rough men gently raised her,
and with awe observed that all traces Of
age and care had faded from her counter
ance, which had become youthful and lovely
once more. The wrinkles bad disappeared
from the pure brow, the fair cheek had
filed out again. and the gray hair had res
umed its rich, brown luster. Round her
head was myrtle wreath, and above the
forehead, woven into the wreath, was an
unknown white flower, from which light
shone as from a star.
" She Is a saint and the angels have dressed
her. said one Of the woodcutters solemnly
They made a bier Of pine boughs and laid
on it, then they descended with it toward
tie valley. As the path wound round a
buttress Of rock, abutting on the precipice
at the head of which Gertrudes body had
been found. one Of the bearers uttered an ex-
clamation of surprise.
By our lady" he said, " look yonder
~ mans body
The men clambered to the spot \ light
ming stroke during the night had cleft the
rock, and had expos ID the corpse Of the hun
ter, which had falle into fssure, in which
1t had been conceal d from human eyes for
twenty one years.
- Ii Is Robert said an old man on ex-
amining the body. The woodcutters crowd
ed round it. The hunter Law before them
fresh and uniniured, for the cold.of the rocky
ehasm had preserved him from decay.
Then all knew that this was Gods doings.
So they laid the body of Robert by that of
Gertrude; and the bier was their bridal bed
and the grave their bridal chamber, ,n-inathe
funeral chant their epithalamium.
The NOON AND THE sUN.-In an account
which DR.. Scoresby has given of some recent
observations made with the Earl Of Ross tel