The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1870-04-27
IBoulous's Magazine.]
UNEARTHED.
BY ESTHER sERLE KENNETH.


Once in a while there occurs, il
real life, an episode which outrival.
all the imaginary tales that ever were
written. ....
4 Somewhere between New York anc
Maine are the remnants of an ole
town. Most of the old people have
died the few children born there have
gone away. The resi- ients dwell like
hermits of their antiquated houses
among their moss-grown orchards,
knowing absolutely nothing of the
march of time save as marked by ad
Editions to the stones of their hillside
graveyard. kilograms and express
trains are legends to them. Once a
week yellow old stage rumbles
through the grassy lanes and quiet
streets, bringing a few letters, and
sometimes, out Of the unknown, fable
like world, son or daughter, who has
"come home," for a visit. In the
spring the ploughmen make a faint
stir OF life. The birds come ear
lier and stay later than elsewhere
There is no hand lifted against them !;
they build in the old cherry trees un-
molested. The cattle linger. on their
way to the pasture, to crop the lush
grass in the shadows of the roadside
elms. Once a week, an aged man,
who lives by the river, draws a hand
cart of. fish through the old town,
calling customers by the blatant echoes
of tin horn. The silence of pasture,
wood and grassy door yard is seldom
broken save by the whistle of a herds
boy, or the lowing of o. COW. 30 ..
Here lived old Peter Felix and his
grandchild Salome. They resided on
the outskirts of the town, in poor
hut, situated in so remote spot that
the other residents of the place seldom
saw them. But if you had asked
about these people, you would have
been told that old Felix was a Jew,
and in spite OF the old shanty, that he
had plenty of gold. Probably the
story of his wealth was not true, but
that Salome's beauty was of the jew
ish type was unmistakable. Her
great black eyes, the shower of dark
curls, the small, voluptuous mouth,
and the deeply stained cheek were
Ishmaelitisb. She was fifteen years
old, and innocent as the birds whose
songs she Knocked. She had lived
here ever since she could remember;
the old hut was all the bone she knew.
Less known than these people was
a man who lived in a house called
"The Castle, in the woods. 1t was
a large stone building, so old that the
woods had grown up around it and
shut it out from the rest of the world.
That man, who was called Stacy, had
lived there for six or seven years
He was seldom seen. Some people
said that he WAS good-looking man
of about forty, others declared that he
was grizzled, and frightfuL He had
a servant, who was seen, sometimes,
hunting for his cow, and the servants
name was said to be Duval. The
master never came into the town, and
no one ever visited the Castle. m
One day Salome's linnet flew. from
its cage. She called to it, but it
would not return. Step by step it
led her out of the garden into the
woods t..lH- s's'G-97 -'A
1t was spring weather. Other lin
nets were singing in the trees The
tame bird huttered to the branches of
an oak, and called for mate. In
vain the young girl sought to allure
it. Nature was stronger than habit.
The linnet flew higher and sang more
sweetly. At length it took the wing
again p; - i'-ii'i'i 10 .-..-' of. .''t '''.
Painting with apprehension, the girl
followed, winding through the trees,
leaping over brooks and stones-tear-
ing her clothing on the shrubs and
thorny vines. Now and then she
would lose sight of the linnet; again
she would see him sporting across her
path. All at once he rose in a swift,
unerring flight, and was lost from her
sight over the tops of the trees. = At
that moment darkness fell, and Sa-
lone, looking around, found she was
lost. Is "r'sI --.''a ''.- ' a. 10
Never before in her life had she pen
etrated the e..Moeds to this depth Ev-
cry thing looked solemn and strange
Phe bird songs died with the fading
light, and all was very still. A little |
rivulet .triclled through the leaves at |
her feet. Me- Rises W 20 J-I1 siiI
- 'I Will follow the water said the
girl, brayely.. -,
Q She followed the streamlet until it |
became so dark that she could not see
it sparkling among the leaves. She
put down her hand, and found that it
had not dropped, but she could not |
zee to trace its course any further.