The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-01-01
St. Aubya's Faith.


A CHRISTMAS MEMoRT.
'Lopal je seraf d+tra,u ma rte.'
We stood by the window, she and !.
And watched the sunset dapple the dels ,;.,
And her voice was rs sweet IN laugh and in sigh
As the sound OF fairie bells.
The ANTIQUE room, with its carvcn oak,
Flushed red in the yulc logs lurld glare
And we stood, and never word we spoke,
AS we watched the death Of the year.
Watched how out of the violet sky
Faded the smile OF the day that dled:
And we turned from the window, she and ],
The bridegroom and the brlde.
Without, the strange dim flush OF the snow
Grew pallid enough in The gathering gloom;
But within. through holly and mlstlctoe'
Cleaned ruddy the carven room.
The nIckerng light strange shadows thIew
On quaint. cut cornicc and grim gurgoilc,
Birds Of barbaric shape and hue,
And scrpents Of cunning coll.
VI.
Woven with curious art and chance
In the ollen days by some sculptor.hand'
Figures and forms OF the lost Romance
Of the sweet PrOvencal land.
Luring my fancy, and may be hers.
To the golden days OF that knlghtly nne,
When Raoul de st. Aubyn won his spurs
On the plains of Palestine.
We drew the old.fashoned velvet chairs
Still closer into the Christmas hearth,
And ] knew that she held me, sans doubts anu
cares,
Her dearest thing on earth,
gentle girl with golden hair.
And chastened light in the great gray eyes,
And face as tender and pure swear
AS the faces In Paradise.
But still as her arms crept closer yet,
And the loving eyes looked into mine,
It was not her face that my dim gaze met
In the embers' ftful shine.
The dragon over the chimney-placc
Glares horribly down with it's goggle.eyes,
And out OF the gloom another face
Like spectre began TO rise.
XII.
Thought Of night on al Indian wall,
And lurid sky and fendish shout:
And dear face, trustful, yet pallid Wltllal,
And wan with namelesS doubt.
And chill In the blood OF stalwart men,,
And a passion OF prayer from goddess nps;
A short sharp loving shrlft-and then
The hush OF q life's eclipse
And Gods Light dim in the Christmas sky,
That Christmas fierce with the battle-0reath-
And there on the rampartS she and !,
And around and between us-death!
Thought Of the gaze on my lost loves face,
Ere the last wild sally that cave tne ioe'
The kiss on the dead lips pallid grace
Those lips that had loved me so!
And think she was happier too that night,
The hand that she best loved struck IN lts might,
And loosed her prison bars.
Ay, happier then than I, as sit
And auafr Loves goblet Of Hippocrene,
In the light OF this fair face, as exquisite
AS the face Of Magdalene.
XVIII.
Ethel Is fair, and loves me well,
And the two old houses are joined today;
For the heir OF St. Aubyn weds ever, they TELL
with the heiress Of Fontenaye.
XIX.
And never shadow of doubt shall dim
Those great pure eyes that worship me now,
She never shall know the secret OF him
Z Who hath pledged her his marriage VOW.
TX.
Bat only ont OF the enbers glare,
That other face will shine and rise
That dear lost face with its loose brown hair,
And Its soft appealing eyes.
XXI.
But swear by the virgin to whose dear grace
That bright young life was sacrifice,
bury tonight my dead loves face
In my living Ethel's eyes:
XIII.
And to this pure heart that has crowned me
King,
Faithful for aye shall my service be;
"Loydl Je Serdt let the brave words ring,
"LoDab dtrant ma rie." u. II. ;.