The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1872-06-20

Of beauteous life that cannot bear the light -'
A curious underworld of mild decay;
Each prone trunk, lying over where he fell,
Enamelled wit b fine lichens, couched in ferns,
While stitch by stitch, soft broiderng moses make
His gay, green shroud pricked out with coral cups
And each unseemly, rotten gap is filled
With orange fungus and the straight club moss
Spreads like small pine forest round his feet.
DIR. SEMPLE'S OPPOR'
TUNITY.
Sometimes We come suddenly upor
a scene in real life that, all simple ane
unprecedented though it be, impress
ses US as history, story, or a picture
for which we may not possess thekev
but of which we feel ipstinctively th.
meaning and force. We know in 6
moment what means; we feel in .
moment that one Of the many comb
nations of our shifting human life has
taken place before US, and that it tells
even to our eyes, the tale OF what has
been, and what may be. of late, the
word ''suggestive' has beon very much
in vogue. 1t has, in fact, become the
name of class to which many differ
ent things belong. We have suggest.
i've poetry, suggestive painting, suggest
i've essays, suggestive styles Of doing
and saying everything-perhaps even
suggestive puddings and pies-so, to
follow this universal fashion, We may
call such human pictures as these sug'
gestive. The term certainly suits them
better than it suits many other things
to which it has been applied.
1t was such picture as this which
awaited DR.. Semple as he walked on a
bright afternoon Of early October to
the door of Colonel Randolph's pleas
ant, rambling old house, and asked the
servant who answered the bell if Miss
Mona was at home. Before any reply
could be given by Tom, a small head
appeared under his arm, and a small,
sharp voice chirped forth ::
"You'll find sister Mona in the green
house, doctor. She took Mr.. Barry
there a good while ago, aud they have
not come back yet"
"How.a'ye-do, Louey 7" said Semple
to the diminutive speaker. "Do you
mean the greenhouse yonder across the
lawn 2"
eyes, the new cne," responded Loucy
"Mr. BaIrey said he wanted to see the
purple fucbsia, and Sister Mona took
him there, and they've been gone ever
so long"
"All right" said the doctor, with q
smile. IL hope they have been enjoy
ing themselves. Tell your mother
gave her message to Taylor, and III be
in after a while to see her about it."
With this he nodded and walked of
across the lawn, shaping his course to.
ward large circular conservatory which
stood at some considerable distance
from the house. AS he went, swing.
ing his stick and whistling softly te
himself, he noticed the beauty of al
things about him-noticed it absently
es people who are not keenly alive tt
tho charm OF Nature often do ; but he
remembered afterward, with strange
distinctness, the whole aspect of the af
ternoon and of all inanlmate objects
which it had tiDged with its own glory
lie cav the floods of mellow sunshine
that lit into dazzling b'illiancy tht
burning gold ard vivid scarlet of th'
trees, tho clumps Of Towering shrubs
upon the smooh lawn, and especiall,
one whose bright-red blossoms were re
lieved by the deep green Of the hedg'
near by; the dark brown house, stand
ing in quiet serenity amid all this Law
ish beauty, the glittering crystal pavil
ion toward which he was advancing
even the fair outlook of rolling countr,
as bis eye travelled beyond the Ran
dolph domain, the embowered town o.
one side, and, on the other, hills slo
ping gently into quiet valleys or leve
fields, woods draped in the gorgeou
robes of Autumn, but softeucd in thei
.splendor BY the mantle of blue haz
that rested over all things, and gave
tinge of sadness to the glowing land
scape.
George Semple had little or none {
that blessed love of Nature and appr
citation of beauty which people wh
have it not call "sentiment;" but, j
his own fashion, he admired the boun
teous feast of form and color sprea,
before him.
He did not put bis admiration int
definite form even in his own thoughts
but he felt it andit dwelt with him.
His heart was light, for he had hear
good news that day, and he knew y
distrust of any creature, no fear c
harm or wrong from any, when sudden
IL be turned corner of the conser,
atory, came in front Of an open door
and saw the picture which all this tim
had been awaiting him.
1t was pretty picture noboj
could have denied that. The Octobe
sunshine with its deep golden Patio
might have gone far before it woul
have found q loVlicr object to rest W
on than Mona Randolph as she stoo
beside tall green shrub and bent be
head over spray of fuchsia whic