Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-07-26

born. There were vague mutterings in
the air, as took my infant daughter in
my arms. Do you wonder that could
not answer back her mothers happy
smile? My rose and its sweet bud grew
day by day in loveliness. suffered tor
lures. 0, that she might be taken before
her gentle heart should bleed for the suf-
ferings of her child.
Years passed. She began to fade
nv beautiful flower, | watched her anx-
iously. The wind and the wave saw my
sorrow; they reveal no secrets. Her
sweet life ebbed so slowly would it be too
late? With a sigh of thankfulness, /
closed her beautiful eyes.
81 wandered from land to land, taking
my child with me. watched her every
step. In agony, 1 waited the time when
the doom Of our dark race should fall on
her innocent heart. In Madrid, a Span
ish nobleman saw her. Her beauty
charmed him. Rumors of my wealth
had rea he'd his ears. Artfully, selfishly,
he wove his chains around her. How L
hated him! From the first, knew him.
The woe was ever worked by a human
hand and as l watched the baleful light
in his hard eyes-the close pressure of his
thin, cruel lips| gnashed my teeth In
impotenr fury. My darling! can you not
see how that strong, fierce hand will crush
all the sweetness out of your fresh young
life? And she loved him. He would turn
to me with a smile of scornful triumph
when her innocent eyes told him this
Madly jealous, If she displeased him he
would cast cold hard look upon her,
whispering harsh, cutting words of anger.
till she paled and trembled, lifting plead
ing eyes to his. And l was powerless!
Il took her home. The Spahiard fol-
lowed us. Our German winter chilled
him; but he persevered. The spring
came. Step by step he was forcing me
back. In vain / nightly lifted despairing
eyes to the proud stars; they smiled
down coldly on me, but no voice came.
again | read the moldering parch-
ment which recorded the dire curse, and
the mysterious words of prophecy re-
garding its fulfillment. By fasting and
by watching, strOve to read their mean
ing; ,.,, =,
shall fall
1.-THE 1.-THE e;ypress-crowned cup shall confer i'm
''Both of these images foreshadowed
death.
ntn followed legenu:
"'A flower bloomed in the cleft of rock
but the rock laughed down on them, as they
surged and foamed at its feet. The tempest woke /;
the waves arose; they dashed their spray far up
the face Of the rock; Then the rock cried, 80,
Azraell take thou the flower. for I can shelter IL
ho longer" Then Azrael heard, and, stretch
ing out his strong right-hand, he plucked the
flower, and bore IL to sunny plains, where long
1t bloomed in peace and beauty
"In the watches of the night, the
meaning was made clear to me. / knelt
and cried, %, AZrael! 1 give my flower
into thy keeping. See that thou bear her
teDderly to sunny plains, where angel
hands shall welcome her. Then ] called
my child. She came and laid her sunny
head upon my shoulder. / gave the
cup of death into her hand; watched
her drink it. l spoke playful words to
her | told her 1t was the elixir of life,
and she smiled as she took it from my
hand. l drew her to the easement; she
lay in my arms, and l spoke to her Of the
things she loved-of the flowers and stars,
and of the heavenly plains where her
mother wandered. She listened dreamily.
| forced my lips to smile as she clasped
her arms about my neck. Her breath
fiuttered little, and her startled eyes
sought mine. turned away. Suddenly
she said, MY father, there is some one
standing in the moonlight, holding out to
me fair white lily Then I knew the
guardian of our race had come, for this
his child. Ibowed my head.
In the morning came the Spaniard.
| bade him follow me. We stood beside
her. He wrung his hands aud wept. 1
had fOiled the demon.
"Do you wonder that while others
smile, my lips are graveP Do you mar
vel that keep vigil by the couch of pain
and sorrow? l have no remorse. Ibid
no wrong. Her pure, white soul went up
to God without one stain of earth to mar
its loveliness. But o, my child my
child! Faint voices call to e-ahand
has beckoned from the stars-my time is
shortl My angel ones, 1 come! -"
/ laid down the manuscript with a
shudder. Could this be? / looked
around nae fearfu!ly. There in her dress of
green, Gods beautiful earth smiled up at
the sky. The birds were singing over
head; in the kitchen, Jean and Lisette
were laughing; the bees hummed in and
out of my window. Life-busy, beauti-
full life-was all around me. Turning the
key on the ghostly story, went out into
the sunshine.-Frorn Overland Monthly,
for July.