Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1873-04-03
from THE ALDINE for April.
Il WILL IF YOU WILL" "

hotel, standing half way up the side
of d mountain in New Hampshire
In the parlor there one July even
ING, were four people-NIrs. St. Johr
and her daughter ELY, Miss Emily
May and Mr. Millburn. AS ELY st
John went to the piano, these two
last slipped out on the balcony, anC
stood listening as ELY sung:
Gould we forget, could we forget
Oh that Letho were running yet,
The past should fade like morning dream,
In single drop Of the holy stream.
All we know what you would say,
But We are too tired to hope OF pray
For hurt with ceasoless jar and fret.
Body and soul cannot forget.
"Can they forget, will they forget
When they shall reach the boundary set
When with the final panG and strain
They are parted never to meet again?
Ever to them shall rest be given,
senseess in earth or happy in Heaven?
That which has been it might be yet
If we could only learn to forget;
But the stars shall cease to rise and set
And fall from Heaven ere we forget
ELY sung with an intensity anC
pathos which borrowed none of its
force from within, or she was q good
natured, inconsequont sort ofgirl, whit
had never had a trouble in her life
The Gift Of musical expression is Otter
quite Independent of feeling Or ex
periencc. Elly's music hurt Emil,
cruelty, and stirred and reused the ole
sorrow which had but just begun t.
fall asleep for little. She had loyeC
deeply and fondly man who ha(
grown tired Of her and left her, be
cause he was greatly her inferior
Much as she suffered, | rejoiceC
when her engagement with Lewi
Leighton was broken. I had knowI
Lewis from his earliest childhood, anC
I had always disliked him as a self
fish, conceited png. The last | heart
of him, he had turned Catholic, ant
joined the Jesuits; and I only hope h'
GOT well snubbed during his novitiate
Had Miss May married him, her dis
appointment would have been un
speakably greater than it was. A
she leaned over the balcony while ELY
sung, and looked out into shadow:
and starlight, her heart was wrung a:
with the first anguish Of loss, the sick
ening sense Of her own blind infatua
ton. oh God" she said to herself
"when ,ciU the bitterness of this deatl
be past ?" Then she became conscious
that Mr.. liillburn was speaking to her
but he had more than half finished
what he had to say before she realized
that he was asking her to be his wife
He spoke at IL very unfortunate mo
ment lie and Emily had been very
good friends that summer They hac
wandered in the woods, ascendeC
Mount Washington, and been to Gler
Ellis together. She had liked him
but she had never dreamed Of him a.
a lover, and when he presented him
self in that light she was shocked, and
startled, and little provoked.
"Oh hush!' she said sharply. '1t
never can be-never!"
"Do you then dislike me so much ?
said Eyert Millburn, trying very hare
to speak quietly.
no. she said, making an effort tc
collect her thoughts. Il have likec
you-you have been good to me bu
all the love l had to give is dead ant
buried, and there is no resurrection"
He made no answer; but she fel
that she had hurt him.
Il am very sorry she faltered; g
never meant