Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1873-09-04
EATON OHIO, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1873

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 pleading eyes to him. And was
powerless I!
81 took her home. The Spaniard
followed us. Our German winter chilled
him, but he persevered. The spring
came. Step by step he was forcing me
back. In vain nightly lifted despair
ing eyes to the proud stars; they
smiled down coldly on me, but no voice
came.
Again I read the moldering parch-
ment which recorded the dire curse,
and the mysterious words of prophecy
regarding its fulfllment. By fasting
and watching I strove to read their
meaning.
"sThe red hand shall do, while the
white hand shall fail
tThe cypress-crowned cup shall
confer Immortality
death.
"Then followed legend
GA flower bloomed in the cleft of a
rock. The fierce waves saw it they
coveted it's beauty, but the rock laughed
down on them as they surged and foamed
at it's feet. The tempest woke, the
waves arose they dashed their spray
far up the face of the rock. Then the
rock cried, oh, Azrael take thou the
flower, for I can shelter it no longer.
Then Azrael heard, and stretching out
his strong right hand he plucked the
flower and bore it to sunny plains,
where long it bloomed in peace and
beauty.
"In the watches of the night the
meaning was made clear to me. I
flower into thy keeping. See that thou
bear her tenderly to sunny plains,
where angel hands shall welcome her. ,
Then called my child. She came and
laid her sunny head upon my shoulder.
1 gave the cup of death into her hand /;
I watched her drink it. I spoke playful
words to her; I told her it was the
elixir of life, and she smiled as she took
it from my hand. I drew her to the
easement she lay in my arms, and
spoke to her of the things she loved-of
the flowers and stars, and of the heaven
ly plains where her mother wandered.
She listened dreamily. I forced my
lips to smile as she clasped her arms
about my neck. Her breath futtered
little, and her startled eyes sought
GuIhOo away. 6u0
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. j bowed my
head. -
''In the morning came the Spaniard.
I bade him follow me. We stood beside
her. He wrung his hands and wept. I
had foiled the demon.
"Do you wonder that while others
smile my lips are grave? Do you mar
vel that I keep vigil by the couch of
pain and sorrow? have no remorse.
1 did no wrong. Her pure, white soul
went up to God without one stain of
earth to mar it's loveliness. But oh, my
child, my child ! Faint voices call to
me-a hand has beckoned from the stars
my time is short My angel ones, I
come !"
I laid down the manuscript with
shudder. Could this be ? I looked
around me fearfully. There in her
dress of green, Gods beautiful earth
smiled up at the sky. The birds were
singing overhead; in the kitchen Jean
and Lisette were laughing the bees
hummed in and out of my window.
Life-busy, beautiful ife-was all
around me. Turning the key on the
ghostly story, I went out into the sun
shine.