The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1873-08-14

II and grave. / was frightened. lie wa
gentle TO me, and | grew to like him
;, He is always among the poor; he vii
{, receive nothing from any one. Henr
:. offered him money he refused. | CAV
: him my hand; he touched it with hi
. lips No one knows whence he comes
a or who he is. The poor bless his name
He never smiles / was sure he haC
some great sorrow.
Gone day a man came to me, and
handed me letter
q 4 am ILL., Will you come 2"
GO went with Henri. The room was
hung with black. The physician was by
a window, looking out upon the court /;
it was full of people-poor, and many
weeping. He stretched out his hand
and smiled. 81 have sent for you,
madame, to say Farewell, and to ask
your husband to procure passports for
my servant-he is to take me home"
80 Not now 2 | cried, you are i'll. !"
"'No, not now he said; 'to-mor
row.
81 had flowers for him, roses, delicate
fuchias, and pure white lilies. He took
them eagerly, inhaled their perfumes,
fondled them, and told me the legends of
their birth"
"'This is my flower he said, lifting
| lily from the rest. 1t has returned to
US He held it close against his heart,
saying softly, Is it an omen of good?
He sat musing long time, gazing at the
| blue sky"
'E'An rcvoir,' said, as bent over him.
He looked up brightly:
No; adieu.
" At the door | turned again he
waved his hand, then raised the lily to his
lips, and smiled In the morning, his |
servant came, and gave me packet; it |
contained the manuscript L enclose. On |
the outside was written:
'''This is the story of my life. No one
will know it but you. lieu"
1.-The man was weeping. His master
died i'll the night.
| unrolled the yellow sheets. There
was no heading to the story they contain
ed. | looked at the end there was no
name. 1t commenced abruptly:
81 come of a doomed race. A curse
hung over me at my birth. In c0nse-
quence of a horrible crime committed by
one of my ancestors, the good genius of
our race deserted us, and a demon, fierce
and cruel, Swallowed US with his black
wings.
"The first-born child Of every genera
ton was doomed, if boy, to an early J
and violent death; if girl, to a life of
misery. Generation after generation the
curse had fallen. BY water, by fire, by
the sword, the frst-born son had perish
ed and the mother wept bitter tears g
when girl was placed in her arms
There was legend that the curse would
lease when one was found hold enough
20 foil the demon, then, and then only, {
would the guardian of our race return. Q
"There is Moorish blood in our veins
IN the third generation our remote an Y
,estry shows itself Men call me the i
Moorish physician. True to my instincts,
have devoted myself to the study of
Eastern lore. The volume of the heavens I
las long been open to my gaze. Earth's I
deepest mysteries have yielded to my L
ouch. The voices of the deep breathe
mighty secrets to my ear, and in the war 0
f the elements, the flash of the light a
ling, the roar and thunder of the waves,
Vhen man shrinks back appalled,, my
pirit finds its wings. .
81 was the secoad son. My brother d
7as assassinated by an unseen hand.
Il returned to my home, and plunged 81
eeper and deeper into the abstuse studies Il
delighted in. Why could they not
ufiice? Alas | loved. All, fatal pow G
r! When we willed it, our love must :;
e returned. As knelt before the altar, e.
looked upon the fair creature who had ~
ielded her pure heart to me, as the
riest may look on the victims at whose g
1roat he holds the knife | was press gi
lg the cup of anguish to those ruby Ii
ps; those sweet eyes would soon over
ow with bitter tears. And yet, mad Il
ian as | was, with eager haste | clasped ~
lie fair blossom closer to my heart n,
moving that my fatal grasp must bligh,
bloom forever.
''For one short year, earth's fairest Ell
ues spread out before me and then, in re
arkness and in tempest, our child was sc
Drn. There were vague mutterings in
lie air as | took my infant daughter in pr
v arms Do you wonder that | could AZ
1t answer back her mothers happy smile? to
" rose and its sweet bud grew day by
Nv in loneliness. | suffered tortures.
, that she might be taken before her bs
,ntle heart should bleed for the suffer s,
gs of her child -
Years passed. She began to fade tn
V beautiful flower. | watched her anx wi
usly The wind and the waves saw my 70
'rrow; they reveal no secrets. Her we
yeet life ebbed so slowly-would 1t be ra
70 late? With sigh of thankfulness, w,
closed her beautiful eyes. tr,
Il wandered from land to land. taking RE
y child with me. / watched her every wi
ep. In agony, | waited the time when B;
e doom of our dark race should fall on
,r innocent heart. In Madrid, Span II
h nobleman saw her. Her beauty charm
him. Rumors of my wealth had
ached his ears. ArtfuIly, sclfishly, he ha
ove his chains around her. How | co.
tied himl From the first, | knew him. co.
he woe was ever worked by human an
md and as | watched the baleful light tn;
his hard eyes-the close pressure of ha
$ thin, cruel lips-I CRASHED my teeth lea
impotent fury. My darling! can you Pa
1t see how that strong, fierce hand will aiG
ush all the sweetness out of your fresh Pc
Jung life? And she loved him. lie ces
,uld turn to me with a smile of scorn- ba
triumph when her innocent ewes told ste
m this. Madly jealous, if she displeas- val
him he would cast cold, hard look tbf
ION her, whispering harsh, cutting 90,
,rds of anger, till she paled and trem- sb,
ed, lifting pleading eyes to his. And DO,
was powerless /! att
81 took her home. The Spaniard fol- OF
we'd us. Our German winter chilled fra
m; but he persevered. The spring he,
me. Step by step he was forcing me am
ok. In vain / nightly lifted despair SEQ
: eyes to the proud stars; they smiled
wn coldly on me, but no voice came.