The Republican journal., 1875-06-24

alone in the silence of the great woods
AS the long decades were passing, the sill
yer of his locks changed to snow.
Ii came to pass that a message from the
years gone by penetrated to his seclusion.
reaching his saddened spirit more to wound
than to cheer.
ltwas an August night and was raining
Jacques sat in his cabin, reading news
paper dated three months back The light
of a candle which he held in his hand fell
upon his face, revealing how strangely
and sadly it was chastened by his lonely
life. The rain beat dull and dreary upon
the window-pane. A mouse nibbled in a
cupboard and then ran across the floor
low, moaning sigh came from the for
est Jacques put his candle upon the
table, pushed up his spectacles closed his
eyes, and sat thinking, There were
strange stories in the newspaper he had
been reading, about spirits coming back
to the world. He was not surprised by
the idea. He had felt his deceased mother
near him many times, when he was utterly
heart-broEen and weeping in his solitary
hours. But he did not think it likely that
the spirits would make noises and disturb
people. He was satisfied that the accounts
in the newspaper We're not true. Then he
wondered again what it was that he had
felt coming all day. Perhaps twas moth
ing. Yet why should he feel it always
before people came? He would not have
believed such things years ago
Jacques opened his eyes Was that Il
faint lightning flash upon the window !?
1t was too long and steady for that. He
rose and peered out into the blackness OF
the rainy night. His window overlooked
the lake. Across, upon Il point OF land
that projected out from the main shore, Il
ruddy fire was burning. Its red glare
came in Il misty, shimnering track across
the waves.
. Some hunters, probably" thought
Jacques And vet the hunters never
came to the lake. and there was no fish
! ing there at must be somebody who
has come all the way through the woods
on the old mining road" he said to HIM
| self He tried to believe it was not re-
markabe; but he did not sleep very
soundly that night for thinking OF it, al
though the beat Of the rain upon the roof
soothed HIM
The next morning was clear and beau
titul. The green, wet woods were steam
ing in the warm summer air, and the bees
Were hllmming. At eight o'clock jacques
sat reading in his open doorway. A bright,
active boy dressed ina blue suit, and about
twelve Years of age. came along the lake
shore, and to the door of the cabin.
"Good morning, Mr. .Jacqucs,'' . said the
boy. with a CHEEKY smile; and his clear
blue eyes looked kindly and curiouslv at
the long, white hair and grave, sad face
OF the hermit. Jacques pushed his spec
tacles back upon his forehead, and turned
his dreamy look upon the eager Young
face before him.
The boy proceeded to tell jacques that
he and his older brother had walked sixty
miles along the roads through the woods
for u vacation. and We're camping over ON
the point He said that as il was Sunday,
they should stay over until tomorrow.
"They told Us back at Smiths that you
lived here, and that your name was Mr
jacques" said the boy with Juvenile Volu
bility; and turning partly away, the lad
commenced biting the green bark from n
fresh birch branch in his hand, g.ancing
at the man meanwhile, TO discover what
impression he was making When the
hermit spoke few Kind words in reply,
the boy seemed to Judge that it would he
safe to develop his policy. You see, Mr.
Jacques,' he said, 1--WE want some new
potatoes from your garden, and | guess
you will hate TO let us have any"
The boy found little difficulty in AZ
ranging with kind-hcartcd Mr. jacques
The hermit was ready to do more than
was asked of him. He urged that the
lads should come and stay at his cottage
The boy departed, and soon returned
with his comraae. They brought Il KNAPP
sack full of trout and rifle. The elder
boy was also dressed in blue; he was
grave and scdatc.
The young takers made IT lively at the
cottage jacques had not heard such mu-
sic there for many q dreary day,-not
since the picnic, three years before
The boys looked at the bees and the
flowers, and the Younger one explored all
the surroundings Of the place. Will, the
elder, sat with Jacques and conyersed
quietly Of the news Of the day. The con-
versation turned upon books. The boy
was well informed
you are student" said jacques
when | was young, | too had some
schooling; in my solitude | still find in
reading my chief enjoyment and solace,"
And then Jacques produced I; worn volume
of Miton's Poems. and read. III Il slow,
measured manner u part of the poem be-
ginning at mans first disobedience. that
brought death into our world and all our
woe.
The old man became confidential with
the sober. scholarly lad Il know q lit
tle," said jacques, humbly, ''of the great
world in which you live and Of literary
men and fame; my grandfather was II
writer for the press in France And then
Jacques, with dii1idence and embarrass-
ment, confessed that in the long. silent
hours, Just to amuse his thoughts, he Had
himself composed a few lines, and had
them in memory. They were not much,
he said, but they gave him something to
think about, and impaired to his solitary
hours certain pleasure.
II am not skilled in punctuation, he
remarked, in his unaffected way, ''and 50
have never written them down" As
the two became more acquainted, the old
man blushing a little, repeated a poem Of
his own, and the young student .iotted it
down in cipher in his notebook The
hermit was greatly pleased at this, and
smiled with Il simple, honest pride, as his
words were read back to him to see that
all was right. jacques was correct in
saying that the lines were not very much
They were evidently inspired by Nilton's
Paradise lost and treated Of the same
great theme With all their rudeness,
however, they revealed the native gran
deur of his soul, and would tain believe
that they reflected in some degree the
light of the great epic that inspired them.
AS the sun WAS going down. the bows
and jacques sat in the cottage door.
~ ou call each other Will and George, "
said Jacques, "but, it may ask, what are
your full names?n
The boys gave their names and the
names of their father.
What was it that made Jacques tremble
and then remain so still? The boys notic-
ed the agitation and the silence, but they
knew no cause. BY degrees the CONVEX
sation was resumed. A half-hour passed