The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-03-21
NUMBER 7.

by, and mine eyes arc yet dazed with its
lnstre. Was it the moon CHANGING through the
leavesf Was it morning smiling beneath the
woods ! llo, no! 1t was Edith, my love who
passed; and still mine eyes are dazed."
Lonise loved the fields, the gardens and the
flowers. In spring she eagerly listened for the
first notes of the lark, or sought the buebells
beneath the bushes, or watched for the return
OF the Bparrows to the corners of the windows
on the roof. She was ever the child of the
wandering gypsies, only little less wild than
they; but Hullin forgave every thing; he uu-
derstood her nature, and often cried, laughing:
My poor Louise, with the booty you bring
us-your lunches Of flowers and little birds
we should all die of hunger in q week."
But she would only smile, and he, rs he 70.
turned to his work, exclaim:
Bah why should scoldf She is right to
love the sunlight, and Gaspard will labor for
BOTH"
So reasoned the good man, and days, week.,
and months rolled by in patient waiting for
Gaspard's return.
But Gaspard returned not, and now for two
months they had had no tidings of him.
One day, toward the middle of December
1913, between three and four O'Clock in the az
ternoon, Hullin bent over his work bench was.
finishing pair of spiked sabots for Rochart, the
wood=cutter. Louise had placed her flowers
near the little stove which cracked on the
hearth, while the monotonous tick tack of the
old village clock marked the seconds as they
flew, and occasionally the tramp of clogs upon
the frozen earth was heard without, and n
head covered with hat or wrapped in q
hnn nm fha ind . Til:
glaucing through the paues of the window,
suddenly stopped his labor, and stood with
both eyes wide open, as one gazing at some
unusual sight.
At the corner of the street, just opposite the
tavern of the Three Pigeons, a strange figure
was advancing, surrounded by a crowd of
jumping, laughing boys, each vying with the
other in shouting at the top of his voice:
King of Diamonds! King of Diamondsw In
truth, stranger figure could scarcely be
imagi ned. Fancy a man with o grave face
and red beard; gloomy eye, straight nose,
eyebrows meeting, n circlet OF tin upon his
head, an iron-gr shepherd dog-sk tapping
upon his back, the two fore-paws knotted
around his neck his breast covered with little
copper crosses, his legs with sort of gray
stuff trousers, and his feet bare large
raven with lustrous black wings was perched
upon bis shoulder. One might think from the
majesty of his air and gait, that an ancient
Merovingion king had come back to earth;
and, indeed, he carried short stick cut to the
hApe of a sceptre, while with his right hand
10 gssticulated magnifcently, pointing to the
kies and apostrophizing his attendants.
Every door opened as he passed, and curious
aces were pressed against every window-pane.
few old women upon the outside stairs of
heir co tagcs called to him, but be deigned no
eply; others descended to the street and
'ould have barred his passage, but he, with
cad erect aud brows banghtiy raised, waved
hem aside.
d" Hold!' said Hulliu, "hero is Yegof
id not expect to see him again this winter, it
contrary to his habit; and what can he
lean by returning in such weather as this -
Louise, laying aside her distaff, ran to look
t the King of Diamonds; for the appearance
the fool in the beginning of winter was
ute an event, and the source of musement
} many who were glad to kill time in the
Gverns, listening to the story of his imaginary
over and glory; others, especially women,
1t q vague fear of him for the ideas of fools
every body knows, are sometimes drawn
ON another world than this-to them is con-
1ed the knowledge of the past and future;
10 only difficulty is in understanding them,
+ their words have always a double sense !.
lie for the cars of the coarse and vulgar, and
lie, far different, for wise and lofty souls.
oreover, the thoughts of Yegof, above those
all other fools, were acknowledgements to
say sublime. No one knew whence he came,
hither hs went; he wandered through the
nd like a soul in pain; he Wanted the great
'ss of long extinct nations, and called himself
nperor of Australia, of Polynesia, and other
rolf places. Volumes might be written of