Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-06-01
Horse.Chestnut Blossoms.

with flower incense. This old tree was an
orchestra Here the winged wanderers of the
air held their meetings, and the broad. green
leaves discretely hung their curtains around
the mysteries of many nest. Numerous
birds held grand rehearsals amid the foliage
and such concert of trills, cadenzas, grace
notes, running OF gamuts, chirps, and COOS
was enough to drive tlesh-and-blood musi-
clan mad with envy.
So thought Bertha Fleming, as she strained
her pretty throat in vain effort to echo the
syarklinG cascade of melody with which a
provoking Lark challenged and Knocked her.
"Ay, yes! You may look at me sideways,
if You like-you know l can't do it; and al
though you perk your head so innocently.
every feather on your little anatomy is ruflled
with exultation," said the girl.
The bird seemed to construe this speech
into demand for another trial of his skill.
His wings tluttered, his tiny throat swelled,
and all his body seemed to vibrate, as ro
| ladies', arpeggios and chromatic scales awoke
the slumberlng echoes. Threadlike notes of
| silvery sweetness, broken strains ravishingly
| moduated, long drawn measures of surpass-
ing purity, followed and mingled, until the
listener held her breath, half feari.S that the
warbler's voice had wings. as well as his body,
and would soar away into ineiiable har-
| mony.
and the distant lowing of cattle gave far COM
munion with the struggling sigh that escaped
envious Bertha's lips.
81 will 60 home, she said, "and drown
| my ambition in cups OF tea. / Will put my
hope beneath the churn-dash, and turn me
| to calling stray cows. lis useless to think
of ANYTHING else, when even little meadow
lark can set my heart to throbbing with envy.
BAH I'll go home, and keep on cutting
| bread and butter"
Shs turned hastily away, but a twining
root of the shelterlng tree caught one of her
unwilling feet, and she fell forward directly
into the arms of gentleman, who, very pro-
perly. very naturally, and very gracefully ac-
cepted the situation.
''Oh-ohi Excuse me, sir, did not know
that any one was near-my foot caught in
root, stammered Bertha, apologetically.
"Yes, did see it. 1t was fortunate to
have saved You from an unpleasant fall.
Chance is sometimes very gracious. was at
that moment trying to invent some apology
by which to make my presence known. The
music attracted me from the highway, and
really could not tear myself away from the
spot
Thus, with easy grace, the gentleman ac-
counted Tor his opportune appearance; and
blushing Bertha went in search of the stray
ing cows a half-hour after less inpatient with
her own vocal powers, and weaving into her
maiden dreams the warp and woot of the
lattering words and manly beauty of the
dark-eyed stranger.
Weeks fed, and somehow, as Bertha pass
ed to and fro from the pastures, at first by
chance at length by design, she often met
her accidental acquaintance beneath the over
archinG branches of the giant horse-chest-
nut.
The fires of genius and ambition already
burned brightly in the maiden's breast; and
the strolling stranger knew well the value of
the treasure that had stumbled into his arms.
As a rule, Dame nature is great equalizer.
To some she gives one talent, to others an
other: to some tact, to others genius; to
some beauty, to others worth; but IN this
forgotten rural Arcadia she had wrought the
perfectness of her handiwork, and combi-
nation of the queen mothers best was Bertha
Fleming.
Sitting one day, with her barred white foot
idly patting the having riplets of a cowslip
bordered creek, her great gray eyes gazing
musingly up at the shifting, pink-llned
clouds, she thought over all that the stranger
had told her-of the world lying beyond the
long meadows-of the fortune lying In her
wondrous voice, in the curves of her rounded
limbs, in the witchery of her hower-face, in
the waving glory of her yellow hair-of ad-
miring and applauding thousands of golden
luxury and silk attire-of books, music, and
the power of song.
1t was to this last tlat her soul responded.
To sing-to do nothing but sing. To give |
expression to all the musical raptures that |
swelled within, and hold mankind under the |
spell of her magic voice. To live in an at |
mosphere where music was the be-all and |
end-all of existence. All, this seemed to her |
artistic soul Elysium. The die was cast |
she must GO. The tide of an unsatisfed |
longing flooded her whole being with enthu- |
siasm and even the heart-throb that went out |
for her tender, over-worked mother gave only
q momentary tug at the ixedness of her pur-
pose.
Il will come back TO her" she said, as she |
twinkled u shower of pearly drops from of |
her pink toes. al will come back to her |
when am rich and famous. She will forget |
the pain l gave her, and he proud even OF |
my waywardness. | will love her so that she |
will forget the pain
Around harvest-moon hung full and clear
in the heavens, and the earth slept wrapped
i'll the sheeted pallors of its blue beams.
Over swathes of Graded grain and mounds
of fresh mown hay-over peaceful herds
chewing the cud of rest and contentment-
over farmhouse and cottage, streamed the
silvery light, as Bertha Fleming looked
piteous goodbye upon the sleeping mother
face she dared not risk impressing with
parting kiss, and passed ont into the humid
night. Just outside the gate she paused,
half repentant One backward glance might |
have broken her determination. night
ingale sent forth its music; and an answer
ing note trifled from between her pallij lips.
With choking gasp, she crushed back the
rising throe of her ialtering heart, and, like
a startled lapwing flew over fragrant clover
straight on to where the old horse-cbestnut
threw its deepening shadows far out into the
grassy field.
sigh of satisfaction and relief escaped
from the lips Of him who waited there in the
gloom as the flying figure, now clearly de-
fined in a patch of mellow light, came
through the night. and halted at his side.
81 am GOMEZ" breathed she. will you
keep your promise?"
Faithfully! By the heavens above"
began the man.
''Swear not at allr' gravely interrupted
Bertha. "To crafty my ambition. to cult
vate the power God has given me, have
stolen away from the mother who has loved
and cherished me, like guilty thing. have
only your word on which to pin my faith. II
the truth be on your lips, when | have won
the fame covet, | shall bless you as the
genius of my success; but if you deal trait
orousIv with me then Tho curse of n moth
e,'s hrol,en besri viii cnIIou you into ater-
ni,y
.sWords arc idle Ie, ,be seouel nrove
whether Lam a man or n villain come, The
tra;n is due At the innction in twentv minutes
Wo can taIk at Ieno,b nn tb;u matter uben
,I ;ro,, ~, 10 Isar;,,,, 80, s,ra,
One by one the months glided into years,
MI dtrclI,r,, in Itai,. c1rrtaJ tb.r, as one
sts, neorer tia crn;,,i,,,, her Lonas Her
vbnle sonI was aI,sorLed IN IN, nrt 10 which |
sbe had consecroted nov yon,c, life She |
otrd;od onJ cow, 90 o,l,ar ,,oo,Ia hrootbeJ |
H oharao,ar ,,t, bor,,,,,, ;,sii, Sbo ,.a,,,
n ,;,nn a1'5 s;r'hod i, cncoarJ Tha rnrii'
col eleuen, yras d'y.inn;n], in her o,andIv