Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1877-03-22
Once uuon a Time,
)BY MARY KYLE DALLAS.

: There lived upon time, III a
land there is no need of mention.
ing by name, person who was not
a young prince, as' my preamble
seems to indicate, but an ordinary
mortal, down whose papa's' chin
ney neither good ner evil fairies
came at his BIRTH though both
seemed to have a hand in the weav,
ing of his destiny of which the
woaf was perfect and the web sadly
imperfect. .i 8
He was rich, he was young, and
he had a pleasant face and warm
heart, and fine Kind; but, in his
youth, nurse had dropped him
from her arms to the stone floor of
the courtyard, and had SO hurt him
that he never could he anything
bnt bent and distorted cripple all
his life. As child, he had been
so sheltered from every annoyance,
so loved by his mother, and SO much
had been done to case Linn from
pain, that the fact had not troubled
him much. He limped abont with
a pleasant smile on his face, as hap
py child as any. He had but to
breathe wish and it was gratified. :.
Books, toys, music, whatever he
wanted, came at his call as though
the fairies had given him a wishing
cap. If he could but have remained
child all would have been well.
but, as all children must, he grew
to bc 4 man, and suddenly it dawn
ed upon him one day that he was
unlike other men that women
pitied him instead of admlling him;
that all that ne had was worth
nothing to him, since he could
never hope to have straight back
well formed limbs, ard six good
feet Of height; and having once
fallen into this train Of thought, he
would have been the poorest laborcr
on the roadside if that laborer
would have given him for his wealth
advantages his well-knit figure.
This was after his cousin Linda
had been sent to his fathers care
on her parents death in foreign
country-his cousin Linda, fresh and
sweet and fair as snow Drop
She had been in great glief at first,
and he had done his best to make
her happier. He read to her from
his valuable volumes ; he played to
her the music he loved best. They
had long talks they We're COM
panions FOR days together; and
strange, sweet emotions grew in the
boys heart He did not understand
them at first. 1t was not tor a
long while that he knew that he
was in love.
nowing it, he awoke. He stood
before the glass one day and looked
at hiLself, and tears arose to his
eyes.
No woman could love me, he
said; Il must not dream of it, And
from that moment he was changed
he sought Linda's company nc
more, but hid himself away from
her.
Have 1 angered you, cousin
Clarence 2 she once asked him
and he only shook his head anc
made no answer. Other men were
about her. Others perhaps lovct
her also. He began to hate them
All his tenderness turned 20 bitter
ness. He had not kind word fol
any cne-he WHO had been alway:
so utterly amiablc.
His mother was repulsed mos
rn,lely when she questioned him.
: He closed his doors against hi.
friends; and at last he had the
misery of hearing cne he had OF
Tended say TO another:
i believe deformcd persons ar,
always bad tempered. l nsed tt
think Clarence an exception, but i
seems [ was mistaken
st is true,' he said, I have de
formed body, and my soul is de
formed also;' and he went sadl,
!, a way to a lonely place where III
hoped to be left to himself 70
awhile.
1t was river bank, shaded b,
the trees, under which he laid him
self down. The waters were clea
and deep; in them he saw himsel
reflected.
Il Little hnnchback,' he said wit
groan, and menaceG his own i'm
age with his clenched hand.
Then shame possessed him, fol
looking up, he saw a tall, well
built, young man gazing down upol
him with singular smile-a tall
x handsome man but the dust of tn
n road was upon his clothes and hi
feet, and he carried a little knap
sack on his back. He was evident
ly either poor man or an eccen
trio one, who liked long tramp
ever weary WAYS. And he was No