St. Landry democrat., 1879-07-12

book. Do you ever read Maud p"
eyes. But why do you like sucl
sentimental nonsense
He turned to it and read the par
commencing:
"Come into the garden, Maud,
For the black bat, night, has fown."
She had never heard him read before
and glad pleasure filed her heart to hea
her favorite poet 60 correctly and fuel,
rendered as he went Oh
"There has fallen splendid tear
From the passion aower ut the gate,
She is coming, my dove. my dear
she is coming, my life, my fate"
Frederetta comprehended that thi
man understood more fully than she thi
exquisitely wrought description of tn
grand passion that sways the world a
the rich, mellow voice glided over th,
stanzas, and heart vibration quiveret
in the words as he ended:
"she is coming, my own. my sweet,
Were it ever so airy a tread,
|
Were it earth in my earIny bed,
My heart would hear and beat
Had it lain for century dead:
| Would start and tremble under her feet,
| And blossom in purple andeed."
"There " he said, find me a finer
piece of sentiment than that. You know
the sudden transition the poem makes
from this brightly wrought ecstasy OF
passion to the depth of wild despair.
One catches rare glimpse of the ex-
tremes of happiness and misery in a
human soul. But can never fu ly de-
scribe the feelings which some parts of
this poem stir within me-"
His face was flushed now; she had
never seen him moved to such enthusi-
asm. She did not know that apart from
the inspiration of the poem the wine of
love had made summers in his veins.
X X
Day had mellowed into twilight and
they in turn, had darkened into cool,
dewy night. Calm and pure the moon
shed her silvery light upon hushed
nature. The home of Frederetta was
hushed into repose. The flowers slept
with dropping heads under the soothing
influence of the goddess of night, from
which the odorous kiss of the sun should
awaken them on the morrow. Easound
broke the stiffness, save the chirp of the
cricket and the occasional note of night
bird
Just as the clock in the hall strikes
the midnight hour bright, lurid square
of light suddenly flames out in the
darkened space where the houses throw
their shadow. The windows of a large
room on the second floor are one broad
sheet of flames. Next to the room on
fire was the one occupied by Everett Rey.
nolds. Apremonition of danger, such as |
often comes to us in peril, awakened him
suddenly from hisslumbers, and springine |
from the bed he glanced out OF the win. |
dow. Hastily dressing, he rushed into
the hall, crying:
Fire FireT''
At once all were aroused and the CHS
tomary wild confusion ensued, the ser
wants and family rushing about to ascer-
tain the locality and extent of the fire.
1t was soon found that no earthly power
could stay its course. ALI that could be
done was to hurry and save the mcst
articles. |
Erederetta, in loose wrapper and
unbound hair, with the rest, acting
under the calm direction of Everett
Tor even the master of the household
seemed paralyzed-and the servants had
begun to carry out the things of least
value, with the strange Inconsistency 60
'ften displayed in such cases. The fire.
gained rapidly, but so active had all
been under the direction of the indolent
careless man, now for the first time
moving his superiority, that nearly
of value had been removed.
They stoodsgazing sadly upon the burn.
ng mass, which shot up red flames to
he calm, blue sky, rendering pale the
moonlight, and deafening the fair land.
cape with q hideous plot. Suddenly
harp, wild cry, wall of terror, sounded
bove the cracking of the flames.
HeavensI" exclaimed Frederetta.
Sarah sleeps in the attic. 1t is she I
be will be burned to death !" And she
overed: her face with her hands as a
'hite-robed figure appeared at the win
ow, shrieking for help, and then shrank
om sight.
Everett Reynolds began to make prep
rations to ascend a tall tree that rose
sry near where the girl had fallen. It
as biackened by the scorching flames. s
9 1t will be sure death to attempt to /
lter," said seversl voices. The roo |
just falling in, You will beth lose l
'ur lives"