The Russellville Democrat., 1880-06-17

' by initiating my ancient countryman in chase after the fountain of youth.'"
 "That is in our hearts," said Romeo, with an arch glance at Juliet.
 "Yes, so experience teaches. 1 am last of my name and house, and"-his voice sunk mournfully-'T had buried the wife of my youth, whom l loved with great love after we had lived together twenty years"
 He sighed and turned his eyes toward the mountain-top shining like silver in the keen, clear light, and the artist fell to sketching Oreto's profile.
 "Time is the great consoler," said the languid Illinoisan, trying to adapt her harsh English to the spoken music of the stranger. A southern sky makes gentle voice, and the Spanish tongue has matchless trick of melting all it touches into melody.
 Ia Senora is most kind, but it is too late; the heart has no second spring. Do you see the white line down the mountain side?" he asked, abruptly changing the subject, evidently painful to dwell upon.
 "Yes, it is brook rising in spring, cold as ice, clear as glass;"
 ''Then, instead of my dull, sad story let me tell you the tradition of the Blue Fountain, the name of the spring-Foun- taine Blue, as French Fathers used to call it."
 By all means; story, a story r the ladies cried in chorus.
 "You do me proud" said Oreto, with sweeping bow, land since you honor me with your attention I promise not to weary it."
 We disposed ourselves in various atti- tudes about the speaker. The rising generation gathered in graceful groups under the stunted pines, and the sitting generation sat on buffalo robes and cushions against the gnarled and twisted trunks of the phones. Little Rosa was coaxed to her mothers lap, and the stout lady reclined on the back seat of the ambulance, loosened her bonnet strings and made herself extremely con- fortable while we listened to the
 LEGEND OF THE BLUE MOUNTAIN.
 "Once upon time," the Spaniard be- gan, with his grave smile, "away to the north in the country you call Motana lived young Indian hunter, tall and straight and very handsome. From boy hood he had heard stories of happy hunting-grounds where the pastures were always fresh and game was always in sight. So one bitter cold morning he put on his snow shoes and fur mlttens, wrapped himself in his warmest bear skin, and struck southward, following the stony mountain ranges till he reach ed this lonesome region"
 Did he travel all alone" asked little Rosa.
 ''Only the travelling winds went with him. But he did not know what fear is, though at night he heard the cayote's cry, tho believing of the bison and the howl of the prairie wolf. The sun, which he worshipped, shone friendly all the way; gradually the breeze blew soft CT, and the earth grew warmer and greener. After one long days march he drank deep of the spring in yon hillside, laid his bent bow and quiver of arrows on the rock, and went to sleep in the soft warm sand by the Blue Fountain.
 "An Indian warrior sleeps lightly, and in his slumber appeared form--a wo- mans, such shape as is seen nowhere but in dreams and AndaIusia." The stranger paused and looked dreamily on the ground like one busy with memory, and in sympathy 1 thought of the lost Catalina and the little one lying in the gloomy vault at Valladolid. We re- spected his silence, and after moment he continued:
 "The spirit spoke to the dreamer in words of infinite tenderness, and ap- peared to watch and guard him. On waking he took long draught of the cool snow water, and gazed searchingly into its blue depths. ." "Was it really blue?" broke in Rosa.
 "Sky blue and silver" said the Cas- tillian, adding one of the endearing dim inutives in which his language is so rich, and which l did not quite comprehend. Many times he tried to catch glimpse of the fairy face which came into his sleep, making it better than any waking Long he gazed into the watery mirror 1; the spotless sky above it. The white sand boiled from unknown depths be- low, bubbles came to the top and broke on the stony brim, but the ceaseless gush and finow of the waters was chime in his ears without meaning. "He fingered about this spot, so runs the taie, many weeks, praying for the appearance of the water maiden. She came into his sleep but never blest his waking eyes, and when the rainy season which is so very dreary, set in, the dis appointed youth went back to his tribe. The vision haunted him; in vain he tried to shake it of; the uega, so lone, so dim, so untrodden, was filled with strange enchantment. The brook went flowing through his memory, glancing now in sun, now in shadow, as it gushed from the mountain side, vanishing at last like fairy gold in the sand. The | laughing girls of the tribe tried to rouse him from indifference, but could not stir | him to join in their songs and games. In the time of the corn harvest the pre- sent of q blood-red ear, the Indians rose damour, did not move him to any | feeling. and he turned with glance averted from the flying feet in the be- witching cashina dance
 "'He is moonstruck,' said the girls; | give him the crooked ear, for the fool IS | fit for nothing but to sit in the sun with the very old men, He needed neither | jest nor laugh, and determined to come | back to the Blue Fountain. When he set out an airy figure seemed togo before and heckon him on, as the swan mald- ems of the German lakes beckon young knights into their little boats drawn by snowy swans harnessed with silver chains.
 "Southward, southward he strode, fol lowing the ancient march of Azetlan and, in sight of the beloved spring, he climbed the steep, fleet and untired ai the red deer, to find the same sparkling fountain, and the shining brsok below I