Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-05-08

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loud voice rang through the great hail
calling for silence, and a gentleman stepped
upon a pedestal. All eyes were turned
towards him, every tongue was hushed.
He held in his hand golden tankard, and
he commenced by saying that he had been
asked to drink the health of the host OF
this princely entertainment. Before doing
so he launched into an extravagant pane
gyric OF the noble qualities OF the man
who had drawn together all the beauty,
wit and intellect of the city. Their host,
said the orator, was patron of the arts,
worshiper of the beautiful. Would there
were more like him when | heard that
looked at his hump and thought OF my
own.) The rudest case often contained
the brightest jewel. Which was valued
most, the fruit or its rind =? Their host
had the soul of a god.
"The hall rang with acclamations, and
hundreds of voices testified to the value of
the orators figures of speech. For my
part, l was weary and Disguised, and in
the midst of the adulation l left the hall
and sought the study. The gold still lay
upon the carpet. Throwing myself upon
it, gave myself up to slumber. In less
than an hour was unceremoniously awak
ened.
"' Rise and depart, cried the man who
had called me brother; you have missed
fortune tonight. Had you excelled me in
defornity l would have made you rich.
When 1 am tempted to rail at fate, |
said, 1 shall think of you. thank you
for the lesson you have given me l see
now what gold can buy.
"' Everythingl he exclaimed, triumph
antly.
"' Lip-service-yes, l said heart
service-never. Where is the woman who
in her dreams would breathe your name
in accents of love?'
"He shook his head sadly. Go, he
said with sigh, sand leave me in my
paradise. The shadow in the mirror is
not real; but if it were not for its visions
life would be curse too heavy to bear
"'I pity you. Pay me-.
"He pointed to the money on the
ground, and babe me take as much as l
pleased. 1 took six pieces. He regarded
me with wonder.
"'Take more he said.
"'No,' l answered, you may need it
one day.
octave l not told you have more than
l can spend Before I was born men were
boarding for me. 1 have so much gold that
1 have had my coffin made of it.
''He drew back panel in the wall, and
in the recess, truly enough, lay coffin of
massive gold. Strong as was, could not
lift it.
1t is not as light as an Angels wing,
l said. DO you intend tt. ibe buried in
| it?
"..Aye.'
1T IS dangerous conceit.
"'Why
"'Gold is the heaviest of all the metals.
If anything happens to the earth, you
and your coffin will sink to the bottomless
pit
''With that 1 took my departure, the
sound of soft music dwelling in my ears.
81 kept no count of the seasons that
| followed hard fortune was my constant
companion I did not make one human
friend, and at the end of many years / con-
fessed to myself that my venture into the
world had been the direst failure that man
had ever made. The fair face had seen
in my dreams the last night had passed
in Mauvains house never crossed my path
of life. Perhaps in another life, 1
thought, may meet with it.
GA time came when was in desperate
plight. Fever had weakened me +; misfor-
tune chung to me. Contemplating my
future, I decided that the only course
open to me-except death, which 1 could
have reached quickly-was to return to
the forest in which I had been born, and
there spin out the remainder of my days.
''The moment the thought entered my
mind l was comforted. The forest be-
longed to me, and to it; in it were trees
/ had marked and slept under; walks with
which my feet were familiar; woodland
peeps, the remembrance of which brought
tender smile to my lips; mountain
springs at which had slaked my thirst.
There was not turn of the land which
did not recall some incident in my life.
Yes, my better spirit was there; the very
birds and squirrels would welcome me as a
friend.
cit was thousand miles away, and
endured incredible hardships before ]
reached it. think during the whole Of
the seemingly interminable days that sue.
ceeded the first suggestion of my purpose,
l was in state of fever. Pain racked my
bones, thirst tormented me. Do say this
to excite or increase your pity for me,
Evangeline! No, my child, you will dc
me Justice, I feel assured, should these
lines ever fall into your hands. They are
faithful record of an unhappy life; most
forlorn, wretched and hopeless, until you
brought CLEAN of sunshine into it which
even on this dark night and in this lonely
hut, within which no human voice but
mine has ever been heard, sheds light Of
gladness all around me. have made
Leontine familiar with your name. When
1 call it, as do now, he starts to his feet,
and looks around in pleasurable anticipa-
ton. He loves you already. She is not
here, Leontine. Evangeline sleeps in the
valleys below. Good angels guard hel
dreams, and sweeten them.
The weary road was traversed at last,