The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-08-04

With curving neck and regal head,
In all the wealth of beauty's pride,
BY bowling valor forth was lead.
The banquet DER, the song went round
The knights sang praise Of wonlan's love;
The ladies, by nice favor bound,
Sang Scotia's lords high over Joye.
Now why doth Melmont's face grow pale,
On this his eve of marriage vowsl
What low, sweet voice floats on the gale7
What sudden pain contracts his brows1
A soldier proud was Melmont brave,
Whose valiant deeds on Indis's plains
Sent ioes in legions to their grave,
And gave peace to broad domains.
When battle raised its ruetul head,
With waving plume and saber bright,
On champing steed bold Melmont led,
With Princess Salla at his right.
When Charge the foe !' he gave commsn
And quick and thick the missiles few,
Fair Salla waved her dauntless hand,
And from her zone her weapon drew.
She fought two battles locked in one;
While courage swept her to the foe,
To spur and cheer her troopers on,
HeS love engaged her lovers woe.
Pale, sunk with fear, she saw the bolts
That rang in air round Melmont's head,
And all her prowess met revolts
In sudden darts Of love and dread.
Nor iaggard shown in Melmont's love;
Behind the window Of his thou"ht,
Aud fierce resolve his name TO prove,
Affections web loves weaver wrought.
Oh, heavy day! Oh, luckless charge
That bore fair Salla to the van,
Where, fighting on the battles marge,
She captive tell to Hindostan!
hat doom awaits this lover true,
Who led her rajah's royal halls,
md from q Scottish ohieitain drew
That love whose thralldom disenthralls?
Deep passion now was mixed with pain
In Melmont's ardent, raging breast;
But we'll the soldier could restrain
All outward sign ol rude unrest.
The Brahman plot and Hindoo skill
Returned the Princess to hor sire,
Whose kindly breast DER captious will
Could never OF affection tire.
As fancy's lamp pursues the light
lUdL uO9tS SlOullu Ill ACIou mlNu1
Through gleaE.ings slight OF hope in night
Sad Melmont seeks his love to find.
He storms tho shaman priests retreat,
He storms the rajah's trowning wall;
He's everywhere, with flying feet,
And bulwarks echo at his call.
Within, without, beyond the bounds
Ofprests and rajah's stern control,
Swift vanished hopes and hollow sounds
Are all that reach sad Melmont's soul.
Now ten long years their tides have rolled
Since India's air his brow had famed
Since Salla sweet and Mclmont bold
Their love and lite had pledged and planned
nd now that voice again is heard,
Despite Of friends, despite OF foes,
That won the heart of Scotland's laird
Along Himmaleh's broad plateaus.
She sings the song he loved to hear
Below the stars, when winds were still;
When from the heart there swelled tear,
Which rose and tell at music's trill.
A gem illumes his searching eye
The ring he gave her with kiss,
When love, like waves, rolled mountain high
And all the world was wales OF bliss.
Now darker shades rise on the wall,
And whispered words, in lighter tone,
Conjecture forms, and keenly iall
On fears that all dislike to own.
All sally from the banquet rose
The noble host OF Castle Morr;
Aud his proud heart seemed full of woes,
Which mono OWNED the reason for.
Now hurried looks meet anxious eyes,
And Salla's calm and gentle mien
The scrutiny OF all defes
Of who she is or what has been.
Her olive hands and olive face,
Her liquid eyes OF Orient hue,
Her gliding step and languid grace,
Where'er she moved could all subdue.
She quits the hall with gentle ways,
And follows fast in Melmont's wake;
While jealousy the bride betrays,
And petchless hurries to the lake.
The kinsmen of the noble bride,
At Melmont's conduct sore enraged,
Now nash their dress-swords from their side
And hot in converse stand engaged.
Their words are few, indignant, strong;
From what they heard and what they saw
Oh Dorah's griet and Melmont's wrong,
Suspicion leeds on lines they draw.
Enough! enough! Revenge is near!
Through lawn and bower and vista fair
The pride-stuug mobiles search and steer,
But find not Melmont anywhere.
There Is room In Castle Morr,
A secret chamber, quaint and grand,
Which few e'er know the service for,
Save he whose word was in command.
To shield her from undue reproot,
By tongues unruly, sharp and Tree,
There Salla's placed, from all aloot.
And cautious Melmont turns the key.
Now from the window where she sits
The Princess muses. on the night;
While shadow after shadow fits
By fern and fir, within her sight.
For Melmont's life those shadows seek,
And for his life he boldly stands,
In calm defense prepared to speak,
And fairly meet all fair demands.
But passion rules the omened hour,
And fury strikes him to the ground;
Which Salla sees from yonder tower,
And breaks her heart-strings ut bound.
Now PHYS tongue the tale will tell
How gentle hands, unknown to fame,
Had set plant where Melmont fell,
And called it by that hero's name.
Fer since that hour, at midnight tide,
A curtain OF the blackest lace
On windowed Morr is drawn aside,
And there il seen pallid face.
II looks a minute down the lake,
1tglances round IN secret pain,
As If it feared some foe awake,
And then the curtains drawn again.
For cons folk have come to see,
Der hill and dale and Jagged tor,
The Dorah lake, the Melmont tree,
And Salla's ghost at Castle Morr.
Hugh F. JMeDermo1
An ingenious person has discovere
that the three most forcible letters
our alphabet are N r G.; Two whic
contain that nothing are M T; that fol-
express great corpulence-O B G 7
that we are in decline-DK; that TO,
indicate exalted station-X L N G, an
that three excite our tears yet, whe
pronounced together, are necessary to
good understandilg-L E G..