The Orangeburg democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1879-1881, 1880-06-11
1t Might Have Been.

ne IRE hhrrS clleerllv IN my room
tonight; the Ugh. uildS The frruiture.
the pictures and the ornaments; all
openly uggestive of Business and
comfort. l lean back in nv urn
chair, survey the surroundings and try
to think that an contcntrd. But il
is in vain. / can only realize its en-
tiness. TO me it is only the ,aunt:ng
ghost Of what might have been.
How wildly the past comes up he
for me now. 1t is useless f. T. me to
attempt to dive away these thoush. s,
for they are bitter memories of M.
past life, which like Banqno's ghost.
will not down at the bidding. try
to crush out all thoughts of the past,
as at othe" times, hut they come with
such weight, that they are stronger
than my will.
Five years is not a long period of
time. if measured as days, weeks aud
months, but if measured h, the agon
the human heart can endure. it is an
eternity.
Some say that hearts do not break :;
others that women's do, sometimes.
put men are 80 constituted that they
can bear disaster to the affection with
out material injury to that delicate or
gan. l do not pretend TO say
how this may be, but do know tha,
this world will never again look as
bright and beautiful to me as it did
before l closed my eyes on hope.
try TO hide my sorrow, and we'll I
succeed, for to my acqnnnian:cs. |
am but bitter, cynical man, who
eneers at women and love. al no,
one among them who would think of
accusing me of having q sentimental
thought. But there are times in m,
life when anniversaries comc-tme~
when the old fires burst forth uncon-
troilably. When temporarily thee e
Is an end TO peace, aud / must live
over again the hitter past. and to
night is one Of those times, and un.
willingly I drift back into the long
ago.
1t is evening. The brilliant orb Of
day is SLOWLY and majeslicallv sink
ing IN the Western sky. The suf
oreeze is heavy ladened with the fra
GRANGE of the early sp:lne flowers. and
stlrs gently The tender leaves of the
few forest 'recs that have thus early
dared 10 assume their vcstmen,s Of
green. A bold, deep st,eam. ananned
Nv rustic bridge. and directly acrnse
this, and as far away rs The view is
unohstruclGd, winds sandy. NEGLECT
ed country road, bordered on one side
ny dense nndnrgrn"th Of small
trees. with here and there n tall ninr.
which stands out like grim scntinrls
on the watch, aAd on the other lv a
held which showed hv The fe>hlv
tur' cd soil, that The plnwshn,c O. the
pnshandman had been busy ,hcr..
Hail mile away can he seen. slnnh-
ing out plainly against the evening
SKY, the tall, white spires of the viii
lage churches, and as the bright rays
OF the declining sun is reflected ulon
the bronzed balls bv which they are
surmounted, they glitter in the dis.
tance like FURNISHED gold.
Upon the hridye stands two figures.
a youth OF perhaps two aud ,wrr,,
years of age. anh a oirl several years
his junior. She. Of medium hrinht!.
iiSht ana qne"nlN, with deep. fn,h,m-
less eyes-such eyes as poets love to
"rl e of-eNcs. one glance fiom
which, can elevate men To The su-
preme pinaclc of happiness. or doom
lhem TO such cXcrnia,inv torture, that
the pan9s suffered by 'cs, souls in l,r
lowest pits of Hadcs, can scarcely
compare with it. Broad, high, fore
mead; over which, as is The fashion. is
tas'efn'ly arranged the glossy locks
OF chestnut br"wr hair Her face i>
one that is full of thai strange subtle
power called magnetism. One could
hardly tell whether or not she is
beautiful. The charm of her sur
passes the mere forms Of beauty So
!ar that 1T seems not to matter il she
lacks the regularity of features hv
winch the artist shapes a per Get face.
put closer reader of human nature.
would pronounce her possessed Of IL
heart that would break before il
"oGid yield, and q will that is strong
as death.
Silence holds supreme sway. The
only sound that breaks in upon the
musical mnrmur of the stream that
1ows beneath the bridge, or the YES
per hymn of some feathered songslcr
as II winged it's way to the deeper
shades of the forcs'.
Ihe girl is seated on the low rail
ing of the bridges. In one shapelv
g'oved hand she holds small para
Pol, while the other TOYS carelessly
with SMALL bunch of wild flowers
that lie upon her lap. Her eyes arc
nxed on the distant hills, and there
was melancholy look upon her face
which tells that her thoughts are not
OF her Immediate surroundings.
Her companion is leaning against
the railing md oo1i,,r ,,oetwor1 =,