The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-01-19


IGod bless her-and pity q poor
wretch like mer'
The fir tree waved its long arms
in the freshening breeze; the shad
lows crept up from the gorges and
spread along the hillsides, as il
seeking him who had spoken ol
their dark retreats; the bold out.
line of the Palisades showed stern
and frowning against the sky, but
the face of St. Helena, grand and
sweet, lay smiling toward the west,
waiting for the sunset glory and the
solemn starlit night.
X X
| How it could have happened to
the ever-splendid Ulrich and my
self to lose our way, I cannot imag-
inc, but we achieved that brilliant
feat. Driving quite by ourselves in
the rear of the small picnicing pro-
cession, we fell into further talk of
California ways. l was trying to
impress Meinher with the fact that
he was too young to call his life a
failure; that no one, at any age, in
California, need despair, unless he
lay down like coward and let the
crowd rush over him; that he must
fight, and keep on fighting; that so
often as he was thrown, so to speak,
he must get up and rush at it
again; that just as sure as fate
there was a competence, if not a
fortune, for every brave man here.
Then / repeated my we'll tried mot
to. "For every woe there is some
compensation"-and just then we
discovered that we were out of sight
of our companions. Herr Schen-
ming touched the horse, and we
sped over the road at a pace that
promised to soon bring us up with
them; but, to our surprise, we
neither saw nor heard them. The
way began to seem strange. Herr
Schenning adjusted his spectacles
and took a survey of our surround
ings.
at is altogether the wrong way"
he said, "but if we make haste
backward we may reach home be-
fore it is very late"
My heart sank little, for the
way over which we had come was
particularly mountainous. There
were places which I hardly cared to
pass after dark, and Herr Schen-
ming, with his short sight, was as
he himself said, "not a very good
driver" And how they would
laugh at us! However, there was
nothing for it but to retrace our
way as swiftly as possible. Our
conversation dropped somewhat;
we both seemed to have a good deal
of thinking that would not bear
putting into words, although we
made brave joke, now and then,
to keep up the illusion of not car
ing.
'But you are getting chilled"
said Herr Schenning, anxiously.
I was indeed shiyering in the
cold night wind that came rushing
down the canons.
"Will you please to put on my
coat9" he implored, in comical dis
tress.
stood but moment upon cere-
mony, then allowed him to wrap the
warm garment about me.
''Now," said, laughing, eff you
contract an acute bronchitis through
your gallantry, I shall take you
home and take care of you"
"Thank you," he answered, fer
vently. "To be taken home and ta-
ken care of seems to me, just now,
to be the greatest good. If you
would kindly conduct me to some
asylum for the 'imbecillious'
should be forever grateful. What
compensation, think you, there can
be for our present woe?"
"Let us await Developments"
replied, with, 1 confess, sort of
tremor in my faith.
I looked at the frowning cliffs
and glanced at the yawnlng CULTS
below. The sun had set long since
the night was deepening. I felt
all courage fading, 1 did not care
now "what they thought" I want
ed to be out of the terror of this
way, safe under some roof
'Herr Schenning, do you remem-
Der that snug ranch we so much ad-
mired as we come along this way?'
Eyes, We must be near it, and
there indeed is the light from the
little house."
We soon reached the gate. The
moon at that moment rose grandly
above the mountains, and poured
her radiance down upon the cottage
with it's clustering out buildings, its
empowering shrubs and trees, the
orchards and vineyards stretching
far along the hillside. The fra
GRANGE of mignonette and roses
came down from the garden like old
friends to welcome us.
"How lovely" l exclaimed invol.
unfairly.
TT is a little Blumenwald," said
Herr Schenning with a tremble in
his voice.
| Our first greeting came from the
|porch, cloud of smoke from gen
erous pipe, and from its neighbor
hood came an unmistakable Ger
man voice, making an answer tt
Herr Schenning's salutation. A
aoid conversation in their owr
language seemed to put us in thu
right light, for our host ushered US
cordially in the cottage.
II dinks you moost pc quite shil-
| ly," he said, placing chair neal
the fire. .sIt is 20 cold auf del
mountains; it is peter you taste dis
vine. Mein frau will pooty. quicl
come. Katrina" he added, as {
rosy young matron entered, "dest
Ipe some young people vat got los
from a pignig.
/ Zach zov' exclaimed Katrina
compassionately looking at us, al
lie she thought we might be the yer
table Babes of the Wood, grown
lup. At that, and the touch Of wo
manly sympathy in her look ane
,ltone, / burst into hysterical weep
ling. Her arms were about me in {