The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1883-04-28

eyes, with the stigma-the bitter brow
mark-of social Cain! But the eyes of
love are proverbially bandaged, or rather
love beholds its object through colored
spectacles.
The last evening had arrived that we
were to spend together, and | proposed Il
farewell visit to the Lake of the Col, IA
vorite place of resort for tourists. A brief
! half-hour's walk from the auberge brought
us thither. Never was a more lovely au-
tumnal evening! All three sat down silent
ly on the shore, side by side. No one ut
tered Il word for some minutes; each of us
thought the more. \ light shower had
fallen little while before, and the distant
mountain range was still spanned by the
faint arch of rainbow. We looked long
at it and at each other alternately and
speechlessly. The stiffness at last became
oppressive, for there is silence which, like
darkness, may be felt. The spell was bro
ken by Sylvia.
How beautiful is yonder rainbow =
she said
"Yes," | murmured, half unconsciousy y;
''and just as yonder brilliant arch melts
away into the dusk of the cleaning, so
shall the bright hues Of my present life
fade again into the outer darkness Of the
past.
yet" she whispered, edging unconsci-
ously nearer to me, ''there is beautiful old
Greek fable, which represents Iris as the
chosen messenger of the gods of mankind,
the divine harbinger of hope and love.
/ The last monosyllable futtered little,
| thought, ON her lip, and caused me in
stinctively to raise my face to hers. She
slightly changed color, and in that G lance
| read the oracle of woman's eye. Yet
even then my conscience smote me, and |
shrank and recoiIed from accepting the
full Interpretation. Involuntarily clasped
her hand and passionately exclaimed
/ "Sylvia would to Heaven we had never
met OF met never more to part. Nature
has endowed you with her choicest gifts
and graces of mind and person whereas
10 God!'' | cried, in an outburst Of
passion and resentment against my fate
':Why has Thou made me thus and cursed
me with the Tantalus gift of brain to
conceive and heart to crave after that
which my bodily presence and speech
eternaly forbid me to hope for and realizc?'
Uttering This wild imprecation rather
than prayer, hid my face in my hands
and buried my short-lived hopes in the
lowest depth Of despair.
How long | remained thus | know not,
but ray Of light suddenly flashed upon
my eyes, and | felt both my hands gently
but firmly clasped in those Of her | dared
not love- Then a wisper, soft and low, yet
clear as a crystal bell, fell on my ear: ITO
me, at least, since the first evening we met
you have never once been THE Odd-Look
ing Man
On our way back to the inn the fresh
chimes of the Angelus came floating up
ward from the belfry of the little chapel
below.
at reminds me- said, ''of distant
peal of wedding bells
ITO NE" she replied, sit seems rather
like the chorus of souls etcrnally welded in
Heaven.
On the anniversary of that day, ten
years later, married couple, with three
healthy, happy-looking children, alighted,
from mule-back, at the inn Of the Madonna
della Finestra Evidently English, they
yet seemed no strangers to the place, though
the inmates of the house failed to recognize
them; if it were not that the aubergiste re-
marked casually to his wife, that the
stranger reminded him of guest Of theirs
some ten years ago. But" added he, ''the
other was queer-looking fellow, qWanto-
mai, and never seemed to be in his sober
senses like, night OF day, till the lat week
he spent with couple Of English ladies,
the younger of whom was his ''inamorata."
This Englishman, however, looks as if he
had never tasted a drop of good liquor for
the last ten years of his life; besides being
tante colte a more decent-looking fellow
altogether than 'laltro poverina.' .
The same evening when the stranger
and his family were sitting down to dinner,
the Angelus rang out, as usual its sweet
and simple hymn. Then turning fondly
toward his wife, he said: My Sylvia
my Providence this is the tenth anniver=
sary of the day when we hailed in those
evening chimes the benson Of Heaven on
our betrothal, Now let us hear them a
renewed benediction on our yet happier
wedding life and beloved offspring !"
And she, with clasped hands, and smil-
ing through her tears, whispered a heart
felt ''Amen"