Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1884-05-02
MY KINGLING.
detroit Free Press
"Round whom the enshadowing purple lie.
OF babyhoods royal dignities.
Lay on my neck thy tiny hand!
am thine-Esther-to command.

DetrOit Free frt~>
"Round whom the enshadowing purple lies
OF babyhoods royal dignities.
Lay on my neck thy tiny hand
am thine-Esther-to command.
Philip. my king"
We never called him Philip. although
that was his name. We Just called HIM
"Pet" and Rosebud" and precious"
and Baby" or any other sweet diminu-
tive that our fond and foolish love for
him prompted, and he answered o.
them with sweet trembling OF his
baby lips, and questioning look on
his beautiful, serious face.
He was still q baby, with heavcns
blue in his limpid eyes, and heaven =
sunshine on his golden hair, when one
day rap came to my door, and there
stood woman without who was swarthy
with the sun of Egyptian centuries.
tall, strong, sinewy, with coarse black
hair and tawny skin, woman stunned
and feared as o sorceress-a Gypsy for
tuneteller and vagrant.
was about to shut the door in haste.
and exclude her unwelcome fare and
form, when the baby gave little cry
as of recognition and held out his tiny
dimpled hands with O caressing motion
to the strange, weird woman.
And she-her whole face was trans
figured with that look of mother-love,
which comes from heart bereft Of its
young. Tears were in the fierce black
eyes. She devoured my child with her
burning glance, and well l pitied
her and bade her come in.
Then the baby laughed and cooed
and patted her with his precious hands.
and laid his golden head on her hard
breast, while watched her narrowly,
jealously, as trod the hospitable round
of kitchen and sitting-room, he fell
asleep in her lean. dark arms, with u
sweet smile on his contented face.
Oh, strange democracy Of n child's
nature! As she laid him down his arms
sought her neck; he would have nestled
again on her alien breast She held
one little hand in hers, and he smiled
in his sleep.
fed the woman and clothed her for
baby's sake. but then l bade her be-
gone. She wanted to stay to work for
me; assured me she was wise in woman =
the stars, knew the secret value Of the
herbs of the fields-but no, :'elt that
I could not breathe the same cir with
that Egyptian sorceress, and l sent her
away.
But before she went she leaned over
the baby, took his little hand, soft and
relaxed in sleep, and spread il open in
her dark, withered palm, where il lay
like white rose leaf. Then the weird
woman looked at me.
"lou leetel bebe. tai you lcctsl
bebe fahcaune, propah good?"
NO! mol" l cried. hastily. IL will
not have my babys fortune told, at
least not by-you."
The woman Was smiling to herself
the baby smiled. too, and nestled his
hand in hers. hated her and louged
to thrust her awsy.
$50 leetel," she murmurc1 vaguely,
$50 lectel lines in leetel bebes han |
leetel short line. bat so good. Missce,
I tai You leetel bebes pastp'
"You tell his past ?" answered scorn-
fully; "his past is in heaven"
"Ya, va; eet is true, Missee heaven
my OeDe there too!
l wanted to cry at il mott" aud
snatch my baby away from her, but
there was something in her weird face
that checked me.
Il tai this leetel bebe's fuchahs" she
asked.
looked ut him, my beautiful boy !;
his future! I had troddcn that path
for him over and over again.
"A wreath. not OF goll but of palm one day
Philip, my king"
l said briefly: "Yes, yes; tell me-"
1T ess not mooch," she answered In
low and solemn tones tricks Of her
trade, l believed then. He ess lectel
kingling; here cas- q lifeline in pity
han, an on both ends lifeline. eet oas
heaven. Tie leetel kingling, an
have crown in fuchah."
She went away reluctantly, and keep.
Ing her eyes upon him until the door
closed, and when he awakened
looked around with little grieved cry,
aud fretted and was impatient for some
thing that was gone.
I have only few words moro 20 say.
and that il TO mothers. Never let any
weird woman tell your child's fortune.
There is such thing ~ an evil eve.
and it envies all happiness and pros.
perity, and casts its baleful glanccs on
those whom it would injure. and they
fade, wither unto death. My baby
pined from the hour that woman lcis
and when the wood violets were abloom
in the spring-time and the robins
plucked their breasts, We laid him
away from our sight foreverl Don't
tell me 1t was malaria, or tecthing. or
some natural thingl II was that
woman's longing for him, that drew him
away. And she came with crocodile
tears, and tried to see me, but they kept
her from me. / should have strangled
her, weak as I am.
oh, my little lost kinglingi