The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-04-28

ont mt sea with the island fisherman, to
the great terror of the house-keeper'
who grew to love him and tremble 1or
him as if he had been child OF hef
own. He hated books, and would nave
none of them if he could help it. but ne
loved a warn with all his soul, ana
spent rant hours in listening to the
rambling stories of any old mariner,
brown With the sea-salt and speckled
from head to foot with fish-scales'
whom he could persuade to tax 10
him He learned all the legends OF the
coast and all the ballads known 10 inc
island. These last he sang IN ludlcfo"s
imitation of the local tone and style;
but, though he began to see less OF
Treoarthen than of anybody else In the
Mace. he seemed to catch his phrases
and his cultured accent, as if he felt
and perhaps he did-that there was
closer kinship between the master Oh
the island and himself than the rougher
sort of folk could claim with nm Inc
legends and the ballads gave healtny
stimulus to his Imagination, ana there
was no danger Of lads mind beihg
starved while he was allowed such free
communication with nature as flhi eu-
joyed.
There arc chronicles of prodlgious
events in the worlds history where
great spaces of time go by the ticking
of a watch. Unto Eber, the son OF
Se]ah. were born two sons, and the
name of one was Peleg, "because IN
his days the earth was divided. In
that curt and astounding phrase the
story of Peleg opens and ceases: The
modern historian handles people and
events with greater fulness and more
| particular precision, but even he may
be forgiven il in a moment or SO nc
dreams of the lapse of uneventiul
years.
A lad growing up in heavens free
air and storms to be a man, and to
know the way of birds and fishes, and
trees and flowers, and clouds and
| winds, and to love and wonder with IN
open heart and soul. A man growing
down in cramped laboratory, intent or
| mastering secret which he knew tt
be worthless-a secret Which would bt
a very Gift of the devil to any man who
might surprise it even if it existed
shutting out the better half of himself
from communion with the baser, ant
thereby feeding the bases with all nj
native forces and starving the better t.
q shadow.
| There in the main is the history G
seven years.
Phil, by this time a strapping LAD
who could thrash the young Penruths
respectively three and four years hi
senior, whenever they venturcd on tn
island, and who pretty generally oil
(being provoked thereto by towr
grown satire in the first instance), WE
hunting one day in the library for
outline which he remembered to hay
!, slowed away a month or two befor
,, using one of Tregarthen's neglecte
volumes as winding block. After
little time he found it and began to Ill
wind it from the book. The fact TIL
the volume he thus handled was q
early and somewhat rare and valuab
: copy of the Tempest" by Mr.. Villa
!. Shakespeare, was nothing to Phil; 81
though he knew as little as he though
: his hour for entering on another IL
> than the one he had hitherto know
had stolen upon him. The hooked Ell
of the line had been set within tt
= book, so that firm purchase upon Il
rest might be taken, and now the hoo
were fastened in a page-or two.
. he went about to distangle them L
Il eyes fell on passage that Interests
. him:
"The strong based promontory
Z Have made shake, and by the spurs pluckt
= y The pine and cedar: graves at my command
" Have walked their sleepers, oped, and let Z
IL forth,
IT By my so-pGtent art.
d This was worth inquiring into. Fl
e was not ignorant of the reputati
1t which chung to his protector, but to
h child commonplaces are so wonder1
l. that wonders have chance of seemi
n commonplace. and he had never be
ii amazed or frightened, or moved in a
c. way, by the island chatter which n
D. Tregarthen for its mark. The first mott
N that entered Pills mind was that Il
is was some fellow in Arthur's line OF bu
ness. (Tregarthen, in some doubt as
IN the relationship the boy should bear
as him, had ordered that Phil should :
e, dress him by his Christian name.)
of throwing down the line, he took 81
s. at the table, and being by nature inclir
ty to be thorough in all things, he turr
" the leaves back until he came to
of beginning of the drama, and for
u first time in his life made acquaintal
he with poetry.
en- There was no doubt or shadow O
ct doubt in his mind. Everything he re
IL there was as real as the solid earth
It'll him. Ariel and Caliban were as inc
nd putably true as the propositions of
lar cid are to q mathematician. Prosp
set struck awe into him. He fell in Il
he with Miranda. He shuddered when
q wicked mobiles laid their plot to kill
IN. King. And when the clear and
- jestic thunders of the poets deeI
lat tones broke about him:
he 1.-THE cloud.capped towers, the gorgeous
~, The solemn temples, the great globe itself
- Yea, all which it inherits, shall dissolve -
MO he felt as Job felt when a spirit pas
or before him in the night and the hal
TO, his flesh stood up. For the lad, with
nts in the least suspecting it, had bee
ras poet from his cradle, and he only nc
' ed to see the greatest OF the craft
- which he himself was born to fall p
in trate before him and adore.
the Reading, hitherto the greatest
nd earthly bores to Phil, became his C
to delight. Tregarthen's library was
ge. pecially rich in poetry and drama,
ID, every day Phil plunged headlong
ere some new stream of joy and bathe'
| ,.,,rE l1u.t, 70, tho Saa .natp Y