The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1888-03-10

the brighter hues of my present life fade
again into the outer darkness of the past.
"Yes;" she whispered, edging uncon-
sciously near to me, ''there is beautiful
old Greek fable which represents Iris as
the chosen messenger of the gods to man
kind, the divine harbinger of hope and
love-
The last monosyllable futtered a little,
| thought, on her lips, and caused me in
stinctiyely TO raise my face to hers She
slightly changed color, and in that single
glance read the oracle of woman's eye.
Yet, even then my conscience smote, and
| shrank and recoiled from accounting the
fnll Interpretation. Involuntarily claspedI
her hand and passionately exclaimed:
Sylvia, would to Heaven we had never
met, or met never more to part Nature
has endowed you with her choicest gifts
and graces of mind and person-whereas l
oh, Godr' l cried in an outburst of pas
sion and resentment against my fate, 'swhy
hast Thou made me thus and cursed me
with Tantalus gift of brain to conceive
and heart to crave after that which my
bodily presence and speech eternally forbid
me to hope for and realize p
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 | dare
not love. Then whisper, soft and low,
yet clear as cystal bell, fell on my ear.
To me, at least, since the first evening we
met, you have never once been "The Odd
looking Man.
On our way back to the inn the fresh
chimes of the Angelus came floating up
wards from the belfry of the little chapel
below
at reminds me-" said, ''of distant
peal of wedding bells"
"To me, she replied, ''it seems rather
like the chorus of souls eternally 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 Fin
estra. Evidently English, they yet seemed
no strangers to the place, though the in
mates of the house failed to recognize them;
if it were not that the aubergiste remarked
casually to his wife "that the stranger re-
minded him of guest of theirs some ten
years ago. But, added he, the other was
a queer-looking fellow, guauto mai, and
never seemed to be in his sober senses like,
night or day, till the last week he spent
with two English ladies, the younger of
whom was his ''inamorata." The English
man however looks as ifhe had never tasted
a drop of good liquor for the last ten years
of his life; besides being tdnte rolte more
decent-looking fellow altogether than opal
tro poverinco.'
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
towards his wife he said: My Sylvia my
providence, this is the tenth anniversary Of
the day when we hailed in those evening
chimes the benson of our bethrothal. Now
let US hear them in renewed benediction
on our yet happier welded life and beloved
offspring
And she, with ckppces ckpe3 hapds; ;apd smiiRg
through her tears, whispered se~neartfelt
sAmen p