The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-02-14
TWO LIFE PICTURES.
A SHORT SENTIMENTAL SER
MON HENRY BLOUNT.
On Broken Heart Strings, and the
Gloom tnat Round them Clings.
fWilsOn MirrOr.l

2ttcCtlOnatc trends. lie valued ner
friendship as one Of the rarest and
sweetest and most precious blessings
that earth could give to him, and in
return for this priceless blessing he
built around her shrine of excellence
and goodness and loveliness the purest
and warmest and brightest fires of
adOristiC admiration and esteem. He
entwined around her precious image
the heart-woven gariands of sweetest
homage; for, with the royal sceptre of
the quecnlIest witchery, she reigned in
perfect majesty over every heart -throb,
and every emotion was some tribute to
her virtues. With hand clasped in
hand, and with hearts meeting in the
e..cetcSt Of sweet CommuniOns, they
StrOlled together many an afternoon
with that easy freedom which made
life for each other SO beautiful and SO
delightful. Many an evening found
them in the happiest Of happy conver-
satjons. They had nothing to CON
ceaI. They met soul to soul. Their
bosoms were like an open book, and
each one read the others hopes and
dreams and fears and apprehenslons.
Their confidence in each other was
perfect, and they trusted each other
with the sweetest of sweetest bOOns-
implicit faith. She was his sunlight,
for her bright smile lit up with lurnl
nous cheer the dreariest shadows that
ever fell across his pathway, and made
them glsten with radiance like that
which ripples down the slvery slopes
of night. But alas for them The
glad, bright, joyous Summer time of
their hearts is gone. The flowers,
which blOomed so sweetlv, are withered
and dead the vase, which held them,
is shattered, and nothing but ashes can
be found. The birds of joy have stop
| ped their song waves, and have flown
| to SUMMER c!imes. Their happy car
o,s are onl y sung for hearts that always
are in tune. The iciest Winter of
! coolest estrangcment has come upon
them, and beneath the icy incrusta-
! tions of its chilling SHOWS the once
beautiful flowers of sweet and kindred
emotions are hid far out of sight, and
sleep in Winters darkest night. These
! two meet as strangers now upon the
rugged and rocky banks of the cold
and freezing river Of embarrassment,
and they shudder when they meet, for
! briars only strike their feet. And
though :he is still more dear to him,
yet he never speaks her name, although
it IS written in living characters of
eternal remembrance upon the sweet
est and holiest tablets of the heart, and
with warmest ardor worshipped there,
and never mentioned save in prayer.
After looking at these two sad pic
! tures, drapcd with all the sombre pathos
| Of the blacklist human sorrow, we have
/ been led to reflect that in this earth
life OF ours, swept as it is, with the
| tlerCest OF human passions, clouds of
suspicion frequently rise and often
darken the sky, storms of anger burst
forth from their blaCkened bosoms,
ard under those drenching torrents OF
accusation and animadversion, which
come pouring down in such pitiless
fury, the rareSt and sweetest and most
beautiful flowers of friendship that ever
, budded and blossomed, and whose de-
liShtlul and exquisite perfume made
earth seem as If it was breathing an
atmosphere almost as pure and sweet
as that which broods DER Paradise, are
beaten from their stems with heartleos
peltings, and fall down, broken and
shattered, with all their beauty gone,
their perfume wasted, into the mud
and mlre of eternal wreck and ruin
Yes, it sometimes happens that friend
ships of years existence, in which mu.
tual confidence have poured their
strongest cement, and brought about
a union so close and so perfect that a
pang to one would pain the other,
Yield 10 the first touch of the frozen
breath of a misunderstanding and a
mlsconstruction, and in a moment, in
q |" mining, VI 'aIi I NfS, liz val Az SAeili
mel of feeling is blocked up with the
ice OF estrangement, and the current
is checked IN its flowing. Sad, sad
very sad, but it is one of the mournful
evidences of human frailty, and shows
the evanescence of ali things earthly.
Yes, it shows that earthly love and
earthly friendship are saturated with
sin, and are therefore subject to perish
and decay at any moment in life
! Yes, all earthly scenes of JOY and bills:
based upon earthly love and friend
ship can fade away as easily as the
dew drops that sparkle SO radiantly in
the petals of the flowers, and yet die
at the very first kiss of a trembling
sunbeam. Yes, friendships in this vale
of death and of change, are broken a:
easily as the bubbles which float sc
gracefully on the current Of the river
and then die at the SofteSt CaresS o