Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-11-06
A NYMPH OF FIRE.

menory-came into our fair country. when
all our people worshiped the blessed Christ,
there stood upon the slopes of Ararat, apart
from all other habitatons. little cottage
nesting in flowers and empowered by the
trees Of the forest.
It's inhabitants were an old man Of Per
sian face and priestly dress and young
girl of whose appearance little was known,
for although most unmadenly she roamed
the wooded slopes of the mountains, she
nevertheless fled from the presence Of our
young Armenian hunters more swiftly
than the deer which they there pursued,
The women of our country, however, II
they do differ in reserve from their western
kinswomen, still have their full share Of
curiosity. aud are as artful rs any in salts
flying it, Thus they soon reported, with
unconscious malice, that the girl stunned
comparison with our dark eyed country
naidens, with their ripened color and
raven hair. because her face possessed no
beauty, but was pale as marble, and that
the wave OF gold which the hunters de-
scrihed as following her flight was mass
of unbound hair OF the reddest sortl
Soon whispers spread the rumor that
this old man and his dan hter were heather
"Gmgabashd'-as in our tongue we call
those whom you more pleasingly denomi
nate Guehers or fire worshipers
why he had chosen Arar,lt Tor his home
remained anystery vet therein he shadow
of that holy mount he lived and practieed
his dark rites Surely no naa dut stony
hearted Gueber could dwell. IN such a IA.
vored spoi and remain inAGcl Above him,
far In the blue deep Of hcavca. pointing
tel ..fft
higher. until il would seem { g. TIE strong.
est eye must fan 10 follew its glttcrng in
dex. and thar the stiiTest neck rlust bow
in awe Of the Creator, rose the grand old
peak OF Ararat. Down through che green
of the tree to.s II white spieuGor CLEANED
upon the cottage of the Persian. Yet he
looked not up, save TO salute the sun in his
meridian glory
Here 10 the very center Of the world,
perchanee on the very spot where the
smoke of the first sacrifice of II purified
world arose to Noah's God, he made his
nnholy alterations TO the same false deity
whom the wicked worshiped before the
avenging deluge swept them away Even
VIII en- his god of day was passing away
in the evening and the shadows Of the
sacred mountain, im62utable, eternal, fell
upon his home-even then unholy prayers
and chnntings were heard by the chance
passer by, who crossed himself and hur
ried on in terror None dared put them
selves in reach Of his COMPUTATIONS and al
Stunned the neighborhood
Then the war with our Persian ~ ves
sors came on, and the rightfuusly n>atg
nant Armenians would have risen and put
him and his daughter 90 DEATH and sacri
feed his cottage to his god Of fire, had they
not been restrained by the only friend the
old Persian could count in all the valley,
young Yahan, the bravest youth Of the
realm, the son Of our leader, Vartan.
said that Prince Eahan was a friend Of
the Persian; he was more truthfully the
lover Of his daughter One day before the
outbreak Of the war he had been hunting
on the slopes Of Ararat. His thoughts had
wandered from the chase, and plunged in |
Teyerie he had allowed his horse TO drop |
into a slow and noiseless walk over the
thick carpet of fallen leaves, the work Of |
all the centuries since the food. Sudden. |
" he heard voice, what shall suffer to |
rid my father of his terrible cursew Turn. |
ing toward the place whence came the
voice he beheld standing underneath pine
on a brook 5 side, with hands uplifted to a
ray of sunlight which streamed down
through the green roof above, being who
seemed TO Nahan's deluded eyes the ideal
Of all beauty, purity and truth
ooh, spirit of the earth, or air, or light
Or water. for thou soonest to be the soul Of
all" he cried, "oh, dryad of the pine, or
naiad OF the brook, or sylph Of the sun.
beam. what can Vahan do 60 reverence. or
4 thou perchance be mortal, to aid theeY"
Perhaps it was his noble face and earnest
nien as well as poetic language he
lad been reared in Athens-that assured
Ter thut be was not Of the rough peasant
ads from whom she had often fed, or per
nance The beautiful witch had already be
,un to practice her evil enchantments be
his as it may. she listened to his words
nd told her name and condition
Fhenceforth Nahan spent his days In
uniting and bis lights in dreaming OF the
maiden whom he daily met by the brook
Under the great pine on the mountain side
lis dreams were OF a maiden fair and holy
eatured rs the Virgin, and rich in a food
II hair, zine AS though spun of sunbeams
ind soft az Magdalen's locks that wiped
he feet OF our Lord
Oh. the crut, Of wicked womgm How
he seemed 70 love hint Then the Persian
war began. How her tenderness increased
The youth Of Armenia FASTENED wich ar
dor 10 the frontier, but Vnhan still wasted
his days in the chase OF love. His parente!
upbraided him. his compmions eutrssted.S
the old men reminded him Of his former
deeds and the present need Of his Valor to
lead the Armenians to victory. but still he
would not 90. Often he said ~ will 20
tomorrow but tomorrow found him still
delaying by the brook. and again to-mor-
row found him on his steed pricking fast
TO the mountain cottage. earnestly resolved
TO take that farewell embrace which an
other tomorrow again renewed. Perhaps
ut that time the girl really loved Vahan.
and wished him sale from the dangers Of
war, yet the outcome seems to indicate
that love for her fellow countrymen. the
Persian 6uebers, prompted her allure
ments 10 delay the departure OF the young
Armenian hero. the flower Of the army.
EntreatieS Of parents and friends at last
prevailed, and Nahan departed TO the war
Before his coming the Persiaus had been
almost uniformly victorious, but now the
bravery and generalship Of the new leader
aroused the despairing Armenians to re-
newed courage. and the tide Of victory was