The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1891-07-18
THE MOONLIGHT TRYsT.
AN IrALIAN LOVE STORY.

AN ITALIAN LOVE STORY.
The garden wall, Illuminated by tho
moon, is white amid the dark green
shrubbery; the night air, with SAVIOR OF
dompness, stirs the clusters OF white
flowers, and the shower Of star shaped
blossoms falls silently like perfumcd
snow.
A curly dark head peeps over the top
of the ladder, and a voice that wishes TO
be firm, bctrays q slight tremor. hcsi-
tating between the syllables:
"Ma-rialn
81 ann here But for heavens sake
speak low. There is s,illalight in papa's
room. Oh dear me. I'm so frightened
1 haven't any blood in my veins!'
"Come further this way; don't be
afraid; come under the shadow of the
branches; so; no, further this way!"
She advanced with little, uncertain.
short steps; her slender white figure,
still almost that of child flies along the
gravel of the path; she crouches tromb-
ling at the foot Of the low WALL among
the branches Of dropping ivy, and looks
up toward the laughing eyes which shine
through the leaves.
"Oh. Alfredo! And if you fall, and
hurt youBef?"
"The idea! My poor little dove! You
arc all like chat, you women! |, instead,
difficulties animate me! They spur me
onward they elechify mel For you,
would be capable Of much more Maria,
do you care for me?'
Eyes; speal, lows heard a creaking." "
at is the wind do you care for me?
Swear itl"
al swear itl Don't ioggle the ladder
look, oh! the ladder is tottering!'
"I need your love in order to struggle
against lifel A mass of bIockhcads,
of scoundrels, OF idiotsl But we viii
triumph over everything; if you viii
only"
"What?"
"Be strong and faithful. Be my Muse
and my poetry"
"But l am; only, you know, papa isso
strict, he would like me to play dolls
yet; and lie says that you"
"What? Speak! l am prepared for
everything. What did he say? ! am
superior to these trihes. Tell mel"
"That you are naughty boy;
that you would do better to be at your
lessons, and that if he catches you"
Interruption; the wind laughs among
the trees with soft little munnur of
irony.
Are you weeping, treasurer 1 will
avenge your tears one by one!"
"Yes!"
The sweet, musical little voice is lost
in a stammer Of sobs
Your father is a barbarian, tyrant
like mine but no matter; love is light,
is power; it crushes obstacles, levels
diniculties-in few years you will be
mine
"Yes; but if you do not pass the ex-
animation.
Il shall pass it! A thing Of no ac-
count! The teacher has a dislike to me
imagine, what beast! Maria, have
brought you something; have kissed it
so much! Promise, darling, that you
viii keep it always, you know; even
when it shall be withered. Take it, No,
your hands; no, your apron"
She folds forth, spread, her ample,
childish apron, and he throws down,
light as a flake, a large, velvety pansy,
with thick soft petals, dotted with gold,
which seem like the ardent eyes of liv-
ing person.
She takes it into her trembling little
hands, and places it upon her lips with
idolatrous fervor.
Swear to me that you will not be
false to me, insists the fervid lover Of 10
years of age. "By the memory of your
mother, promise me that you will not be
| Gnother's-"
She wecps a little more loudly.
Poor mamma-
"If she sees me from heavenl
"She will not be pleased with mel
Indeed, I am doing wrongl
"How dark it is!
"And if papa should suspectl
"And if your"
"What ideas, Maria! They are sound
asleep; at their age one does not know
anything Of love, any longer-do you
understand? They don't remember what
il means, to love, like you and me,
without fears, without cowardlinesses,
with a fullness OF felicity, with that in
| tovication--"
This phrase, read in realistic novel,
pears unwillingly to be recalled with
c>aatiujc, And perhaps it is on this
G-n7dG. that the moon hides behind the
cslr Of Lebanon, fringed with silver, its
| broadly smiling face.
Alfredo, il is lotc let me go.
No, not yet. Row can you think Of
anything rs commonplace Us sleep? 1t
is delicious night. am wide awake,
full of daring, there is a wildness in my
blood which lashes it onward, feel
myself capable Of great, heroic enter.
prises What is that?"
His voice, arisen by degrees to the de.
cided intonations Of manhood, is lost in
an exclamation of senseless, childish ter.
ror
The ladder creaks, tTemblea, shakes
with great push from invisible hands.
"Ah! You rascali
"I've caught you at last!
"ldler, madcap, good for nothingl
"Boy hardly out Of the nmseryl
"l'll teach you"
Thump Thumpl
The wind rattles the branches with dry
litlc insulting laughs, while from the
other side of the wall resounds a desper-
ate cry, and the great white face of the
moon pityingly wells itself in the mists
Of night and mercifully conceals the
shame of the place Of paternal punish.
mentl