The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1891-01-10
THE FIRST LOVE.
A REAL ROM MANCE OF
EDEN DAYS.
Written for the Holiday edition of the
KErCHUM KEYSTONE.
BY LEoN1DAs LYRE (ALIAs KAL KLAwsoN. J

Written for the Holiday edition of the
KErCHUM KEYSTONE.
BY. LIoN1DAs LYRE (ALIAs KAL KLAwsoS.
All copyrights reserved.
CHAP. I.-Our story goes back
to time when man was a stranger
and alone in a strange land; back
to time when the sweeping wings
of civilization had not cleft the har.
mony of Natures green meadows
hills and dales, or shadowed the
bosom of her placid lakes and
shimmering rivers. It was time
when the Earth seemed happiest in
it's new life; when the sun came up
and went down upon world un-
peopled; world pure and fresh
from the mold of it's creator. There
was then no rush and clamor OF
peoples striving for daily bread; no
battle of life for the poor to fight
no sin; no misery; no longing fol
riches; no desire for fame. The
Earth was then pure and clean as
the hands that made it; and the
Heavenly Peace that reigned SUI
preme was made sweeter still by
joyous song of bird and tread OF
happy herd.
And yet this solitary Man, owner
of all the world and all the beautiful
things that helped make it beauti-
full; master of field and forest, lake
and river brute and fowl, was not
happy. He had no one to admire.
no one to love, but himself. How
he was created and why, he could
not divine. He contrasted his form
and figure with that Of the other
animals and wondered why the land
was not peopled by his kind instead
of beasts and birds and creeping
things. He remembered that be
had been told by fairy or an un-
seen spirit, that sometimes walked
in the shades of the garden with
him, that he was created to be mas
ter Of all the earth and all the things
therein; but he could not see the
spirit, and it was little company to
him. He had learned also from the
unseen spirit that be had been given
a name, and that name was Adam
But there was nothing in a name
to him so long as he was alone in
the world. He knew also that the
beautiful garden in which he lived
was given him for a home and a
heritage; and that he was always
to have plenty to eat and nothing
to do but watch the garden and
govern the animals and listen to
the song of birds. But still this did
not satisfy. He walked alone uI
and down the sweet-scented aisles
of Eden and plucked the fragrant
flowers of Paradise and inhaled
their delicious odors; but this, too
in time, become monotonous. Tie
slept on daisy beds in shade o.
blooming trees only to wake unre
freshed. He cared little how the
beasts and birds and fowls amused
themselves; it was no amusement
no recreation for him. Of all the
life, of all the living creatures, this
solitary man was the only unhappy
one, the only disconsolate being
He could find nothing to interest
him, nothing to comfort him, moth
ing to love. Great uncouth AMI
mails, singing birds and chirpine
insects were his only companions
and they were happy while he was
miserable. He wandered vacantly
through the mysterious labyrintht
of Paradise, peering this way ano
that way, like one searching fol
something he never expected to
find. This lone man-this lord o.
creation as it were-was even more
lonely by night than by day: Ht
dreaded to see the sun go down
he feared to feel the shades of nigh
draw near. He walked hither ano
thither through the perfumed paths
of Paradise and in the moonli1
grounds laid him down to sleep ant
wake and wake and sleep, longing
for something he knew not what ano
dreaming of something he never
had seen.
CHAP. II.-But the miserable lif'
of this most miserable man came
at last to a sudden ending-at leas
for a time. Walking in the garder
one early morn, musing on th'
strange and wonderful things of ere
alton, he caught the distant soune
of sweetest song. To him the voice
was strange. No bird before hae
sung SO sweetly; no voice befor'
had so entranced him. A bird tina
sings so beautifully, he thought
has plumage far exceeding in rich
ness and beauty that of other birds
of Paradise. He crept cautiously
through dewy vine and fragran
bloom to see whence came the voice
fearing it might take fright and Il.
away before his eyes had seen it
There, on margin of purest lake
o'erhung with dropping vine ant
l.,.~l cot tho bird fhQ