The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-01-04

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Law for q few minutes, and then as was
F.. rising. something iuttered to the ground. l
,thauELt il was q leaf from a white rose
abJye me. but l looked, and there lay
folded paper. / took it up. 1t had been
folded hastily, and had no address but who
could have a better right te unfold it than l!
This is what found, written with pencil:
Il am the man 10 whom yoH talked so kindly
over your garden wall yesterday. viii you,
l wonder, think me presuming and imperti-
neut? PTesunaE l may be, but imperu-
uent, surely not! Ny name is John Day.
l do not vet know yours. have not dared
TO inquire after it, lest l should hear of some
impossible gulf between US. l can think
of nothing but the face l saw over the
wall through the clusters of lilac, but the
wall seems to keep rising as if it would hide
you forever II l am writing nonsense-I
canuct tell whether l am or motif is be-
cause my wits wander with my eyes 10 glze
q. you through the leaves Of the wild white
rose HBder which you are asleep. LOyeliest
OF faces, may no gentlest wind of thought
ripple thy. perfect calm until l have said
what ! must and lad It where you will find
H. When we see each other again viii the
wall he down between Us, or shall l know il
VIII pant Us all our mortal lives? love you
as one might love woman-angel who, at
tile mere breath going to fashion a word IN
lit, would spread her winds and soar. DO
not ! pray Won, fear to let ne come. There
are things that must be done 10 faith, else
they never have being; let this be one Of
them. You stir''
r.. As I came to these last words hurriedly
written. / heard behind me, over the height
the-quitk gailop Of ahorse. The same mo-
MELT was there IN spirit, and the imagina-
ton, was almost vision. / saw my lover
speeding away" 70 come again." said my
heart, solemn with gladness. ] sat still, nor
thought l Of moving. l had no need or in
pulse % move finger. l lived essentially
iulep pendent Of outer ways Of life. l knew
now what had come TO me. 1t was no merely
-LdiosyneratIc experience, for the youth had
tie. same. 1t was love, How otherwise
could we be thus drawn together from both
sides? The secret Of life was opened to
NE
slowly went the next day. had fallen
n love at first sight, it is true. ! was not,
therefore, eager again to meet my lover. l
was only more than willing to see him. /
went meanderlng, as If with some frolic-
some brook for a companion-a brook Of
many caprclOuS windings-and so moved
nearer and nearer to the fence that parted
the wilderness from the fields with NV eyes
bent down, partly 70 avoid the hillocks and
CUISINES, and partly shy of the moment when
III 81 Sllpulu Stt MN mo Was In nv heart
and somewhere near nv eyes. Softly the
Moon rose, round aud full. There was still
so much light in the sky that she made M
sudden change. and for a moment did not
feel her presence or LOOK up. a little he
yOnd where | stood the high ground sank in
10 the hollow, down which came the brook.
so that there the horizon was a
good deal lower; the moon was rising Just
in the gap, and when l did look up the lower
edge Of her disc was on the horizon and
aETaNF E4n NNr.Tr al ~lr-1 \
was right in the middle Of the big snow
moon, so that she was like the golden halo
round the head Uf a saint in an Illuminated
mlssal. l could not. see the face, for the
halo hid it, as such attributions are apt to
d.. but It must be he, and strengthened by
tue heavenly vision / went toward him.
Walking less carefully than before, how
ever, l caught my foot stumbled and fell.
There came rush through the bushes; he
was by nay side, lifted NE like child and
held NE IN his arms; neither was | more
frightened than child gathered up so in the
arms Of any Well-knOwn friend.
=. MY darling! Are you hurt" I heard
murmured by the voice whose echoes had
haunted me for many hours.
"a little" / answered. | shall be all rigb+
in a minute. Please put me down."
He obeyed Immediately. / was glad
enough to sink on a clump of white clover.
He stretched himself on the ground, with
his head at nv feet. Silence followed He
l.
Therefore, as soon as l was able, it was my
part to speak.
Where is your horse?" l said.
How curious tits that persons whose meet
ing is a delight greater than the heart can
hold always say some thing at first that is not
worth saving.
. left him about a mile Of was afraid
10 bring him nearer lest my mother should
learn where had been"
But she Will miss you" | suggested
tthinK co Sha m ,ir-s,
for myself, though she likes to know where
/ am, But she may miss me-"
She will ask you where you were ?"
POSSIBLY. There's no knowing"
You will tel her, of course, if she does9"
You don't mean you will tell her a
story?"
I will tell her that viii not tell her."
6 Can that be right?"
Through the dusk | could see his white
teeth lighting up his smile as he answered
- thinkso. You may be quite sure
VIII not tell her."
But" l began.
r he interrupted me with murmuring
not motherH he said. Do you give it
mp? When she's north wind. When she's
Roman Emperor. When she's an ice
eerg; When she's a brass tiger. There
tnat Il DO. Good-by, mother, for the pres
ent; L mayn't know much yet, as she's
always telling me, but l do know that a
noun is not thing, nor n name person 2,
would have eXpostuIated
+ or -love-sake, dearest" he said, with
solehHlty don't let us dispute where only
one one Of us kn9wsl lwill tell you all some
day|sonn, l hope, very soon. As for NV
mother, can say one thing plainlyNthat
would as soon take wife to the house She
wasln, as would ask her to creep with me
into the den Of hyena'
= 1t was too dreadful I rose from my
clover-throne.
You must excuse me. sir" 1 said.
:. with one who can speak so of his mother.
j am where l ought not. TO be-"
on. have right to know what nv
mother IS, lie answered coIdly L thought
alu ! should not be true man if L
:; He had risen when rOse. He would pre-
tend nothing to please mel / saw that /
VA, again in the wrong. Was [ so little
read as to imagine that mother must of