Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-05-06


 white spires of marble and cool with royal oaks, or again got down in Eden Fark and wandered about the lakes ana among the trees, he felt indeed mat life was not heavy thing. Then there were evenings when Celeste sang, and his sensitive spirit trembled With pleasure upon her crystal voice: and twice he helped to row a party mn the flushed river when the sun was go- ing down, and they floated back to the city through the holy moonlight. singing as they went. Then he was content to be silent, letting his oars fol- low through the pearl-dented bubblino waters, while he listened to her voice. as it went through the others out over the glinting reach, to him not unlike a clear star-hame, or some sounding and ineffable perfume.
 Then there were nights at the play: and one when a great concert came oil, and he was well-nigh lifted away from earth as the smooth thunder of two hundred perfect voices rolled up through the mighty, mellow hollow of the building, and again his heart was nllcd when figure in white satin, a gllmmering slip of womanhood, came into the flare of light, and sang such A carol of gladness as he thought he had never heard before. It was Celeste: and when she had finished and there burst out tempest of clapping hands and flying flowers, and the white fig- ure limped away out of the wreathing light, his eyes were filled with tears, and he saw only the little girl with cups of water in her hands falling among the dying on a field of blood, and felt again the wounding ball that forever swerved her from a public life of song. But when few moments later all was over, and he caught and for an instant held her trembling hands and flashed his pride and admiration into her upturned, radiant face, a great gladness swept over him, a speeches. gratitude, unquestioned, unanalyzed, that she was physically imperfect. elsa they might have never met; she might have never been-ah, whatP What was this? this that had blossomed through all his bloodP this that had floated there for years, and at last had centered like star-mist ill his brain, making earth and life seem beautifulp Yet even now it was rather gladness felt than prin- ciple perceived; a pure and gentle ec- stacy, through which. his thoughts, as they rode homeward. ran glowingly, and in which he led her from the car riage to her door with something like religious reverence, mingled with an unspeakable longing to kiss her lifted face as she leaned upon his arm weary in body but with glowing eyes.
 That night when he lad down to sleep in the beautiful chamber, and his eyes were closed and soft darkness be- 1T1 INt1 rh.~lo I~.s. seemed sweet, and he saw all recent things distinctly for a time as in a mighty mirror, with those old hard days far back in the glass, filming, and flickering, and passing into dream.
 When the day began to break again, to him, drifting out from the dark sea of sleep, the first glim- merings of the shore of conscious ness seemed filled with music, and he awoke to hear Celeste caroline in the little conservatory below. An, what silveri She wishes to waken me, he thought, and sprang up and looked out and saw the sun, red as a throb- ping heart, flaming up through the tree tops far to the east, with all the intervening sweep of river, hills and smoking housetops, sown with little fires.
 1t has rained glow-worms!' he said to himself with smile, noting that little shower had fallen in the night, against whose pendant drops the tiny arrows from the rising sun struck and smote out a million sparks.
 It was memorable day to John Ear ling. When he came down upon one of the vine-wound verandas Celeste was watering the flowers that ran in like rainbows about the paths. The air was very sweet and lucent, and unperceived he stood leaning against one of the fiuted moment watching her as she bent above the flowers. She was l humming a song to herself, so low and soft it blent with and seemed almost a part of the murmurous noise of bees plying since dawn their sugary traffic there. Like the bees, too, she was pry- ing into the flowers; parting the petals with dc licate touch as she gazed into them with eyes that made the fairest l one in all the beds seem tame.
 John Earrings eyes, too, grew lu- and smile came into his face as he saw her give little start when-I she stirred a half-open bloom and bee | bet1oured with pollen came scramb- l ling out, and, starting to fly away, fell | Ill the grass, dragged down with hon. | ey and its thigh-borne gold. Then his smile grew very tender, indeed, l when she stopped down, and, running | her fingers slowly into the grass un- der the struggling bee, lifted her hand | up with the little workman buzzing in the pink hollow of her outspread palm | and held it out before her. '.Hurry! | you little midget" she laughed, s'hur- ry! you ticklel' But the bee soberly | 1ntangled his yellow legs and gave his doury head a couple of rubbing | pulls. that seemed likely to remove it | from his neck, before he ventured into the air; then he sprang out on his gauzy sails, and making rather doubt iul voyage, landed in flower at the foot of the walk.
 Bravo! my little honeynianr' cried The girl, clapping her hands, and talk ing up the sprinkling-pot she began to shower the bright drops over the blos- soms again.
 You shama tba oIouls ,-o,, a,o eo