Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1891-01-03

insight she had OWNED all the latent poetic
! side in the man, which hitherto had only
expressed itself in his music, but which,
reused by the touch of another mind,
poured out bright stream of fancy and
imagination. Bur it was not Sebald alone
vino expanded under new influence, for
Celia had never before talked to anv one
who understood her so absolutely, who an
swered go quickly to every mood of her
| thought and she felt as if a new window
| had been opened for her.
Almost every day he played to her, and
she often sang to him. but sometimes they
| only sat and talked together, and Sebald
liked this best. He would tell her some
! of his dreams-fairy stories about stones.
and stars and spirils-till she felt his was
the real world, and hers the shadow.
| You are poet" she would say; "you
see with your blind eyes more than do"
Best of all, however, he liked to hear
her talk; and, although he could never tell
her why, it seemed to him that over every
| word she said her heart shed purple ra-
! dance, and he loDged to steep his whole
nature in that color. Everything be had
not understood before grew clear to him
| now; he knew what had made him rest
| less-he knew what was missing in his life
as well as in his music.
And now for the first time the full de-
spair of his blindness rushed upon him
that he should never, never see her face
was an intolerable thought to him. He
had loved the woods aud streams without
seeing them, and now he loved her with
out seeing her; but this was SO different
/ he felt that he must see her or die
| One day Celia proposed that they should
| ail-Afra, Alois and Aunt L1cy-go for a
picnic together to some pine woods near
| by. Aunt Lucy showed no enthusiasm
until Celia pointed out to her the pleasure
it would give the little family. Then she
gave wav. Celia hired a large carriage
which took them ALL and early in the af.
ternoon the party set out. Sebald had
never been so Ear since he first settled
down in the village and was as much in
terested and excited as any of them. His
wife sat opposite him with beaming face,
rejoicing to see him looking so happy. She
had made Celia feel rather uneasy by
bursting into expressions of gratitude over
her kindness just before they started. and
somehow. when Afra thanked her tor hav-
ing given Sebald SO many pleasures, she
longed 10 shut her ears.
III his twelve years of sight Sebald
seemed to have stored up an inexhaustible
fund of observation and experience. He
had been dreamy, imaginative child, aud
the colors and shapes of the world had be-
come part of his consciousness. He
| knew bow brilliant were the green's which
| "
how water cleaned when the sun fell upon
it; and now perhaps he knew by the quiet
stiffness how beautiful was the wood they
had reached. There were great pines ris-
ing up like shafts in cathedral. and bril-
liant stretches of blue showing between the
green pine-needles, while in the back
ground mountains lowered above them.
Sebald was lying upon the ground, draw
ing in deep draughts of the keen perfume
1 NJ "a tron md licta 49, Ixax
branches made as they talked to one au-
other-a noise which seemed to him ex-
actly like the lake when it was angry.
4 Afra and Aunt Lucy had wandered away
with the child. Afra was explaining to
the elder woman how frightened she had
| been lest her baby should be blind like his
father. and Aunt Lucy was trying to per-
suade Afra to dose the boy with rhubarb
whenever he was naughty. Neither I'M
derstood the other very well, but they
| talked on.
| When Celia and Sebald were alone he
turned towards her. II have often told
you stories BEFORE" he said, land now /
must tell you another"
| YES" Celia answered, startled By the in
tensity of his tone,2"I am listening"
"Once upon time," he began, in low
voice, there was lake hidden in the deep
| recesses of a dark and angry mountain. 1t
was so shut in between high walls of rock
and over-hanging cliffs that no steps ever
came near its brink, no birds ever dipped
their wings in its cool, clear waters, no
green trees ever bent lovingly over its still
| depths The sun could not shine upon il
by day. nor the moon by night, and the
water was dark and black. for it was never
flooded by light. Once, however, in the
| hot month of August, a star in the sky said
to herself: There is night in the year
when, if l lean little more to the left, [
can send my beams into that lonely water
which is thirsting for light So when the
| time came she made way past the stern
| cliffs for one straight. glorious shaft. down,
| down into the very heart of the deep lake
The water had been waiting SO long, and
was lying SO still, that it had power to
draw down the very star itself, and it
seemed almost as if she had left her
! heaven for time to battle herself there.
Gradually all the heavy shadows were
melted, and the water grew light. 1t
| looked up to the star with its heart aglow,
and was happy. Then the moon called for
| her hand maiden, and the star went away
| AT first the lake did not know what had
| happened; the water had drunk so much
| light it felt content. But day followed
night. and night followed day, and never
! ray of light came to gladden. it. Then the
| lake grew blacker and deeper than ever be-
fore, and its despair was worse than if the
star had never come, for it knew what
| light meant"
There was a long silence when Sebald
| had finished. Celia understood him ut
terly, but strange whirl of feeling within
her made her unable to speak. At last
she took his hand gently.
THE star never forgot the lake." she
said. "She would shine always if she
might, but you know there is only one
night when it is possible
| Sebald carried her hand to his lips.
| "The lake can never forget" he said,
and then Afra and the others came back.
| During the next few days Celia could
hardly understand herself. She had made
| up her mind to go away as soon as posi-
| bic, and she felt that she ought to avoid
| Sebald, for she could scarcely look at her
| blind friend without feeling the tears in
her eyes, and the idea of leaving him gave
| her dull ache in her heart. She refused
| to play 10 him any more and took her
aunt off on long expeditions, hoping to
| bridge over the last few days in a natural
| way.
1t was necessary, however. That Sebald
should know their stay was nearly over,
and though each day she made up her
mind to tell him, each night she found she
| had not been able to do so. But on the
last day she forced herself to say in an in
| different tone: We are going away to.
morrow morning, so must say good-by to
\ you now"
Sebald was dumb for few moments.
Are you going?" he stammered at
length, going away?n
Yes, we are going" said Celia, sadly,
and then she put out her hand.
"No! no !" cried Sebald, mot like this.
You have kept away the last few days, and
now you must let me be with you again.
| You must-you must This evening"
Celia did not know what to answer. but
she left her hand in his.
do not be afraid" he went on. want
to have last time to remember, that is all.
l will wait for you at the door about 9
o'clock, and we will sit by the church for
little while"
His voice was trembling,