The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1892-03-19

he brought it down upon : clair, tIss
back Of which. split In two, fall hesvily
TO the ground.
lie opened his door 10 20 out, but stop
ped upon the threhi1old, surprised BY
such spiendor Of moonlight ~ you
seldom see.
And since he was endowed with IN
exalted spirit-&uch y spirit ~ must
have belonged to those dreamy poets,
the fathers Of the church--he felt him.
self suddenly distracted. moved BY ths
grand and serene bes1ty Of the pale
faced night.
In his little garden, quite bathed with
the soft brilliance, his fruit trees, all
arrow. were outlining In shadow upon
the walk, their slender limbs OF wood
scarce clothed by yerdure. while the
giant honeysnckle climbing ON the house
wall exhaled delicious. sugared breaths,
and seemed to cause 10 hover through
the warm. clear night perfumed soul.
He began to breathe deep. drinking
the air az drunkards drink their wine.
and he walked slowly. being ravished,
astonnded and almost 0bliyious Of his
niece.
Ar soon ~ he came into the open coun-
try he stopped to contemplate ths whole
plain, 80 inundated by this caressing
radiance, 10 drowned In the tender and
hngnisbing charm Of the serene nights.
At every instant the frogs threw into
space their short metallic notes, and the
distant nightingales mingled with the
G11neffnn sf tho s.~t.x
music of theirs which brings no thoughts
but dreams, that light and vibrant melody
OF theirs which is composed Of kisses.
The able continued his course, his
courage failing. he knew not why. He
felt, as il were. enfeebled, and suddenly
exhausted; he had great desire to sit
down, to f's,ase here. 70 praise God In all
his works.
Down there. following the bends Of
the little river. wound great line OF
poplars. On and about the banks.
wrapping all the tortuous watercourse
With a kind of light, transparent
wadding, hung suspended fine mist, q
white vapor which the moon rays crossed
and silyerei. and caused 10 CLEAN.
The priest paused. yet again penetrat-
ed 10 the bottom Of his soul by = strong
and growing emotion.
And a doubt, vague uneasiness,
seized on him: he perceived that one Of
those questions which he sometimes put
TO himself was now being born.
Why had God done this: Since the
night is destined for sleep, for uncon.
sciousness, for repose. for forgetfulness
Of everything. why. then. make il more
charming than the day, sweeter than
the dawns and the sunsets; And this
slow seductive star, more poetical than
the sun. and so discreet that il seems de-
signed 10 light up things too delicate.
too mysterious, for the great iuminary
why WAS il come to brighten all the
shades!
Why did not the cleverest Of all song
s,ers go To res. like the Others? And
why did he set himself 10 singing in the
vaguely troubling dark;
Why this half veil over the world;
Why these quiverings Of the heart, this
emotion u the soul. this ,anguor of the
bodyy
Why this display Of seiuctions which
mankind never secs, being asleep in bed:
For whom was intended this sublime
spectacle, this food Of poetry poured
from heaven 10 earth;
And the able did not understand nj
all.
But now, see. down there along the
edge II the field appeared two shadows
walking side by sade under the arched
roof Of the trees all soaked in gliitering
mist
The man was the taller and had his
arm about his mistress neck. and from
time 10 time he kissed her on the fore.
bead. They animated suddenly the life-
less landscape which enveloped them
like divine frame made expressly for
this. They seemed, these two. like one
being. the being for whom was destined
this calm and silen, night: and they
came up toward the priest like living
answer. the answer vouchsafed by his
master to his question.
He stood stock still. quite overwhelm.
cd and with a beating heart. And he
thought 10 sac here some Bible story
ike the loves Of Ruth and Boaz. the &C
complishmeni Of the will Of the Lord in
enc cf ,hose great scenes talked Of in the
holy books.
Through his head began TO hum the
,ersicless Of the Song of Songs. the ar
dent cries. the calls Of the body, all the
passionate poetry Of that poem which
burns with tenderness and love.
And he said 10 himself, God perhaps
has made such nights as this to clo,he
with the ideal the loves Of men"
He withdrew before this couple, who
went ever arm in arm, For all that it
was rsally his niece. but now he asked
himself If he was not about TO disobey
God. And does not God indeed permit
love, since he surrounds il visibly with
splendor snch ss this?
And he fed in amaze. almost ashamed.
as If he had penetrated into temple
where he had not the right TO go.-Guy
De Maupasant
The EMPEROR ss Rustness Manager.
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