Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-05-18

and express wagons crowded the muddy
street: meH were running with bundles on
their shoulders: the ncwsboys were shout
Ing with discordaut voices. What anima-
tionl How brilliant the electric light
Everything denoted hurry and work, even
the hiss of escaping steam from the engine
about to move
How tedious! IN iutormiuable hour be
fore the train would arrive. Tired of walk
ing | leaned against post and by the
blush rays of the electric light read, for the
twentieth time, this paragraph of u letter:
shall arrive Thursday. Come to the station
10 meet me. 1t is possible that my cousin SUI
tana may come with mo 10 spend the 10th of
September am anxious TO sec You. Your
friend MIGUEL
Miguel My friend, my conlidant, my
brother All, the sweetness of friendship.
70 pass away the time l walked away
nom the station toward the fields seated
Myself on pile of ties, and with my chin
testing on my hand pensively watched the
gardening landscape The grove was "A
blur do not know what there was i'll the
outlines of the distant houses, IN The watch
mans lantern, shining in the shadow ike
a red eye, or in the distant gnmmer of a
lighted window almost lost TO sight, that
should deprcSs and sadGHn me. w hat
tHghtful shapes the clouds seemed to take,
heaped in their immensely, outlined IN SIN
lister forms by the lightning, advancing
like sOmber army OF monsters, the mon
gters of the tempest! Not enc pale star,
The wind, the cold, the darkness, memory,
perhaps presentiment, something inspired
me with an Unspeakablc, bitter sadness on
that cols wintry night
The past! Ny native land! behind those
silhouetted mountains, still beyond the
valley, far away, were my people-that IS
10 say, childhood, youth, family, my heart,
Eusana' On thinking of her the sad
thoughts 1iud-the sadness, heavy, over
whelmiug, threatening as those storm
clouds, gave place to the rosy tlnts of hope.
Again | seemed to see blue mountains
Hooded with sunlight, their peaks eucircled
by IL violet haze, the morning mist floating
in the valley; the biLoWy maize field the
grove thick and dark, beside the road; the
white cottages in the distant landscape
lily people. My susanna! She, the only one
who ever distracted my attention during
mass; she who sang with me in the moon
light on The balcony; she who hung ON my
Rrm during our walks; she who made me
jove to think OF the future!
The pencil Of memory was drawing with
indclibie lines Two pictures which ! can
never torgct-my first and my last inter-
view with her alone
The first meeting was when the twilight
was fading. the country was asleep, the
mlipas unGuIa'InS IKE IAe sea- me pueblo
quiet, uAiH lHe frogs III 'He l4clShoorlhg
marshes began TO Ihlolie IA'I' lIloiio'ohou'
ma lnetan'AoIy sefeIll"e'
IrenblIAS at every sound was WalIlhS
behlnu hdEdey Iof inc PROMISED Si8n"I
I started az ihe ru9'!ilS Oi " "lNhCreu 4e"l
blown by the WIND
W men saw IIghI was 20 approach II,
lmlla'e tne WAiSle OF " Diiu' "auO llIl
beard Il sHghJ cough anu lHeh- Inc
mud walls OF the ADOBE renamed dark ana
was alral1. vi the soIJude? VI the
hIght; No' OF tIle senoriIa LAT ner; (lhoSe
sehors are always brutal ana unl4elhg)
Comforts y Hght Shines ana approach
tremulous and coWardly: My mouth Is
prY ana can scarcely whistle
d uah'
susanna
come up caIelulIy'
My energies tan me l have fallen twice
but at last mere am with my pantaioohs
torn and muddy, astllde theadobe wall
10 nov move
NO. am coming uoWH' lie Oorzo So
,,
lie knows you already lake hlm'
Zorro! You see he Wags AlS tan"
my darling here am here are you
gong:
"Iere-thiS way, to the arbor No one is
there-come."
Moving softly on tptoe, holding aside
her starched skirt Of percale, that it might
not rustic, she preceded me to the ar'bor
and we sat down there side by side She
shuddered little and finally sad;
Il am afraid Of the darkness"
Afraid with me, who loves your
Hist! DO not let them hear you; they
pre- in the kitchen. Listen she added IN {
lower voice. Il have made you come solely
to tell you that it is worse than useless fol
this to go on any further am older thar
you. When you are man shall be an ole
woman"
How old? Not more than And tax
ing her in my arms added, odd o.
young, you Will be my susanna; shall love
you alWays-alWays.'
Yes, You say 50 now, but by and by