Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1895-12-26
THE BROKEN WING.

y
The darkening twilight immerses the
horizon in purple, making it seem more
distant; glazes the surface Of the ponds,
doubling their depth, and the night
comes, with the cold.
At the foot of hill is road. A lit
tie girl, barefoot and very poor, is lead
ing flock, another's flock, along this
road. She is the living image-though
for her there be so little of hving-of
misery and abandonment. In her 10
short years her hands have grown fee
bier, more weary, even than are those
of the very aged. But in her deep eyes
the ideal sequences have prolonged
themselves; through days of silence,
doubtless, she has dreamed, and through
the nights, too, under the pale light of
the stars The understanding of the
lowly is sometimes divine.
Suddenly, in the middle of the road,
her dog stops, as if transfxed, and
stands trembling and awestricken.
Marie, advancing, perceives, in the
shadow of the thicket, a form half OBJ
scured, yet radiantly white, and encir-
cled with an aureole.
The child has prescience of miracle
and is not astonished. She mutely con-
siders the mysterious being. Yes, it is
an angel-with flowing robe,' with
abundant locks, with visage severely
pure, such as one sees in the frescoes on
the walls of churches. But this angel
has only one wing, and his mien is in
effably sad. Putting her hands together,
palm to palm, she speaks to him softly
and in tones of prayer:
"Oh, beautiful prince Of heaven, 1
salute you'll Iwould serve you. Since
you are come hither, it must be to bring
joy on the earth, and I thank youp'
But the immortal answers with a
great sob and then quickly exclaims:
Where am +? On earth, in exile |
Banished! Strickeni Chastisedl It is
joy that bring, hast thou said, o
daughter of men9 Alas, behold me |
What am I?
"In the fall ordained to me I have
lost wingl No more of heaven, nor
yet am of earth Suspense and fear
hold horrible menace for me Of things
unknown. On high, it seems, yester-
day declared too hard Judgment upon
mankind, their passions-their vileness,
as it is called-upon crimes whereof I
knew not. So, as punishment for judg-
ment temerarious, the King of kings,
the power supreme, hath sentenced me
to test the terrestrial life, prey to
those temptations I erstwhile regarded
as beneath contempt. Should I resist
and prove the victor in these successive
trials, then will the azure and the gold,
the Interchangeable armament and its eter-
nal glories, be restored to me. But
should once fail must dwell in this
thy world until the final Judgment of
men. am afraid--of all things. And
thou--who art thou?"
IT am only poor, kinless child, re-
ceived of charity, who farmers sheep
must guard that may live--sometimes
hardly, sometimes we'll, according to
the weather--and who, an angel seeing,
kneel to him in prayer, that he will bear
me hence to heaven
Then the angel wept yet harder.
Alas! Heaven is closed to me, and
this one wing, that I must drag SO pain
fully, but deepens my af1iction, remind
ing me Of my origin, and nothing serv-
ing me upon this earth where must
walk. It is the last warning that re-
mains to me. At my first fault this,
too, will fall, and I shall be bound to
this neither sphere, inexorably delivered
over to vileness, far from yonder sub
Unity of space. Cyriam the Magnif-
cent, bearer of light Oh, these temp
tations of menl How I dread them,
child, even as before 1 scorned them
What is that dreadful noise?"
Strident songs disturbed the stiffness
Of the night. and the lurid glare Of
torches, tossed by the wind, drew near
er and dyed with bloody hue the DESC
late countryside, wakened to horror.
Amid troop on horseback Regina,
the courtesan, was returning to her
dwelling from forest chase. The noisy
oortege stopped in front Of Cyriam and
Marie.
whats therea Some vagabondsi
Make wayl Make wayp'
The angel, circled by the scarlet
torches, looked whittier even than before.
At sight of him there were bursts Of
laughter.
what kind of crippled fowl is herei
Loose ye the dogs, the chase is not yet
done It's stork--or is it, perchance,
a white turkey cock?"
The angel, risen to his full height,
snatehed sword from one of those who
were pressing upon him and laid him
dead at his feet.
A peal of thunder resounded. The
second wing fell, the white robe also,
and the aureole vanished. A voice cried
The first trial-angerp'
Already the courtesan, Regina, had
thrown herself into the combat. Now
she gazed upon the angel, struck by his
superhuman beauty.
Come, I love theep' she said.
"Thou didst we'll to slay this fellow.
He insulted thee, the drunkardI Follow
mep'
Then Cyriam cried:
"Since no longer am more than
man. earth's pleasures shall be mine.
TIL follow thee--thou art beautiful
and Indeed am lostp'
And as he mingled with the throng
they did homage to him for his valor
and his splendid presence.
Marie, left alone, wept in the high
way, knowing that a great evil had be-
fallen. and her dog, for pity's sake,
licked the teardrops from her eyes,
while her sheep grazed where they listed,
flsrriass, of nririY divine Ia qraai