Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1896-04-30
THE BROKEN WING.

The darkening twilight immerses
the horizon in purple, making it seem
more distant glazes the surface of the
ponds, doubling then depth, and the
night comes, with the cold.
At the foot of a hill is a road. y
little girl, barefoot and very poor, Is
leading flock, another's flock, along
this road. She is the living image
though for her there be 50 little Of liv-
ing-of misery and abandonment In
her twelve short years her hands have
grown fcebler, 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 under
standing of the lowly Is sometimes d.
vine.
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 form half OBJ
scured, yet radiantly white, and enoir-
cIed with an aureole
The child has prescience Of a mira
Gle and is not astonished. She mute
" considers the mysterious being. Y z
it is an angeI-with flowing robe, with
abundant locks, with visage severely
pure. such as one sees III the frescoe'
on the walls Of churches. But this
angel has only one wing, and his mier
is iuefably sad. Putting her hands
together, palm to palm, she speaks tC
him softly and in tones Of prayer
"Oh, beautiful prince of heaven,
salute YOU, I would serve you. Since
YOU are come hithcr, it must be tc
bring joy on the earth, and I thanh
you
Rnt the immortal answers with {
great sob and then quickly exclaims :
Where am l? On earth, in exile
Banished Stricken Chastised 1t i
Joy that I bring, hast thou said, {
daughter of men? Alas, behold me
What am l?
In the fall ordained to me | have
lost a wing No more Of heaven, no
vet am I of earth Suspense and fea
hold horrible menace for me Of thing
unknown. On high, 1t seems, l yester
dav declared too hard judgment upol
mankind, their passions-their vile
ness, as tits called--upon crimes where
of | knew not. So, as punishment 70
Judgment temerarious, the King o
kings, the power supreme, hath sen
fenced me to test the terrestrial life
a prey to those temptations erstwhll
regarded as beneath contempt Shoul'
! l resist and prove the victor in thes
successive trials, then will the azur
and the gold, the Interchangeable frma
ment and its eternal glorles be re
stored to me. But should l once tai
| must dwell in this thy world unit
the final judgment of men. am afral
of all things. And thou-who al
thou p
Il am only poor, kinless child, re
ceived of charity, who farmer 5 shee
must guard that l may iye-somt
times hardly, sometimes well, accord
ing to the weather-and who, an al
gel seeing, kneel to him in prayer
that he will bearme henceto heaven
Then the angel wept yet harder
"A1asi Heaven is closed to me, an
this ore wing, that I must drag /;
painfully, but deepens my atHictlOl
reminding me of my origin, and noti
ing serving me upon this earth wheI
l must walk. 1t is the last warnlr
that remains to me. Atmy first tau
this, too, will fall, and shall be boun
to this neither sphere, inexorably d