The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1897-09-21
A TROPICAL IDYL.

1t is an hour after midday, and the
tropical sun is beaming out relentlessly,
although the air is tempered by a re-
freshing breeze. The flowers in the
churchyard begin to look little IA
tigued, and the roses, heliotrope and
geraniums, planted by loving hands,
now far away, round the graves of
those who have died in exile in this dis
tant land, hang their heads and seem TO
be longing for a shower or at least for
passing cloud, but the grass is still
green on the slope in front of the church,
for the dry season has not yet fully set
in. The sugar canes in the field across
the road wave their long leaves in the
breeze, and the woods bordering the
ravine, which stretches away to the sea
in the far distance, present refreshing
vista Of dark green to the tired eye
The little congregation of English
people comes rustling out of the church,
and there is flutter of light draperies,
a mingling of pretty colors and ripple
of soft voices and gentle laughter Over
all come floating the strains of an organ
from the church behind. Some one is
playing Mendelssohn's Wedding
March. 7"
Then the carriages drive up and the
congregation disperses. The first to
leave are of course the governor and
his family. They occupy two carriages.
In the first goes his excelleney, her la
dyship and their eldest daughter, gray
eyed, brown haired English maiden in
her first season. The aid-de-camp pre-
pares to follow, as usual, but the CHEEKY
voice of his excellency rings out: DE
benham, will you come with us, as you
are the greatest stranger? Colville, my
dear fellow, would you mind taking
care of Miss Spencer and the girls?''
And SO the newly arrived private Sec
rotary drives off seated. beside the cid
est daughter, while the aid-de-camp,
who has been with her father as long
as she can remember, takes his place in
the second carriage beside the two
younger children and their governess
Why does Mrs. Noble play the
Wedding MarchP'' says some one
ooh, today is the anniversary of her
own marriage, / believe, and neither
Major Noble nor she has yet arrived at
the stage of wishing to forget their
wedding day" is the reply.
And so the joyful strains peal forth
while the little congregation melts
away. The musician and her husband
follow, and the church is shut up and
left to the care of the native garden
until another Sunday comes round.
Only the aid-de-camp is unusually
grave during the rest of the day, for a
strange foreboding has come over him,
and it seems just little hard that he,
who has remained poor and has begun
to grow gray in the service of his ex-
cellency, and for love Of him and his,
should be ousted for stranger and a
newcomer just because forsooth he is
heir to a baronetcy and to fortune.
1t is evening in the cold weather, and
the short tropical twilight is nearly
over, the sun having set on one side Of
the ravine half an hour ago, while the
full moon has risen on the other, throw
ing black shadows everywhere, turning
the waterfall to silver and lighting up
the mist of spray until it resembles a
huge web of gossamer with the dew
upon it.
A party OF young people have been
exploring the ravine. They have clam
bered up beside the cascade, have fol-
lowed the rivers bank to the limit Of
the government house grounds and are
now returning by the high road
As they round the corner past the
church two of the party linger behind.
They are the governors eldest daughter
and the private secretary. The others
go on, but presently discover that some
are missing, and the aid-de-camp re-
turns to look for them. He approaches
gently, walking on the grass by the
roadside. He calls, but no one answers.
From the church comes the sound Of
music The amateur organist has been
holding a choir practice and is now
playing on in the dark by herself She
plays low, sweet voluntary, but pres
emily breaks into the !" Wedding March. !"
AS the aid-de-camp advances he sud
denly describes two figures, close beside
him, standing under the shadow of q
spreading banyan tree near the church
gate. They are the private secretary
and the eldest daughter, and their backs
are toward him. Before he has time to
speak he hears manly voice say,
That is good omen, is it not, my
darling2" and sweet, girlish treble re-
plies: Eyes. and I shall love Mendels-
sohn's Wedding March all my life be-
cause It seems SO bound up with you
and with my happiness. Do you re-
member that first Sunday But the
aid-de-camp has turned on his heel and
is out Of hearing by this time. He re-
ports that the stragglers "are all right
and coming ON. They have only been
listening to Mrs. Mobiles playing. -
The moon continues to shine and the
waterfall to sparkle in her rays and to
splash unsteady down into it's rocky
bed, but to the aid-de-oamp black
shadow Of great darkness seems to have
spread itself over everything, and the
roll of the falling water and the noise
of the breeze among the floa trees have
a mournful, moaning sound.
1t is noon on brilliant day in Christ
mas week and consequently in the mid
die of the hot season. Outside the grass
is beginning to look burnt up, and the
roses and geraniums are too much ex-
hausted from the heat to put forth any
more flowers, but the hardy begonia is
still in full bloom, and the oleanderE
have large punches of pink blossoms on
the tops of their tall, willowy stems,
which wave back and forward in the
breeze and exhale delicious perfume,
like that of bitter almonds. In one cor
ner Of the churohyard large frangipani
tree bears waxy clusters Of pale yellow
flowers at the ends of its caotuslike
branches, while shining out among the
foliage in the government house
grounds opposite is a tall hamboyani
tree, which, with its flame colored bios
SONS covering the whole top of the leaf
less tree, looks like Yeritable "burn.
ing bush.
Inside the church has been turned in
to a bower, everywhere palms and
ferns and sweet smelling white flowers