The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-09-25
THE TALE OF y
1 A GRECIAN BOY.

anu kHlNHtEs
Gu, lu, In! Mine Is q sweet-toned
dute. and It. we think together OF
many things. When 1t is night and
the goats grow less eager for food, 4,
will talk to the distant stars; when It is
day, and the hot sun brings laziness to
the nimble- footed ones. It will sing with
the bees and grasshoppers. This flute,
1t Is my frlend-my only friend, now
that Slleese is gone. It's voice drives
away the silence of the hills; its melody
rippies through the dark woods like
cheerful water And though sIIeese has
gone away, never to return, l am not
alone, for my flute is still with me,
Glu, lu, lu!-but poor Sileese, my little
golden one! shall never forget her l.
l am boy. The SHOWS have whitened
The black rocks fourteen times since
was born. And Sileese-she was a little
kid when my father gave her into my
arms, saying "Demetri, this katz!h
shall be thine!"
As she bleated against my heart,
thought to myself, she Is mine, mine
own, aud very beautiful. l will call her
Slleese. ! will take mothers care OF
her. And who knows but if, as the days
come and come, that she may not grow
to goat? And who knows but tina.
she may not have kids?
These thoughts made me dellclously
proud. And from that time, and
Through the coming days, my love for
Slleese was ever growing "Sileese! ST.
leese" ] would shout, and she would
leave her friends and we would run to-
gether. And when we stopped for
breath. and, she placed her warm muz-
ale betwixt my hands, ] would see love
in her yellow eyes. But OF my father,
OF my brothers. she had terror, She
loved me. and me alone. l was her low
ing frlend-yet | was not able to stop
the crimson blood flowing from her
throat, though l tried, Afendi
Glu. lu. lu Now hush, my flute,
whilst to the Afendi do tell OF tnat
which happened to my Siieese,
had been upon the little hills, had
come to the woods-the woods in which
was my fathers food. They were dark
and sad. for the heavens were covered
with the gray clouds of winter; they
were dark and sad, though the koudou-
MIA CLOCK bells) were speaking, and a
fine snow cleaned from the pine boles.
was cold, was hungry, for had
been upon the little hills all day. And
now that I was near 20 the fold Il
thought OF the warm fire that was
theie, OF the food that my father would
give me. To drive on the goats was
my duty, my pleasure; and 1t was not
now that / would wait for the unwill-
ing ones to nlbble at tender branch.
Hun, hunt" shouted many times, as
! pushed aside the bushes that would
stop me, and came to some goat that
would not obey. And wherever l went
SiIeese followed close hehind-for she
was my friend, and we did not quarrel.
Thus and thus came 90 the fold, and
drove my herd beneath its warm thatch.
There left them, and, passing through
the gently falling snow. leapt fallen
pine and opened the door of my fathers
hut, which was close by. lie was lying
by the fire. and Its cheerful flames show
ed me his FACET was stern, II was
thoughtful But did not mind-I was
hungry, and my flock, were they not all
in the fold and did not tell him so?
He was very slow that evening to give
me food, and when he had brought 1t he
was strangely silent; but ] was hun
CRY, said nothing. When ] had eaten
the bread and drank the wine. ms faith
er said to me, and for the second time.
"Demetri, have all the goats come in?"
Yes. my father" l answered, Have
vista, tKarvoon and Lalag Eyes, my
father" answered, and was not sur
prlsed at his asking me for they were
wicked animals, and they gave us much
trouble in the woods and on the hills
rs Korta's lame leg better?' then ask
ed my father. "Tls the same" re-
piled. Upon which my father sighed
and / thought of sleep. But as was
about to lie down again. he asked of me,
as II he had not remembered my other
words: Have all the goats come home,
Demet1?" Surely, my father re-
piled, and with this l fell a-thlnklng for
the reason OF my fathers many ques-
lions, for ! had not done wrong. But
/ was not to think for long; suddenly
my fathers eyes seemed to wake from
dream, and he said to me, sharply:
"Demetri. did you meet any strangers
to-day?" 'No, my father, said
quickly, mot one. have only seen
Clan" And Clan, as my father knew,
was but another herdboy like myself.
went like clouds to a winter sky;whence
they arrived, and whittier they were GO
ing, l could not tell. He would speak
OF the difficult times, of the rare money.
OF the little food. He would speak of our
flock, he would call It little, and our
neighbor's great; he would tell me the
number OF our great goats, Of our little
goats. He would speak OF Klephts, and
he would speak OF straight men. could
not understand whittier his words were
going. Faster and faster they came,
and his voice grew louder, for the wind
was coming very strongly to the forest,
and the trees were muttering In the
black night outside the hut ! could see
that he was angry. but It was not with
me Then what was Il?
MY father!" ] said. But he did not
hear me. "My father!" / shouted, and
with that his words ceased, and asked
him II might sleep. Yes" said he,
"sleep welT'; and with that he turned
on his other side by the fire, and said
no moro. ] was weary The great wind
was rushing heavily over the hut, and
as II blew on its way / followed II
through the woods over the hills,
through the darknesA through the
drifting snow. followed It, but width.
er knew not 1 slept.
Soon after the morning light came to
the wood awoke, and with my father |
went to the fold. There was much work
to be done there before / could again
take the flock through the woods TO the
little hills. The wind Of the previous
night had passed on It's way and taken
tho gray clouds with Il; but where II
had blown there lay n thin white snow,
md where the gray clouds had been
there was now blue sky, against which
the pines held up their snow-Coyered
brn nghpu