The Forrest City times., 1899-02-24
With he x x
 Coming of Even
hIT IS only the wind.' said the Poet.
 He threw himself listlessly upon
By eAsnes Grosie, Herbertson.

hYT IS only the wind" said the Poet.
 He threw himself listlessly upon ,he hard leather couch, and turned his face to the wall.
 The waves dashed madly upon the rocks below the little cottage; with l angry shrieking the wind beat up the waves; and the moan of the storm came upon the wind. The Poet heard l all these. and smiled weariiy; young 1 in years, he was old in spirit. in experi- ence. in enjoyment; they had no charm for him.
 He opened his lips now in discomfort. "They have written so much about the sea that one is dead sick of it all" He sighed; T can find in it nothing that has not been found before" He himself had written not a little concerning the beauties of the sea, but his hand had been young in sooth wher if held the pen, and his eyes not yet aweary.
 He turned restlessly on the couch, bemoaning its hardness. and cursing the friend whose advice had sent him to recruit at this little fishing town, throwing all the burden of his disgust of life and his own feebleness into the cursing.
 Then through and betwixt the voices of the storm came a wailing cry; the cry of lost soul at Gods gates; the cry for the unattainable from the lips of a child of earth. Rising higher and higher, it beat sobbingly upon the wind; if cried with the echo of the seagulls' warning; it scattered with the soft sea foam; and sank hushing and palpitating into the mutter of the waves. But only to rise again in mel ody so triumphant as to override in it's grandeur the voices of the angry ocean.
 Tt was the great sea-spirit," said the Poet.
 But the sound had hardly seemed to come from the sea-rather from above.
 He rose and walked to the window. "lt was not the wind" he said, aloud.
 It was still bowling, but the music had ceased. He threw open the win dow and looked out. The wind fell in blast upon his thin face, and tossed his hair. The sea shouted at him with angry menace. The look of the sky upon him was without a glint of smile.
 But again the music rose; but so soft ly that he had to strain his ears to catch the murmur of the half-hushed cradle song. When it ceased again the voices or the storm seemed to be sinking, and the sea to be aweary of rage The wind fell, and into the sky came : white glimmer where silver star sought its entrance to the heavens.
 The Poet stood there long. his arms resting on the sill, dreamy look on his old-young face. There had come to nm one of those moments which he 1anced had left him forever. when his mlnd, like the worn-out sea, could hush Its crying and be at peace
 It was only when, on his way to his bedroom later, he passed his landlady on the stairs that the problem of the strange music he had heard returned 10 him. Tt seemed in the house, and yet not in the house." he murmured 10 hinself, stopping her. Tt has been Wild night, Mrs. Lewis"
 Indeed, and it has, sir, but if has settled down nicely"
 It was strange; but I thought I heard during the storm the sound of Vioiln. Some one has chosen a strange tune to play
 There's Miss White, sir: she has the room above yours. She teaches the Huaie Tn town-goes up every day. But sie not been playin' tonight, sir; and she's the only one in the place that can"
 "o, that explains it! She must have been playing. No doubt it was she heard"
 But she hasn't been playin' tonight, s.r' l beg your pardon for saying it. we been sittin' sewin' in the room just aoove her head, and never sound have heard. She's been that still, too.'
 The Poet laughed, but went on his way unconvinced Strange playing for d teacher of the violin" he thought, ana strange time in which to play. one must be strange girl"
 is never occurred to him, in the ar Iogance of his few years, that she inight be more than girl. Indeed, he speedily forgot the whole matter. But n tne dead of the night he rose, and, n,aS.liy donning few garments, sat .,ii the gray of the morning inscribing me thoughts of which the strange 'lains had sown the seed. He had touhd Tn the sea what he had never iound before.