Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-05-15

Itr WIN StOOu DeSluc HE, occurring more
than half my burden. And, while can
see the face Of Leslie Graeme, ghastly
or flushed, and hear his low moaning
or the broken words of his delirium, |
think chiefly OF the bright face bending
over him and Of the cool, firm, swift
moving hands that soothed and smooth.
ed and rested, and the voice. like the
soft song Of a bird in the twilight, that
never failed to bring peace.
Mrs. Mavor and l were much togeth-
er during those days. made my home
in Mr.. Craig's shack. but most of my
time was spent beside my friend. We
did not see much Of Craig. for he was
heart deep with the miners, laying
plans for the making Of the league the
following Thursday, and. though he
shared our anxiety and was ever
ready to relieve us. his thought and
his talk had mostly to do with the
league.
Mrs. MAYORS evenings were given to
the miners, but her afternoons mostly
to Graemc and to me, and then it was
| saw another side Of her chara cter.
We would sit in her little dining room,
where the pictures on the walls, the
quaint old silver and bits of curiously
cut glass all spoke of other and diff
ferent days. and thence we would roam
the world Of literature and art. Keenly
sensitive to all the good and beautiful
in these, she had her favorites among
the masters, for whom she was ready
to do battle, and when her argument,
instinct with fancy and vivid imagina-
ton, failed she swept away all oppos-
Ing opinion with the swift rush of her
enthusiasm, so that, though l felt she
was beaten, | was left without words
to reply. Shakespeare and Tennyson
and Burns she loved. but not Shelley
or Byron or even Wordsworth. Brown.
ing she knew not and therefore could
not rank him with her noblcst three,
hut when read to her "a Death In
! the Desert" and came to the noble
words at the end Of the tale,
For all was as / say. and now the man
Lies as he once lay, breast to breast with
Cod
| the light shone in her eyes. and she
| said: "Oh. th't is good and great!
shall get much out OF him. I had al
ways feared he was impossible" And
"Paracelsus." too. stirred her. But
when rccited the thrilling fragment
"Prospice," on to that closing raptur.
Gus cry,
Then a light then thy breast
Oh, thou soul of my soul. shall clasp
! thee again.
And with God be the rest!'
| he red color faded from her cheek. hel
! breath came in sob, and she rose
| quickly and passed out without word
Ever after Browning was among hei
gods But when we talked of music
she. adoring Wagner, scared upon the
wings of the mighty "Tannhauser,
far above, into regions unknown. leav
ing Inc to walk soberly with Beethoven
and Mcndelssohn. Yet with all on
| free, frank talk there was all the whilt
that in her gentle courtesy which KEEP
Inc from vcnturng into any chalnbe
Of her life whose door she did not Sc
freely open to me. SO | vexed mysel
about her, and when Mr. Craig return
Cd the next day from the Landing
where he had been for some days, III,
first questions were:
"Who is Mrs Mavor? And how, l.
the name of all that is wonderful ant
unliHsiy. does she come to be here
And why does she stayI'
lie would not answer then. Whethe
it was that his mind was full of tn
coming struggle or whether he shranl
from the tale | know not. But tina
night when we sat together beside hi
tire he told me the story while | smok
ed. He was worn with his long, har,
drive and with the burden Of his work
but as he went on with his tale. look
! ing into the fire as he told it, he fOrgo
all his present WEAKNESS and live,
again the scenes he painted for NE
This was his story:
Il remember well my first sight o
her as she spranS from the front sea
of the stage to the ground. hardl
| touching her husbands hand. She lool;
ed a mere girl. Let's see, five year
agO-she couldn't have been day owe
twenty-three. She looked barely TWEEN
ty. Her swift glance swept over til
group OF miners ut the hotel door AM
then rested on the mountains standin
in all their autumn glory.
Il was proud of our mountains tina
evening. Turning to her husband, sh
exclaimed:
"'Oh. Lewis, are they not grand an
lovely too?'
Every miner lost his heart then ant
there. but all waited for Abe, the driv
err, TO give his verdict before venturini
an opinion. Abe said nothing until h
had taken a preliminary drink, AM
then, calling all hands to ill up, h
lifted his glass high and said solemnly
"'Boys, here's to her.
Like flash every glass was emp
tied, and Abe called out:
"'F'ill her up again, boys; my treat
"Ile was evidently quite worked VI
Then he began, with solemn emphasis
Boys, you hear me; she's Il No.
triple y. the pure quill with bead OF
1t; she's "a
And for the first time in his Blacl
Rock history Abe was stuck for
word. Some one suggested angel
"'Angcl! repeated Abe, with inf'nit
contempt. Angel be bowed" l para
phrase here. Angels amt in the sam
month with her. I'd like to see an.
| banked angel swing nv team arOun,