Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1904-04-27

beautiful, but cold-so cold you cam
hot warm them. and so high. Some
are like blossoms. sweet and perfumed,
made for only nosegay In the even
ing. When the sun is hot they wither.
Some are like a song that one hears
and thinks lovely--hums 1t awhile and
! forgets.
And which of these am !, sir?'
"You are like a sword-slim and
shining and straight and yet delicate.
II took centuries to make the sword,
nademoiselle. IL will bend, bend, but
not break. 1t is sharp and cold to all
the world save one-the one who wears
| 1, at his side. But to his touch II be-
comes alive to ward him harm, to
guard his life, to keep his honor
AN we were truly swords" she
flashed, 1--WE ladies Of Virginia, there
were less Of bitterness in this fair
colony Of ours"
80 the sword has the temper!" he
cried, his eyes kindling. 1T is not for
ornament alone! And these troubles
Of the colonies-they strike so deeply
then? DO even the ladies Of a land
such as this feel the sting?"
She gazed out toward the low knob
bed hills limned against the deepening
sky, her elbow on the window SILL her
chin in her gloved hand, silent. Above
them in sun stained air shreds Of torn
clouds folded away like dreams. From
near by came the startled flutter of
field larks and the rustic Of ripening
corn.
| The road curved quickly and lurched
into pine forest, where the day filmed
to twilight and the hoofs fell noiseless-
lily into q carpet Of brown needles . 1t
was a pleasant way, full of mingled
odors, all strangely pure and agreeable,
where clamorous wood things piped to
a musical silence.
IT'S not all Virginia, after all, that
one sees here, monsieur" she said slow
ly after a time. Far to the west of US
Is vast region, raw, full veined and
of scattered tenants. There are great
mountain peaks and ravines. wastes
waiting seed and hoe, plateaus and
Woodlands where the musket and the
ax are never silent Deer run in the
brake. Wolves race along the ridges.
There strong men have lived and toiled
and fought back the savages and
cleared themselves homes. Their chill
Gren have grown up unyielding like
the granite In the mountains heart, un-
ltrammeled like its torrents. And this
life amid the silences has taught them
a justice that may not be bought,
strength that knows neither fear nor
favor. The region you see here, mon
sieur, to this great weave l speak Of
is but the raveled edge.
Here broad rivers run brackish with
tidewater, and ships lie at the wharfs.
They bring to our manor houses all of
luxury and refinement which Virginia
tobacco can buy. And here the plant
ers-for Virginia was first settled by
gentlemen, monsieur--choose to put on
courtlness and dress in gold lace and
make bit Of London for themselves
on the edge Of the wilderness.
Just beyond those hills TO the south
ward is Williamsburg, the capital they
have built 1t has college and a
|cOurt. There the cocks are ever fight
ing, the horses are ever running, the
hddles are ever playing, and there in
This palace sits the royal governor his
majesty is pleased to put over his colo
mails, levying on their leaf and sneer-
ing at their buckskins."
The Earl Of Dunmore?"
AYE, my lord the earl Think you
he knows one whit more of this Vir-
glnia than does the king, thousand
leagues away? He drinks in his pal
ace and drives his white horses and
DULLES his burgesses, the representa-
ltives whom the people have elected.
lT'hey must pleasure him or he dissolves
them. The king has forgot that the
Virginians are Englishmen and that
Englishmen love freedom"
And Englishwomen, too" he said.
1--WE can do little" she went on. I'VE
wear no swords. All we can do is to
hope and to wait"
"Little!" There was a thrill in his
tone. Little! You call such hope,
such feeling, small? You think 1t
lvalueless or weak? All, mademoiselle,
knew you what makes lady adorable
to a mans heart, what makes him
worship her? It is that she inspires
him; that is it-not to dress for her or
bow or sing her little songs. but to
toll, to struggle, to fight, to die maybe
something high like the stars. Man
has want for two things-a cause to
fight for first, and then-then one, a
perfect one. a loved face, to wait and
smile on him when he has won.
With this man could do miracles
All 1t could make of poor nobody a
king, an emperor! /, even |, mademoi-
selle, stranger from another land-I
could fight SO well for these great
things, for this Virginia of yours, il
If r.
He paused There was tense mo-
ment.
Then the air filled itself with long,
dull sigh, and on its train came a sud