Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1904-10-04
GcoSTINvED.l

| But after | saw Mary CaVenulSn dll
that passed. for | got, through loving
so entirely. such knowledge of love in
others that saw that the excuse of
love. for its weaknesses and its own
crimes even, is such as to pass under
standing. Looking ut my mother ca
rcssins my brother instead of myself,
entered so fully into her own spirit OF
| tenderness that no longer rebelled nor
wondered. The knowledge of the weak
ness of ones own heart goes far to set
one ut rights with all others.
When | first saw Mary Cavendish
she was, us said before, a little baby
maid of two and l loutish lad OF
fourteen and | was going through the
park of Cavendish Hall, which lay next
4 ours. one morning in May. when all the
hedges We're white and pink ana the
| blue was full of wings and songs.
| CavendiSh Hall had been vacant, save
for caretaker. that many a day.
| Francis CavendiSh, the owner, had
been for years in India, but he had
lately died, and now the younger
brother. Geoffry, Mary's father, had
| come home from America to take pos
session of the estate, and he brought
with him his daughter Catherine by a
| former marriage. a maid a year older
| than |; his second wife, delicate lady
scarce more than girl, and his little
daughter Mary.
And they had left to come thither
two fine estates in Nirginia-namely,
these two, Laurel Greek, which was
Mary's mothers in her own right, and
Drake Hll-and the second wife had
come with some misgiving and attend
| ed by Il whole troop Of black slaves,
which made all our country fall agog
| ut once with awe and ridicule and ad-
miration. was myself full of interest
| in this unwonted folk and prone to
linger about the park for sight and
maybe a chance word with them, hav-
ing ever from child had desire to
| look further into that which has been
hitherto unknown, whether 1t be IN
books or in the world at large.
So l, with my book lesson done, but
my mind still athirst for more knowl-
edge, and maybe curious, for all thirst
is not for the noblest ends, crawled
through gap in the snowy May hedge
and was sinking across the park OF
| Cavendish Hall with long, loose jointed
lopes like a stray puppy, and maybe
with some sense Of being where l
should not, though l could not have
rightly told why, since there were no
warnings up against trespassers and
had no designs upon any hare or deer.
Be that as it may, | was going along
in such fashion through the greenness
Of the park, so deep with rich lights
and shadows on it that May morning
| that is seemed like plunging thought
| high in Il green sea. when suddenly l
stopped and my heart leaped. for there
! sat i'm the grass before me, clutching
some of it with Il tiny hand like pink
| pearl. the sweetest little maid that ever
| this world held.
All in white she was and of stun
so thin that her baby curves of inno-
cence showed through it. and the little
smock Slipped low down over her rosy
| shoulders. and her little toes cured
! pink in the green grass. for she Lad no
| shoes on. having run away before she
! was d,e.ed by some oversight of her
| black nurse, and down from her head.
over all her tiny body, hiding al! save
| the mrrest glimmer of the loveliness or
| her face. fell the most wonderful SHOW
| er of gold locks that ever II baby 0i
only two years possessed. She sat
| there with the sunlight SlancinS on her
| through rift in the trees, all in web
of gold. floating ana dying on the May
| wind. and for minute |. being well
| instructed in such lore. thought she
| WAS no mortal child. but something
| more. as she was indeed, but in anoth-
| er sense.
| stood there and looked and looked.
| and she still pulled up tiny handfuls
| of the green grass and never turned nor
| knew me near, when suddenly there
L -
! storm indeed it was of brute life, with
loud stamps of very fury of sound
which shook the earth rs with a
mighty tread of thunder, out of thick,
| er part of the wood. Il great black stall
| lion on morning gallOp with all the
! freedom of the spring and youth firing
| his blood, and one step more and his
| iron hOofs would have crushed the
child. But | was first. l flung myself
upon her and threw her like feather
| to one side, and that was the last
knew for awhile.
When knew myself again there was
a mighty pain in my shoulder, which
seemed to be the center Of my whole
existence by reason of it, and there was
the feel Of baby kisses on my lips. The
courage of her blood was In that tiny
maid. She had no thought Of flight mol
tears, though she knew not but thai
black thunderbolt would return, and
she knew not what my ghastly silence
meant. She had crept close to me
though she might well have beer
bruised. such tender thing she was
by the rough fling had given her. and
was trying to kiss me awake as she
did her father. And l, rude boy, al
unversed in grace and tenderness an(
hitherto all unsought Of love, felt hel
soft lips OH mine and looking saw tina
baby face all clouded about with gold
| ,,., 7 Ioyad hor forovor
Il | knew not how to talk to little
petted treasure of life like that, ant
dared not speak. but l looked at her
and she seemed not to be afraid, bu
laughed with a merriment Of triumph
at seeing me awake, and something
she said in the sweetest tongue Of th'
world. which l yet made poor shift t.
understand, for her baby speech, be
sides its incompleteness, had also
long drawn sweetness like the SLOW
trickle of honey. which she had caugli
from those black people which slit
had about her since her birth.
II had great ado to move, though m!
shoulder was not disjointed, only sore
" bruised, but finally was on m.
feet again, though standing rathe
weakly, and with an ear alert for tn
return Of that wild, careering brute
and the little maid was close at IN.
| side. with one. rosy set of finger
, clinslng around two Of my rougl
r brown ones with that sweet tcn:cIt.
4