The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1912-08-10
CHAPTER x.-(contlnued.)

Have you ever CLIMBED mouAlaAh
early In the morning while It was yet
dark and having gained some domi-
nant crest stood staring at the far
horizon, the empurpled east, while the
dawn came up like thunder? Or
better still, have you ever stood with
In the cold, dark recesses OF some
deep valley Of river or pass ana
watched the clear light spread Its
bars athwart the heavens like nebu-
ious mighty pinions along the light
touched crest of towering range, un-
til all of sudden, with leap almost
OF Joy, the great sun blazed In the
high horizon?
You might be born child Of the
dark, and light might scar and burn
your eye balls accustomed to cooler
deeper shades, yet you could no more
turn away from this glory, though you
might hate it, than by mere effort OF
will you could cease to breathe the
air. The shock that you might feel,
the sudden surprise, Is only family sug-
gestive of the emotions In the breast
OF this man.
Once long ago the gentlest and ten
derest of voices called from the dark
to the light, the blind And 1t is given
to modern science and to modern skill
sometimes to emulate that godlike
achievement. Perhaps the surprise,
the amazement, the bewilderment, of
him who having been blind doth now
see. II we can imagine 1t not having
been in the case ourselves, will be bet
ter guide to the understanding Of this
mans emotion when this woman came
suddenly into his lonely orbit. His
eyes were opened although he would
not know 1t. He fought down his new
consciousness and would have none of
1t. Yet it was there. He loved her!
With what Joy did Selkirk welcome
the savage sharer of his solitude! Sup
pose she had been a woman Of his own
race; had she been old, withered, hid
eous. he must have loved her on the
instant, much more II she were young
and beautiful The thing was inev-
liable. Such passions are born. God
forbid that we should deny it. In the
busy haunts Of men where women are
as plenty as blackberries, to use Fal-
STATS smile, and where man. may
sometimes choose between hundred,
or thousand, such loves are born, for
ever.
A voice in the night, face in the
street, a whispered word, the touch
OF a hand, the answering throb of an
other heart-and behold! two walk to-
gether where before each walked
alone. Sometimes the man or the wom-
an who is born again Of love knows it
not. refuses to admit 1t, refuses to
recognize it. Some birth pain must
awaken the consciousness of the new
life
II those things are true and posi-
Bile under every day conditions and
to ordinary men and women, how
much more to this solitary. He had
seen this woman, white breasted like
the foam, rising as the ancient god
dress from the Paphian sea, Over that
recollection, as he was gentleman
and Christian. he would fain draw
curtain, before it erect a wall. He
must not dwell upon that fact. he
would not finger over that moment.
Yet he could not forget it.
Then he had seen her lying prone,
yet unconsciously graceful in her aban
donment, on the sward, he had caught
a glimpse of her white face desperate
" uptossed by the rolling water; he
had looked into the unfathomabIe
depth of her eyes at that moment
@hen she had awakened in his arms
aster such q struggle as had taxed his
manhood and almost broken his heart;
he had carried her unconsciousIy,
ghastly white with her pain-drawn
face, stumbling desperately over the
rocks in th@baeating rain to this. his
home. TherS bad held that poor,
bruised slender b Sc seot in his hand,
gently, skilfully TfsaS q it, wien he
onged to press his e passicaately
lpon it. Last Of alStheA had looked
nto her face, warmedH til the red
light Of the fire, searche Aher weary
Utmost like blue poo in whose
i ssssoeoaa,eere yet lurked lifgff d light,
sts;ls Y gssden hair u b. / eEtm-
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