The Elk advocate. (Ridgway, Elk Co., Pa.) 186?-1868, March 21, 1868, Image 1

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    N EM E
S
Vc wcro sisters, fortune lavor'd,
Horn ot noble race ;
She was fragile, timid, tondcr,
With the sweetest luce.
Like a shy half hidden snowdrop,
. J'urc, nnd pale, and meek ;
Nut the faiulest glow of summer
Hesting ou her check.
She was guileless, good and gentle
I was restless, strong,
With a fierce ambition burning,
Goading me along.
She wa) lik a star at evening,
Exquisitely bright ;
I wns like a flashing meteor,
Tutting out her light.
To be fairest, first and greatest,
Heart of heart's desire.
Raged beneath .ny proud cold bosom
Like consuming lire.
Daring, reckless of the future,
, . b'Xlst'ioncf, rdiame, remorse,
Eaith despising, heaven defying,
I pursued my course.
f
J?y my uuileiui arts pure wot king,
Treachery, cold deceit,
Soon I bro't my sifter's suitors
Vanquished to my feet.
Victims but to grace my triumph,
On their necks to tread ;
What to me was love or rapture 7
1 who scorned to wed !
Till at length UK came. O, N'aturi,
What a skill was thine,
t)ut of woithlossjelay to lashion
Creature so divine !
Powered with grace and every virtue,
Noble, gentle, prtuu!,
All my pulsus tin ill'd and qntvcr'd
When he (touched my hand.
Oh, 'vhat rage, disdain and anguish
In my bosom strove,
When 1 knew he loved my sister,
Answering to her love.
Sleep forsook my bursting eyeball.,
'Tortures racked my brain;
Nought, romain'd 'twixt doath and
Save I'.is love to gain. madness
Then the deadliest powers of evil
To my call obeyed,
Ki.vy, hale, and malice forging
Slanders lor mine aid.
Demons in my besom vresiling,
Scheming ii'-'it and day ;
I;';m will at length prevailing,
J run f.i'e gave way.
In my bride-rob ;;t the altar,
On my linger shone
(ohb.i; i'iic!i:t that betoken'd
Ml! l''S ellOM'll ouo.
While my cup of dizzy transport
!!rinin' 1 and sparkled n'cr.
Kin I drained the '.lrrmhl delirious,
Douih stood at the dour.
Death, to '''aim my ha;ivs sls'ei ;
I lappier she liiun 1 !
Happy when the hi'. lUn.J, carted
'V'lieu despair can die.
While eirth's crown of I
vo ami glory
Circled my vain head,
I must I:ve among the living,
Let the dead bo dead.
Nothing to my .-'.c!fi.-h cravings
To my matchless pride,
To my never resting fretting
Fuucy, was deuicd.
On from change to change I hurried,
On from laud to laud,
Till at length an arrow struck tuc
From au unseen baud.
Aye, and with an aim so secret,
Subtle, sure and dread,
Scarce I know the point had touch'd
Tilt the poiton ! plead.
Then upon my heart and spiiits
Fell an icy weight ;
'.Mid the crowd that ouee ador'd tne
I stood desolate.
Evermore a long blaok shadow
On my pathway lay ;
Wheresoe'r I moved, the .sunbeams
Scctu'd to slant away.
Kvcrv b.and I sought shrank from mc
As lrom touch of death ;
ll 1 plucked a flower, it withered,
Tuiutod by my brculh.
Thro' the fcitivc crowds, uugrected,
Like, a plague 1 passed,
And with a Midden gloom cud terror
J'jVcry hjuI o creast,
Loved no more and hov unlovely 1
Speak ! n;y sou'iV; despair I
Whore wore now lips tliat prais'd mc?
ilearu mat worslnpp d where:
Ev'n that CNR, for whose brief favor
l'ou 1, uia l dreams of bli.-s,
1 had plunired p ast all Jorgiveueas,
Into guilt's aby.-s.
When, with. Litter cries I sought hiui(
Luinlort, lu;lp, to crave,
Even him 1 found lamciiliiig
Ou in V bi.ite
.rave.
..!, y.
Lou i l.
irf itip ffw f irtwcttf fi ft?
R1DGWAY, PEXXA. MARCH, 21, 18G3.
JOUX F. MOORE, Elltor A- Proprietor. VOL UME EW UT NUMBER 1 .
O U ADA.
a 3ol tj of 11,0 SescH.
Old Sadem, who was the Shiek or
Chief of the Arab Iribo encamped in an
Oasis of the Desert, had a daughter
whose name was Ouida ; she was so
beautiful that r,hc was snrr.amcd the
S.nr of the Eu.t. She always appear
cd veiled, and passed for a l'eri in the
imagination ol the poor Arabs. Her
father idolized her, and sho loved her
lather above all thing.', after Allah.
The old Sheik had often been asked by
the eons of the Sheiks of tho most val
iant and riehe-t tribrs for the hand of
bis daughter, but he had a? often rc'us.
ed, for how could he make up his mind
to part with hi3 beloved Ouada ? It
was she who male him happy in his
old days ; it was she who prepared lr.s
hoiikii, and helped him to nonjo and
other cordials, which impart lenewed
strength and vigor to old age. On his
return frorj a journey in the Desert,
arid under tho burning sun, it was Oua
da who wiped the dust from his feet
and prepared his icfrcshitig bath. When
it the close of day, ho fat in front of his
tent on his Persian carpet, with his legs
crossed under him, enjoying the even.
;ng breeze, his beloved Ouada cither
read to him from the Hook of Wisdom,
or delighted him by the sweet strains of
her melodious voice. To one word, Ou-
nda was the pride and happiness of her
old lather, and the children of the tribe
had exhausted ail (ho figures of their
rich ami imaged language to express
their admiration of her.
One day a deep gloom nettles down
on all the tents of the Oasis. Tho old
men, women and children aio seen rnu
ning oout Willi anxious loons ami witn
tears in their eyes, and one would have
ked if some pestilence was not decim
a'.ing the tribe ; if the waters of ihc
waters of the cstera had not been dried
up by the dog-days; or else, if the Si
moom had not deployed tho harvests
Hut there is no pestilence ravaging the
tribe, the do;; days have not diied up
the waters of the. cistern, and the bar
vests have not been destroyed by tho
Simoom.
Whence comes then the riourning of
the tiihe ' Ala.-, ! the flower that adorn
ed is droo; iiv; and going to die ! The
beautiful and gentle Ouada is attacked
by a mortal malady. One remedy
alone can save her: the physician
whom the unhappy father sent for as far
as (lis great eity of Cairo, said, (1 Un
less you cau have for your daughter
some of the pomegranates which grow
in Said, at Karmio, near the ruins of
ancient Thebes, your daughter will die
tic-morrow." ;
A cry of surprise and stupor arose
from tho weeping crowd which sur
rounded the venerable chief, for it
would be just as possible to a man to fly
ihron -h space to tho f.tars, as to go over
twice iu one day the distanco which
separates tho tribe fiom tho ruins of
Luxor, that distance being one hundred
and twenty miles.
" Allah ! Allah ! " cried tho old man,
tearing his turban lrom his forehead
aud throwing his yatagan at his feet,
" cursed bo tho day that I was born ! 0!
must my daughter die 'I 0 ! aiy
friends, save my daughter. Who ani
on; jou has the fastest liorso or tho
swiftest camel ? Let h'uu speed over
tho one hundred and twenty miles of
desert, and in gratitude I will give hiui
all ho asks, my leather puiso with all
my gold, my good Damask blade ! "
A mournful sileneo is bis only an.
swer ; every face, with consternatioo
depicted upon it, seems to say that such
a distance couuot bo traveled over in
such a short time by any man, let him
be mounted on tho lastcst liorso or
6wiftcst cimel.
" Ah," adds tho old man, sobbing,
" I will give him all my horses, or if ho
prefers, nil my camels. If ho wishes it
I will put him in my place as Sheik, or
clso I will give him my most precious
treasure, my daughter 1 if lie brings me
the pomegranates which are to cure her.'
Saying these words, Old Sadeui
sprang to the bedside of his dying
daughter, and taking her hand, shows it
to his people who were all moved to
tears.
A cry pierced the crowd : " I shall
go : ana a youth suddenly appears
bo fores the SHik, panting for breath,
and with his face pain with emotion.
It was Ishmacl, a child of the ti ihc, nnd
Ouada's foster-brother.
"I?y Allah, Sheik ! if I die on the
wi.y, my camel will bring back the poni
cgrauatcs to thy door"
lie had hardly spoken when he was
already gone. He penetrates into the
Bolitaiy desert where darkness and si.
lenee dwelt. Tho eamel dashos over
the sand as a ship over tho waves.
" Fly ! " cries tho youth to him, with
oppressed heart and with his eyes raised
towards llcuven "Allah, come to uiy
id ! "
" 'flirt generous child will bo the vic
tim of his devotion, he will dio with fa
tigue or if a ti:cr devoured him?"
thus thought the old man.
How long and painful was tho night
to the child who was coursing in the
Dcert, as well as to the father who w"
watching by the bedside of his daugh
ter.
"When shall I arrive 1" cried Ish.
maul, " every minute takes nie farther
away from her, and every minute brings
her nearer to the grave."
.lie presses something to his heart
it is a little scent bag, given to him by
Ouada as a token of her tender affec
tion for him. He is but a poor herd
driver, Ishmael, but ho is as courageous
as a lion, and as gentle as js a new born
la ml. He is especially devoted to the
Chief of his tribe. Ah! what would
he not do to save the daughter of the
Sheik. He left his poor mother, who
is sleeping bow, but will boin desp.iir
to morrow, wdicu she opens her eyes and
sees hiai no longer. Dut then Ouada
perhaps will have closed her eyes forev
er :
" Fly 1 fly ! fly ! my faithful compan.
ion," cries Ishmacl to his camel. "You
will perhaps fall dead with fatigue, but
I must sacritice you as well do I sacri
fice my self for the daughter of the fa
ther of my tribe."
The shadows vanish ; a reddish light
appears in the horizon ; it is day. The
faithful camel in. hi3 flight 6carcelv
touches the sand with his feet. Ishma
cl is panting for breath, perspiration is
rolling down his face iu lorreuts. His
eyes are eagerly fixed on a whitish line,
which aro the ruins of Karnao ; hu lias
gone over the ouo hundred and twenty
miles ! He seeks, find and culls the
pomegranates so nidcntly desired. In
his joy he speaks to them as if they
were able to understand him, " 0,"
says he to them, "you will cure Ouada;
you will restore her to lile,and the Sheik
will live 1".
Scarccly'docs ho tike time to quench
his thirst at a neighboring spring shaded
with palm trees. Ho caresses villi
gratitudo the f'ailhiul animal, and seems
to say to him with tearful eyes : " You
are stronger, more enduring than I am.
Perhaps I will perish in going over
ogaiu the ouo hundred and twenty miles
of desert waste, which separate mc from
Ouada. Jly dear companion, if I die
on tho way, follow your courso with the
rapidity of lightning. I have firmly
attached to your back tho leather bag,
which contains the precious pomegran
ates. If you feel yourself dying also,
struggle with death as far as ti e thresh
old of the tout of my good lather Sa-
dem."
As ii the animal had understood this
niuto prayer, ho looks at Ishmacl with
that expression of obedience aud faith
fulness peculiar to domestic animals.
IIo stoops with his knees bent under
him, and, resting on tho sand, iu order
that Ishmacl may mount him again
flies lack through the desert with the
bwifcucst ol an arrow cleaving the air.
Tho day brightcus ; tho dew has re
freshed tho plants and trees of the Oa
sis, but tho Star of the tribe is growing
pale and dim. The old Sheik, in des.
pair, goes continually from the thresh,
old of his tent to his daughter's led,
where her lifo is slowly ebbing out, and
from his daughter's bedside to thresh
old of his tent aga in, to cast an eager
look over the vast expanse of the Des
ert. Is not Ishmacl coming, that
black spot dctachins itself from tho
light. colored rand where it seems to
blend with the blue sky ? Alas, no, it
is in ostrich pursuing its solilrtry way.
That cloud of dust yonder, is it not
raised by the foot of a camel ? Alas,
alas, no, it is a gazelle crossing tho Des.
crt" Thus nearly the whole day is
passed iu painful deception. " Allah !
Allah ! I am old ; may tho Angel of
Death take mo iu place of my daugh
ter I "
There is no nioie hope ! Tho doctor
has just said that Ouada is going to die.
The whole tiibc surround the tent of
the Sheik. The suu is retting, and the
day is drawing towards a close. Is Ou
ada dead ? No. ut what is that tu
mult breaking in upon the gloomy si.
lencc of mourning l
As if he was precipitated from tha
clouds, to lapid is his course, a camel
cleaves tho crowd ; a man is sccu on
his back covered with dust, with perspi
ration, aud completely exhausted with
fatigue. " It is Ishmacl ! " that joyful
cry is repeated by every mouth. It
rouses old Sadem from his stupor of
grief. The young man drags himself to
the feet of his Sheik and to the bedside
ol the dying Ouada ; she herself had
started whet she heard the shouts of
the people.
The doctor opened tho bag in w'nlch
were centa-ncd the precious pomcgran
atcs, ho pressed the juice from them,
which he carefully collected, aud moist.
cued his patient's lips with it. Little
by little, as the water returns in a dried
up spring, a current of life rises to tho
pale cheeks of Ouada ; her eyes le
come brishter. and sho has strength
new to take a deep draught of the heal
ing beverage.
" Your beautiful daughter is saved ! "
cried the good physician to Old Sadem.
They now bestow every care upon
"onerous Ishmacl. Thev carry him
outside of tho tent, and the cool breath
of the evening, wiih the restoratives
thev 'jive him, soon revive his wearied
frame.
" Let all the tribe come together '
My dau-htcr is saved ! I will keep
my promise . j.nooiu enem sponu
, , , n- ,1 f L M- 1.
with enthusiasm, and his faco was radi-
aut with hope and happiness.
Shouts of joy are heard on all sides
The whole tribe 'u in the utmost glee
aud one would have thought thit an
army had just encamped around iho
tent where Ouada, tho Starol the hast
arises from the shadows of death.
Hags wave la the air, weapons are
brandished as a sign of reioicin'r. The
faithful camel is paraded in triumph
and honored by tho strains ot martial
music.
Ishmacl, who was overcomo by sleep.
is awakened by this extraordinary
noise, and starting up, stammers : " Is
the enemy at the gates of tho C!.nip ?
Must I prepare to go and meet them ? "
" No, but prepare to meet my daugh
ter ! " end a father's arms are extended
to him. " Come, let mc press thco to
my heart, thou, the saviour of my
daughter; come, let mc embrace thee fcs
my child ! Dy Allah ! thou shalt be the
husband of my daughter ! "
The old Sheik's declaration is wcN
coined by cuthusiastic cheers. The
youug man rushes iuto the arms of tho
venerable Sudem, and tears of surprise
aud gratitudo flow from his eyes.
This patiiarehal scene was lighted by
the last rays of the sun, which was sail
ing in a cloud ot purple and gold in the
distant horizon ol tho great Desert.
If thoso persons who have con
sumption, or who have an inclination to
it, would syend an hour every day in
breathing pure air to the fullest extent
to which their lungs aro capablo ol
taking it iu, they would do more to pre
vent aud cure the disease than it is
possiblo to do by medication.
I'ay your honest debts.
Chicago employs fivo hundred and
eighteen lady clerks.
Queen Victoria says every third
woman in Cork is a beauty.
Light colored silks will be the fash
ion lor the coining spring.
Ten thousand bachelors in New
York city can't afford to tnarryi
Five hundred valentines exchanged
in Madison, Wis., on Feb. 1 4th.
The ladies of Youngstown, OhiO)
are taking lessons in pistol practice.
The Empress Eugenia lathes in
milk ; improves her complexion.
It is said that old maids always
stop at the Mancion (man-shun) House.
An exchango thiuks a domcstio
young lady must bo. a " homemade I "
A New York paper says tho Amer
ican girl costs moro than sho is wotth.
Ouo thousand unmarried wotneu
arc wanted iu Colorado. Husbands
waiting.
A lady in Cincinnati has seven
husbands living. Her address is tbu
city jail.
Some ono cal!fl the limo of squces.
ing girls' hands tho " palmy " season of
life.
A young lady is walking from
New Lisbon, Ohio, to Pittsburg for 9500
and a husband.
NcF.rly two columns of fetnalo
names appear in the St. Louis Republi
can asking for suffrage.
A divorce was granted in Tcrrtl
Haute, Ind., in less than a minute from
its comuieficcment.
Lucy Stone don't attract very
much in Couuecticat. Female suffrage
isn't very popular there.
A courtshirj ot seventeen . years'
duration in York, Me., has j list happily
terminated in marriage.
A jealous hnsband in Cleveland
vented his resentment by chopping his
wife's pinno to pieces !
It is a wiso remark that is is beau
ty's privilege to kill time, and time's
privilege to kill beauty.
Olive Logan says th? only woman
who ever achieved un enviable success
as a lecturer was Mrs. Caudlo.
" There is but one gocd wife in
town," eaid a clergyman in tho course of
his sermon, "and every married man
thiuks he's got tier."
Two Springfield girls, playing leap,
year, escorted a couplo ol gents to the
rink, offered them every attention, aud
finally stole their skates !
" How long did Adam remain in
Paradise before he sinued ? " asked an
amiable wile of her loving husband.
" Till he got a wife," answered the
husband, calmly.
Thirteen Radicals in the Pennsyl.
vania House of Representatives voted
in favor of the Constitutional amend,
iment to strike the word " whito " out
of the State Constitution.
The Democratio party, in tho Ian.
guage ol a distinguished exponent,
Judgo Woodward, of Pennsylvania,
" denies tho right of tho House to im
peach anybody," and for the reason
that is not such a House, nor Buch a
Senato as the Constitution requires for
the purpose.
Tho President has ordered General
Grant to order cx-satrap Sickles to re.
port to Gen. Hancock for duty as Colo,
pel. Sickles has been stumping New
Ilampslnro tor tho despotism couspira
tors f'jr some time past, whilst at the
same time drawing money from the
public treasury. To serve him right,
he should be cashiered.
Thousauds ot Radical office hunt
crs are already in Washington, arrang.
ing " slates" and laying plans to get
fat places uudcr " President" Ben.
Wade. These hungry dogs will wado
so far into the coffers of tho Treasury
that before next fall there will not be a
five cent shinplaster remaining of the
one hundred and fifty millions of tho
gold and greenbacks now there.
Forney says, " the people of tho
United States owe it to tho Republican
party that their cation is respeeted in
Europe." How much we aro respected
there, is seen in the fact that in London,
the sureties of tho United States aro
quatel below thoso of Turkey, Chili,
Peru, and Morocco. Even Iho Den.
mark securities of four per cent, inter
est sell higher than tho six per cent,
bonds of the United States. Such is
our credit in Europe. How was it iu
the good old days of Democratio lule ?