189G. 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



97 



THFi ELECTRiC SPIRIT, 



With wild winRS fi-t ttnt d I ride the wires. 



My lift' liiids issue in blinding flres, 



Bright sh!;pos are wrought by my flying 



breath, 

 But my touch is flan)e, and my kiss is death. 



Since man hath bound me with coil and chain, 

 Nor sea nor space can his word restrain, 

 I wind my circles of burning speed 

 The round globe over to serve his need. 



Of warring winds I am king and lord; 

 The sTornis conic wielding my radiant sword. 

 I laugh in light as the swift strokes fly, 

 The .sullen thunders make slow reply. 



With mystic passion I yearn from far 

 To my secret home 'neath the northern star, 

 And thence, on the vast Llack walls of night, 

 I fling great rays from my gates of light. 



Time flees before me, and none may know 

 My cour.se as from star to star I go. 

 For I an) life. In the utmo.st dark 

 God's touch enkindled my fervid spark. 



Think ye to know me, O ye who raise 

 My torch of llanje on the world's highways? 

 Ask him who:e throne is the central light 

 Of countless svuis in their wheeling flight. 



With fierce strength fettered, I ride the wires. 

 Prometheus spirits have tamed my fires, 

 But God alone, in his chosen hour, 

 Can free the force of my nameless power. 

 —Marion Couthouy Smith. 



4 RUSE THAT LOST. 



She was my first love, aud so far as I 

 can tell, she may prove to be my ouly 

 one. She is now a buxom wife with 

 some four or five rosy, rompiug children, 

 and I am still a bachelor. But time is a 

 great healer, aud I can now tell the story 

 of my luckless suit with DoraRudgwick 

 without a paug. 



Dora was the only daughter of a re- 

 tired Loudon medical mau. At the time 

 I first made her acquaiutauce her father 

 had retired from practice aud was a 

 widower. I fell head over heels iu love 

 ■with the girl — though I can hardly be- 

 lieve it when I look at her today — aud 

 she consented to marry me if the old 

 doctor gave his consent. She never pro- 

 fessed to have auy deep affection for me ; 

 she liked me, however, aud was willing 

 to become my wife if her papa approved. 



But the eccentric old man would not 

 hear of it. I remember how dejected I 

 ■was after he had told me, with consid- 

 erable vigor, that I could not become his 



son-ln-Iaw, and bow' Indignant I felt at 

 bis declining to give me any reasons for 

 his decisiou. The following day I met 

 an old college friend in Bond street — 

 Douglas Bligh. 



" You are not looking very bright, " he 

 said. "What are you worrying about?" 



Bligh also was a doctor. He had walk- 

 ed the same hospital as old Rudgwick, 

 only n:auy years later. 



"A Jove aftair, " I confessed, with a 

 forced smile. 



"AIj ! I (bought something of thesort. 

 Girl throwu you over?" 



"Ko, not the girl — the father!" 



"Oh, that's uothing! If the lady is 

 williug, love will find cut a way, and 

 papa will come rouud. " 



"Ee is a pigheaded old doctor — I befl 

 your pardon, but I suppose a doctor may 

 sometimes be pig headed like the rest ol 

 us?" 



"Undoubtedly. Do I kuow him?" 



"Dr. Gcrdon Rudgwick." 



"Oh, yes. I am acquainted with him. 

 I also cucfa met Miss Rudgwick. I con- 

 gratulate you, old fellow. A charming 

 young lady, 'p'^n my v/ord. But the old 

 man — ha ! ha— no wonder he rejected 

 you!" 



"Why?" 



"You are too healthy 1" 



"Too healthy!" 



"Yes. You ought to have some in- 

 teresting and deep seated disease — some- 

 thing complicated and lingering!" 



"I — what on earth are you driving 

 at, Bligh?" 



"Don't you know? He's" — and he 

 touched his forehead with his forefinger. 



"You don't mean it?" 



"Yes. He is mad on one point. He 

 has a contempt for healthy people, and 

 respects ouly those who are suffering 

 from some terrible disease." 



"But his daughter never told me." 



"She doesn't know. They have kept 

 it from her. And this is the cause of his 

 want of parental affection. There is ab- 

 solutely nothing the matter with the 

 young lady. Isow, what he wants is a 

 son-in-law riddled with disease. You 

 must get seme internal growth or" — 



"Good heavens, Bligh!" 



"Come with me and I will coach you 

 up in all the symptoms of a most inter- 

 esting malady. Everything will then 

 turnout according to your best wishes." 



