320 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



Nor ember 



NIGHT IN THE REDWOODS. 



jThe eyes that all day upward look to feast 

 lOu slopiiJK boucrlis, nor yet at twilight ooased, 

 'Now see in trunk and branch and leaf and 



spray 

 Diviner meanings than were felt by day. 

 The trunks that tower hi^-;h look up and out 

 JLik!^ faith above the underfjrowth of doubt. 

 The sta-ely boughs, the sprays so far abovo, 

 EncGUipass faith with arms of tender love. 

 The little leave-; are servants fond and true, 

 Cupbearers of the summer sun and dew. 

 These giar.t limbs, each spangled with a star, 

 Seem sj irit steps to heavenly lands afar. 

 And those widespreading arms held high in air 

 In quiet wait the answer to a prayer. 

 How ."^till the scene! A century of calm 

 Lies wrapped within this night of blissful 



balm. 

 All still, save in the soul a breath, a call, 

 A. thrill that holds the heart in solemn thrall. 

 One swelling pulse, one mighty undertone- 

 God's voice down through the redwood 



branches blown. 



—Clarence Urmy in Century. 



ISFODEL CASTLE. 



Mauy years have vani.shed from fl^e 

 face of the earth since the castle of Isfo- 

 del was first erected. The ravages of 

 war have filled many a land with tor- 

 row, and the angel of peace has often 

 visited the world, bringing balm to the 

 weary. Empire." have arisen, and, like 

 the paling of a star, have disappeared 

 from the tirmament of time since that 

 remote period. 



It is written on tiie pages of traditioji 

 that this castle was built iiy Lord Hilde- 

 brand, a retiring gentleman, who cared 

 little for martial display, but preferred 

 the unobtrusive quietude of a solitarj' 

 life. He rarely engaged in any of the 

 numerous tournaments that W(>re so 

 prevalent in those days — not that he 

 lacked the courage to mingle in the 

 combats, nor for a lack of confidence to 

 cope succe.ssfully with the different par- 

 ticipants. 



Lord Hildehrand possessed a niiid 

 whose functions tended more to a liter- 

 ary or an artistic life than to the sttady 

 of warfare or any of its relation.s. ijis 

 50ul was deeply sesthetical in its per- 

 ceptive qualities. He beheld beauty in 

 nature that seemed cold and rude to 

 others. lu the construction of the castle 

 of Lsfodel there had been displayed so 

 much grandeur and beauty that it seem- 

 ed as if it had been erected as a mansion 



of retirement instead of a means of de- 

 fense. The former intentions were at 

 first proposed by Lord Hildebrand, but 

 it was not long after the completion of 

 the castle that the Danes invaded that 

 portion of the country, and then lsfo- 

 del was altered from a quiet retreat to 

 a place of defense, its elevation and sur- 

 roundings greatly adapting it as a 

 stronghold, and so, after many weeks of 

 exertion in attempting to take it, the 

 Danes finally withdrew, leaving the 

 castle still in the possession of Lord 

 Hildebrand and a few companions. 



At the time of our narrative lsfodel 

 had undergone many changes since the 

 days of its former possessors. It still, 

 however, presented the same granitic 

 appearance. The wild, wrathful ocean 

 beat against the base of the cliff on 

 which the castle stood, and dark and 

 lonely appeared the great forest a few 

 rods away. Lord Hildebrand and many 

 of his followers had passed away to the 

 land of the soul. 



Finally lsfodel fell into the posses- 

 isou of Lord Hurdrou, an exceedingly 

 unpopular man, of crabbed disposition 

 and darkened reputation. He was dom- 

 ineering in his conduct toward those 

 beneath him in social standing, and, add- 

 ed to this, he bore such a selfish spirit 

 that he won the respect of only a few 

 persons. 



Very different in her nature was Lady 

 Ella, the only daughter of Lord Hur- 

 drou. She possessed all those qualities 

 and accomplishments that tend toward 

 the development of true womanhood. 

 She was greatly liked by all who knew 

 her, and well did she merit the love 

 that her friends bore her. 



If there was one thing to which Lord 

 Hurdron was violently opposed, it was 

 that Lady Ella should marry a man 

 who possessed not wealth and bore not 

 the title of nobleman. She well knew 

 her father's antipathy to her forming 

 an intimacy with any of the lower 

 clas.s. Still, this did not deter her from 

 seeking the company of Roland Hilter, 

 and with whom she had fallen deeply 

 in lovv. He possessed nothing in his 

 nature that even Lord Hurdrou could 

 find aught against had not the latter 

 such an austere and jealous disposition. 



The knowledge of love meetings is 

 sometimes difficult to keep from suspi- 

 cious parents, and so it was in the case 



