Solitude
She fled like a dream before him,
Her hair was a shining sheen,
And, oh, that Fate would annihilate
The space that lay between!
Just as the day lay panting
In the arms of the twilight dim,
The Sunbeam caught the one he sought
And drew her close to him.
But out of his warm arms, startled
And stirred by Love’s first shock,
She sprang afraid, like a trembling maid,
And hid in the niche of a rock.
And the Sunbeam followed and found her
And led her to Love’s own feast;
And they were wed on that rocky bed,
And the dying day was their priest.
And lo! the beautiful Opal—
That rare and wondrous gem—
Where the moon and the sun blend into one,
Is the child that was born to them.
She sent these verses to Mr. Marcus, saying she wished to publish them in the Century Magazine, after which he could use them, if he wished, in his book on gems. Mr. Marcus was so impressed with them that he sent her a check for twenty-five dollars, and asked to be permitted to publish them first. Mrs. Wilcox
241
