Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1867-08-17

THE LEGEND OF THE MAN IN THE
MOON.
ny I. 4. BELLOWS

every word 0, he was hard-hear,ed, eros
sy old sinner! living by himself in u house
that would have been enormous even 70,
Victoria and her court Such house as il
was! full of beautiful pictures and statutes
and carpets that were as soft as wood lane
moss, and curta ins Of atm end lace. Ant
his gardens were like fairy hnd birds o
bright pldmago sang beautiful melodies in
the orange trees, fountains Ieaped ia th.
sunshne, fuses aud tulips nodded h~ir head.
in the summer breeze
was not happy. He was as miserable. dis.
| agseeable and vexatious an old man as one
would be likely to meet on long sumner
day. Never a kind word did be say to b q
Servants but it was grumble, grumble con
tinualy. He used to sit in his doorway, on
bright summer afternoons, and drive away
the children who came to beg for bis frui, ::
the poor feared him for he would always turn
TEN away with empty hands, and cross
word and threat b. sides.
Il want 10 live alone = cnid this wicked
old man. I'm tired # these p.,or pe",.i.,
they anger me. Get away with YOU, old
Gregory you We been her" rrf re III tha,
pitable story atou: a sick vile ana starving
Chi Id'en-beg one, or III set the dogs on
your
And yet be wasn't harsh looking fellow
he had II jolly, round face, ard II sr-a,
mouth that opened t" such an alarming tx
tent Que Gould bu, fancy be medtat4d swa!-
loving al! the children in the neighborLo God
But be wanted to live alone to erinv h
hue d'nn"ers aud rare old volumes without
thinking that every hire around him were
the poor, who had 40 c1mfe,'s, no luxury,
@Ohe peasant sumner evening", after he
had been tried more than usua during the
day ny his beegarly applicants, he was sit
ting IN his accustomed place in the doorway
looking On his beautiful gardens, whence
came the musical drip OF the tounain AID
the odor Of night flowers, when woman
approached him. She was b.nt and wither-
ed. and old, aud she carried a staff TO SUD
por: her.
Away with you!' cried Che old man
I'm tired of you; every mao. woman and
child | want to live alone"
"1,s your las, chance !" said the woman.
gravely; beware how yon decide sudden
ly!' and as she spoke, there sbo,e a Egb,
on her face as if from heaven.
"Do not dare to threaten me I" cried tho
man, raising his heavy oaken staff.
again, | say, tits your last chance; the
poor have come to you, and you have not
received them they have sought adm,t,auce
and your door has been closed. You ask to
DC alone beware, lest The request Is granted
more fully than you bad dreamed"
"begone' he shouted, fairly shakin vi h
anger Il won't have beggars proving
about, disturbing my comfort. | want 10
have my time to myself what Go care for
other people u
Then the woman threw off her disguise
the tattert d cloak ,ha, had covered her. and
stood before him, bright and beautiful Her
face was respondent with ig bit fir, m h-ay.
en-. rays darled from her as from the sun
She was like visi on from another world
Ard the old man trembled as he locked
upon her, for he knew tina, his hour had
come-knew that bis home. filed with n,c-
ture and statues, that his fairy gardens with
flowers aud singing birds and dashing foun.
tains, could avail him nothing
"Coms!' said the beautiful spirit: "your
prayer is granted you shall be alone, quite
alone. The aged shall trouble you no lon
ger with their supplicatons, the little child
rem shall not beg at your gateway you sha II
have your hearts desire, and be alone
Gomez
Then the miserable man was borne awav
as On a cloud, faster aud faster through the
air, higher aud higher, I'LL his head swan
looking down on the earth beneath him --
And he saw his own home, fairer than it had
ever seemed before nay, he saw, or though,
he saw, troops OF women and children the
poor and destitute be had ever driven away,
and entering unhatmed AID be stretched
out his hands to them crying:
"Would 10 God that bad aided YOU -
Would to heaven that han lived more Tor
you aud less for myselt!' Blu, calm and
melodious as if an angel spske, came the
words OF his guide:
NAY, that cannot be +; you shall live
alone, quite alone; they shall never trouble
you more. Rene mber, it was your last
chance, and you spurned me from you"
Then on and ON, faster and faster, 'krous h
the air.
That night, when the moon came out,
large and full, there was a face in ia
great human face And the people said
Look there's man in the moon, and he
gazes upon u.s. Said the poor aud old AID
dscript, who had badly entered the prince y
msnsion with the pictures and marbles and
the fairy gardens, "'Tis he--'tis the master
of the house; he has been taken away for
bis sins. But how lonely he must be up
there in the sky y And they were them
selves in fear.
Yes, he is lonely. o, so lonely Night
after night, IS creeps up the shos.ly moon,
when thu red sup has sunk to his western
bed, looks out the old man upon the quie,
earth, and sees everything, but he is quite
alone. There are no beggars knocking for