Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1869-01-28
THE orn YEAR.

'tNNh MfiN N'hiNA wv NNNf ~ NiitH
night The frelight and shaded lamp
cast fantastic figures over the furni.
ture In the dark corners Of tho room,
and glitter after glitter Of marvellous
frost pictures grew upon tho window
panoa. Voices Of the night wind
were moaning and sobbing among the
branches and in the chimnoys and
easements Without, though saw not,
! knew that great drifts Of snow wero
whirling and piling in the darkness.
During oil the weary hours my
thoughts had been dwelling sadly
among the graves Of my past Again
my soul had put on her sackcloth Of
bitterer days that had been lain away
for mirthlul vestments. But now a
strangeness came over me. | heard
no sound of football, but silently was
borne away from my freside, and
found myself at the portal Of Won
drous cathedral. The walls were cru
ely white, and covered over with
mysterious figures and hieroglyphics.
The roof rose hundreds of feet above,
and was supported by the sculptured
figures of angels. Long corridors ex.
tended farther than the eye could see.
Masses of vapor hung swaying from
the dome and on all sides, over the
whiteness, there was constant flick.
ering of blue and opal. All was hush
ed save a low sound, like a requiem of
sighs. that came echoing from the dim
corridors, and chilled the heart icily.
Bewildered and trembling, ! would
have hastened away from the dazzling
whiteness and weirdness but strange
influences held me stationary.
Then behind me heard voices, and
suddenly was surrounded by num-
berless crowd of human beings. Pas
sionately they hurried along, throng-
ing into the cathedral, till / was car
ried on like a leaf on the surging
ocean. On, on, but now like a phan-
tom throng, noiseless and death-like,
for even the football on the stone
pavements awakened no echo. But
soon the crowd moved slower, and
saw VIC were approaching a bier
whereon something lay. Nearer
and we stood mute and breathles for
before us, lying low among faded flow
ers and sere leaves, wrapped in his
winding sheet, was the Old Year we
had loved so well, rigid and dead.
The weight Of bis last days had
pressed heavily, and his face was fur.
rowed and sad TO look upon. Around
him, in mockery upon the sombre
pail, were scattered the gifts he had
given. All his wealth Of hope and
glory had perished, and the earth
angels gazed downward with plying
faces, ever and anon smoothing the
gray thin locks, for he was one of
their children. From censcrs near,
the blue incense curled upward around
the white stone angels, aud made them
seem stern aud grand
Still the sOundless wave of human
life surged onward. Some came eager
ly as If 10 see a joyous thing; others
with lingering footsteps, and with
sneering faces; but as they one by ono
looked upon the pale face, and laid
some treasure or some burden down,
feeling that the year as indeed dead,
they turned away more sadly, and
some with tears. They were bringing
their care, aud sorrows, and iancied
ills, and uncompleted tasks. Each
striving for self, each heavily laden,
thipking il. pQssihle 10 hurry all sadnass
but passing TO find the burden little
lighter and but little left behind.
Some came with gloomy faces, whose
cares were in imagination and somo
bore bitter grieis. Many, mourning
vestured, laid down carefully bandiuls
of ashes. These were they whose
idols had been broken and beautiful
shrines crumbled in dust still they
gathered the ashes to their hearts
again, and went away mourning. An
old man tottered along under the
weight of huge bag, from which a
yellowish dust was silted as he walk
ed. With great effort be reached the
bier, and, with sigh, gazed on the
dead, still clutching the dust that all
his long life be had called treasure.
But as he turned away be staggered
and fell, and when they had lifted him
up and brushed the gold dust from his
glaring eyes, he was-dead. Children
eagerly threw down their broken toys,
aud felt no lingering sadness for the
shrouded figure. Many a youth
brought resolutions, and dead ambi-
ton, and lifting high his right hand,
made solemn vows to redeem the
future. The midde-aged laid down
many an idle wish or holy thing, and
called them folly. One strong man,
wealthy and heavily laden, knelt on
the cold floor, clasping the shroud, and
prayed. When he arose light more
than earthly broke over his face, and
he went onward with the music of a
new song in his soul
While yet they were urging in with
their voiceless WEAKNESS, a bell COM
menced tolling in awful tones, that
woke echoes in the corridors, and rent
the vestment Of incense that shrouded
the angels. Then the phantoms lined
and Dor, the dead year through the
portals Of Times cathedral, And the
multitude followed with their burdens.
Ero long they reached a stream, sedgy
and black, were formless boatmen
waited TO bear the dead 10 the ocean.
As ] stood mournfully gazing, re-
membered my own withered garland,
a hope and dream or two twined in
the bright days when the year was
young, but now dead and worthless
so threw it, thinking it might rest
on the bier. The boat moved slowly
of, and my flowers sank in the bot
tomlcss waters; for the name Of the
river is Lethe.
As with saddenod hearts we looked
after the shadowy thing that grew
mister in the distance, we heard the
sound Of music aud laughter, and,
turning, saw that the New Year had
come golden and glorious. The chill.
ell Al.