Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-01-24

to conceal his purpose from the knowledge
of the islanders until it was achieved or
perhaps, knowing thst at certain points
ants. he was DESTROYS to avoid their con-
tinous personal scrutiny. By whatever
motive he was prompted, he now worked
only in the night, and rested during
the day. Thus new and weird inter-
est was added to the task, for when
in the morning it was observed that a
dangerous chasm had been safely crossed,
or some great peril had been escaped, many
believed that the man had been assisted by
supernatural power. Not all were merci-
fully inclined towards him; there were
some whose hearts were still stern and
relentless, and who, regarding the work
as devoid OF holiness, entertained the idea
that it was being forwarded by the aid OF
evil spirits. As the weeks and the months
passed by, the wonder of the islanders
who watched the herculean labor, per-
formed unaided by one human being, grew
I
stronger and deeper. Without regard to
season or weather, the man worked pa
| tiently on, and with each setting of the
sun the inhabitants of the Silver Isle, old
and young, would gather in clusters over
the plains and valleys, to watch his pro-
gress. Whatever their own immediate
trouble and joys, in the midst of their sor-
rows and gladness, this man was not en-
| tirely absent from their minds. He was
but speck upon the mountain side, an in
significant atom amid Natures terrible
and beautiful creations, but there was
pathos in his slow and weary toll
| that touched the hearts of those who
were tenderly inclined. 1t grew to be
custom to pray inwardly for him,
that his offering might be successfully
raised, and his sin wiped out. Their
imaginations did not deceive them when
they cried that they saw blood upon his
hands and fest, for not day passed that
his flesh was not torn by the sharp rocks
over which lay his road to heaven. Once
he fell near the edge of precipice, and
his symbol upon him, and it was not until
hours after the rising of the sun that he
succeeded in extricating himself. A hun
dred times the islanders feared to see him
hurled into an abyss, thousands and thou
sands of feet down into darkness, to lie
there till the Archangel sounded his trumpet
on the Judgment Day. Mothers, waking
up in the night, would see in the darkness
the phantom of this man toiling, with
ropes about his shoulders, would see
white and pitiful face and marks of bleed
ing feet upon the rocks, and would murmur,
as they pressed their babes to their bosoms,
God pity and pardon him, and keep my
child from crimel"
So the work went on until the sacred
figure rested upon the highest surface of
the fatal mount Then the fiat table of the
rock had to be cleared of ice and snow,
and foundation dug in it for the symbol
to rest in. With unwearying patience this
was done, and by slowly building beneath
the upper part of the symbol a pile of
stones, it was raised into such position
that by a great effort it could be slipped
into the rocky bed prepared for it, and
there fixed forever as a sign.
On Saturday night in September when
the lovely autumn colors were coming into
the leaves, all was ready for the final effort.
1t had become known that the sinner had
nearly completed his self-allotted task, and
that the Sabbath sun would shine upon his
appeal to the Divine Heart for mercy and
forgiveness The night was intense
" dark, but the excitement in the
Silver Isle was so great that none who
were in health would retire to rest.
The islanders assembled on a PLAZA
from which, on sunny days and moonlight
nights, clear view of the snowclad peak
could be obtained and prepared to wait
for the rising of the sun. Those among
them who remembered the day on which
their beloved Evangeline stood in the
church waiting for her bridegroom, re-
called the circumstances of that fatal time,
and saw with their minds eye the beautl- |
full girl arrayed in the bridal dress which |
proved her shroud. They spoke in whis- |
pers they moved softly about, and when
they smiled, their smiles were sad gentle |
thoughts only reigned in their minds. |
Slowly the minutes passed until midnight |
came women wept and strong men trem- |
bled. The silences were broken by gasp,
or by cry of pity springing from the depths
of an overweight soul, or by the involun-
tary utterance of short and pitiful prayer.
A dread mysterious influence was at work
in the solemn thraldom of that awful night.
1t Stirred the hair of men and women it
impressed them with their littleness, their
helplessness, their insignifcance it made
them humble and afraid They stretched
out their hands. and drew closer to each
other, husband to wife, brother to sister,
CUliuT6u W tllelT llOIueIS. IHey utflNeu
comfort from personal. contact it was in
some sense protection against the evil
spirits which they believed were contending
with the angels for the soul of the sinner.
Family ties that had been weakened in
affection became suddenly strong again ;
and had two enemies stood side by side, an
uncomfortable instinct would have caused
them to clasp hands in friendship Darker
and darker grew the night. Shadows |
glided up and down the mountain sides,
and foated upwards from the depths, preg
pant with mysterious meaning. Not a
sound, not breath, not a movement,
escaped the islanders, that was not in
sympathy with the lonely sinner laboring |
on the snow.clad peak. Stfaining their
eyes thitherward, their fevered fancies