The Penn's Grove record., 1884-07-12

! on the mouth "God bless you, darling,
you have sacrificed yourself long
enough. l will coax Hubert into TAX
ing YOU at all hazards, DOrie."
"And leave you behind :"
"You would not want me to go at
the risk of my life, would you, dear ~
looked at her slight frame and nery-
ous face. and understood her. Travel
lust then in that intense cold would ne
too much former. Iput my arms around
her and drew her down TO me 1t VIII
J be all right | said as bravely as l
I could ''we will wait together until the
spring. -
Then like the noble considerable little
woman she was, she did not stay a mo-
ment longer. but kissed me again softly,
and went out with her taper. The clos
ing of the door left me nee more in
quiet darkness. But | could lie down
no longer. / arose, turned the key III
the lock, and on my knees fought out
my battle by myself. | was so desper-
ately home-sick. | had gone down out
of my leftover, into the Paradise of
blue skies and pleasant places; and
walked with my dear ones through ia
miliar Genes And here was | recap
tured Unexpectedly, by the giant, Cir
cumstance.
bethought me of the little Mexican
bird that feeds on dew and honey.
Lively and sportive IN the summer
hours, it seemingly dies when winter
comes /; and hangs suspended from a
tree-branch, a torpid, tiny mass. But
with the first flowers of the spring, 1t
bursts it's death-like sleep, and wings
its flight around the garden, pouring
forth ripples of silver song.
Happy bird, q thought that winter
night,) when will the spring-timeof nty
d~eliyeralce come !?
If the fire had not burned out and
the bitter cold attacked me, | think l
should have knelt there all night. But
even in bed and asleep, ahaunting trou-
bic pursued me.
| dreamed that Jaspar was i'll, dying.
That he held out his pale hands, ana
cried aloud for lac that | had but to
cross a field to reach him, when sudden
" a terrible noise was heard, the solid
earth between us slid into a black gulf
and | saw my friend no more.
The next week my brother went south
alone. 1t was on a Friday, the 9Th OF
January. Il have good reason to re-
member that date.) The night he left
us, Justine was suffering. The worry
of getting Hubert off, and the sting OF
parting flor they were fGOlishly fond OF
one another) brought on a violent head
ache, and the pain was so severe l did
not leave her bedside till near midnight.
When | went to my W room L was
tired, but singularly wide awake. /
threw a fresh log on the fire, and sat
down in a low chair to read a chapter,
as was my custom always before retir.
ing. What | am now going to relate Is
open, as you viii, to believe or doubt.
1 can only assert that at the time OF
the occurrence / was personally under
no hallucinatiOn OF the nerves. In eX'
cellent health, sound in body and mind,
l think 1t necessary to repeat that L wa
~siDgularly wide awake.
The clock struck twelve; the lamp
burned clearly the room was very
warm and quiet. The book in my
hand, lit was n Jaspar had given me.
fell open at this passage:
Brethren, we will not have you ig'
nOrant concerning them that are asleep,
that you be not sorrowful even as Others
who have no hope. For If we believe
that Jesus died and ros again, even sc
them who have slept through Jesus,
will God bring with him. For this we
say unto you in the word of the Lord,
that we who are alive, who remain unto
the coming of the Lord, shall not pre-
vent them who have slept. For the
Lord himself shall come down from
heaven with commandment, and with
the voice of an archangel, and with the
trumpet of God and the dead who are
in Christ shall rise first. Then We who
are alive, who are left, shall be taken
up together with them in the clouds to
meet Christ, into the air, and so shall
be always with the Lord. Wherefore,
comfort We another with these
words"
After L had read thus far, a strange
sensation came over me. A numbness
and stagnation of the blood seized me.
out of the bOdy-I know not where.
Then a chill wind, (earthy in its smell
as if it blew from an open gravel pass
ed between me and the glowing fire {;
and in that moment, / distinctly sac
JaSpar before me!
He was standing upright, rigid, and
with closed eyes. He vas pale with
the pallor of recent death a linen
bandage confined his jaws, and his white
hands were folded on his breast in an
attitude Of most beseeching supplica-
ton.
A soft phosphores'ent light emanated
from and surrounded him. Every HAIR
of his dark flowing moustache, every
lock of his damp curling hair was
plainly visible his expression was sad,
but full of a profound resignation.
L think / must have tainted, for there
followed a long blank. At a late hour
the next morning Justine found me in
bed, but l have not the faintest recOl-
lection as to how | got there.
If, at the same time, she had not
found mt still in my housewives of the
preceding day, and with Jaspar's book
in my hand, | might have thought the
whole thing a vision of a troubled
sleep.