Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-12-05
Written for The EVENING STAR
SUCH STUFF AS DREAMS.
A STORY.
BIZ JULIAN HAWTHORNE,
Copyright 1851

bf JULIAN HAWTHORNE.
Copyright 1881
/.
IL was late in the afternoon when Ferris Lund
GO back to his rooms He carefully unwound
the s'ft tissue paper i'm which his purchase d
been euVel"ped, and placed the vase on the cor
ner of the low mantepiece. II was indeed a
beautiful Object-even more beautiful amidst
Its present surroundings, than IL had appeared
10 be in the dirty Old curiosity shop. Lund ex-
sinIned II with the e.-e of con noisseur. II was
SEehuine antique; specimen OF the best period
OF Venetian glass manufacture. soft pelIucid,
glowing, mellow in cooring; graceful and
strange in form. 1t was like melting jewels
dipped in milk. What hands have touched
III said Lund to himself, for he had not vet
passed the age OF romance and sentiment
warm. white, Italian hInds-hands that could
speak and love and Kill What rooms has it
enriched-Darblc banqueting balls, thronged
with the stately mobiles of the great Venetian
Stat. chambers OF lovely women, rich, shadowy,
luxurious secret. beneath whose balconied
wind w the black gondola lowered the
silent canal, and vanished again with a tremor
OF inu>c. And il has stood by ut the lovers
IN citing: the murmured words, tue dear en-
brace, the kis>eS-perhaps, too. rang again with
the shrek of discovery. when the long rapiers
leIpt from their >cabbards and felt tor each
other i'm the darkness, Surely this jeweled boss
than the LIKELIHOOD of "a human hearth How the
hue paIes and rcddens and palpitates, even
now! such thoughts are acknowledgements of
youth-no. The vase is haunted. The ghosts
OF its past posseSsors are near it STILL
He took of his hat and coat, put a dressing
gown and slippers lit cigar and lay down on
the sofa; whence-his head being propped by
the cushiOn-he got the full effect of the vase
a it Stood with the light from the window at
the left falling upon il, and concentrated in Il
point of luSter on the blOod-hued boss in the
center In the dusky room the vase seemed TO
shine by light Of its own-subtle, opaline
changing. Occasionally the smoke from Iund's
cl:1r, drifting upwards in the still air, drew
veil over the Image but at length he stopped
smoking and continued 10 contemplate the vase
fNedly. The light from without faded every
distinctly visible. Now ii seemed To hang in al
ahr~S of gloom; nothing else could be discerned.
lui1dS gaze become more concentrated: his
eyes were widely opened; the eyelidS never
moved There was absolute stiffness i'm the
room, save for the faint, rhythmic sound of the
young man breathing. By degrees even that
became inaudibie: he lay az motiouiess as the
dead; hut his eyes were still open, had
their fixed glance swerved by a hairs breadth.
Ii was now quite dark. Was the vase still Wis
ihle9 No. Yes, there il still u vanishing gIeam,
"a Jingle point OF rosy highland now tAat, too,
l. gone.
One after another figures rose from the vase
assumed human form and moved about the
rp'n'. /, dark ever, so. at least, you
would have said had you been there; but il
not dark To them. A spiritual light was there
the light OF the world TO which they belonged.
world devoid of space, though broad and
varied as the universe: world that knows
not time, though all things stand and move in
orderly succession; world Without matter,
though solid with living substance. With each
newcomer the scene gains consistency and
reality, 1T is ~ ii each brought his scenery witt
him. shining or darkening forth. as r1le case
might he from their own hearts, and thus Great
ing world that the sensible mirror OF
themselves. How inevitably the various re-
gi0uS ARRANGE themselves, bounding one
another. like the estates of great landhoiders.
But surely spirits can 90 whitherSoever they
Will: Why, yes: and vet their barriers are even
more impossible than these material ones of
not. As easily might London visit Paris as
y0nder d;irk-browed being touch the hand of
So. The distances of spiritual thought and az
lection less easily tr;lversed than terrestrial
leagues, and Il know you not is deeper and
wider than the Atlantic and the Pacific.
lUnd. standing beside the couch, sees lying
there the image of himself, motionless, silent
its eyes wide open and fixed. From the body
arises "a sort of blue steam or emauatiOn or so
il app at first sight; but, more attentiveiy
examined. it is much more than this. 1t is COM
posed of living particulars, myriads OF pictures
or suggestions are they?-Of the mortal exist
ence thus far accomplished. Yes. here may be
perceived every event, thought and emotion
which. III the aggregate, make up this life and
character. II vapor OF memory, involuntary
and irrepressibie, Offering itself To the peruSai
OF every chance cOmer-were it but discernible
by mortal eyes. And is it not dI>cernible:
hence this impression, which prompts to
say of one man .he Is dangerous of another
she j. false. of a third she il honest and pures'
dim Impression, no doubt. and easily dissi-
pated by the concrete distractions of social in
tercour>e, but real and abiding in world
where the veil OF the senses no longer duls our
apprehension.
contemplation On every side OF him seemingly
illimitable fields OF vision open; stone walls and
ali material obstacles are permeable To his
sight and movement as the impaIpable atmos-
lhere. and there Is an expedition ;,foDt. He is
already equipped and on t.e road, through
scenes that are strange, though made up of
what N familiar. AT intervals certain objects
and circumstances fiX themselves upon his at
tention: they not important in themselves
but they viii. not be forgotten. YOnder white
horse with the black ears and tail. for instance:
or this turn of the road, with the pool on the
right and the peddler resting under the hedge:
or the sunlight streaming downward in hazy
rays between those two dark clouds: or the
long, sloping roof OF that wayside cottage the
tall hayrick behind and the two children star
InS over the gate: or the sudden lurch and
swing of the coach as the wheel plunges into
tine deep rut. or the distant view of the town
with the sun setting In red glow behind it,
against which rises tall and dark the tower of
the cathedral; or, again, chance words and
fragments of conversation, such as ION We'd
neSday at four Ociock, IL only do what / cam
SIR" lump in-jump in, Where are the
others" .Of all lunatics escaped from purga-
tory. Pardon me. i thought was speak ing
10, IF you don't believe it get her alone and
ask her. These sentences were each given
with the voice and information belonging to
them and carried with them the face and bear
H. M the Speakers THROUGHOUT, too, there was
AN Impression of something momentOus
something full of interest, hope. and promise
In the near future, but the anticipation seemed
prophetic, not explicit an emotion rat Their than
knowledge. ut Is the turning poi mt OF my
lie, Luud often said TO himself in his vision
And although he himself making the
Jcurney-undergoing the adventure and the
eXpeTience-yet vino but he was, all the while
ls-OSing on as a spectator, listening, observing
cUmmenting. amused, perplexed, as if a man
should sit in the audience and behold himself
enact character on the stage. But the con-
SERIOUSNESS of this double existence troubled
him not, and no wonder, since he could regard
unmoNed mis- own inanimate body, extended
there ON the couch. its eyes fixed, and staring
al darkness. \ man learns to Accommodate
himself TO circumstances. What chiefly an
nOyed Lund Was that he could not make out
the identity OF his travelling companion. He
could see himself effectively; but soon as he
tired 10 look at this companion the latter in
SOME way eludcd HIM And yet they sat and
walked shoulder 10 shoulder, and spoke to-
gcther face TO face 1t was very annoying
Alter all, though. what matter about ones
company when the end Of the pilgrimage
j. Inve-iOye! and the lOyeliest maiden in the
Tld,
Ibis knocking and pounding were most ex-
tFsioT,tiu.t-V. MAS il the iOltIur the COACH