The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1886-02-05

THE DARK RIVER.
A Beautiful Little Allegory, Suited to An
Times and Conditions.


Beautiful Little Allegory, Suited to An
Times and Conditions.
Once upon time little boy came,
during his play, to the bank of river.
The waters of the river were very dirk
and wild, and there was so black cloud
over the river that the little boy could
not see the further shore. An icy wind
came up from the cloud and chilled the
little boy, and he trembled with cold and
fear as the wind smote his cheeks and
ran its slender, icicle fingers through
his yellow curls. An old man set. On
the bank of the river, he was very, very
old, his head and shoulders were cover
ed with black mantle, and his head
was white as snow.
"Will you come with me, little hoyp"
asked the old man.
''Wherep" inquired the little boy.
"To yonder Shore replied the old
man.
"Oh, no; not to that dark shore,n' said
the little boy. 81 would be afraid to
60"
.'But think of the sunlight always
there said the old man, ''the birds and
flowers: and remember there is no pain
nor anything of that kind to vex you"
The little boy looked and saw the dark
cloud hanging over the waters, and he
felt the cold wind come up from the riv-
er; moreover, the sight Of the strange
man terrified him. So, hearing his moth
er calling him, the little boy ran back to
his home, leaving the old man by the
| river side.
Many years after that time the little
boy came again to the river, but he was
not little boy now-he was big strong
| man.
1.-THE river is the same," said he; ''the
| wind is the same cold, cutting wind of
| ice, and the same black cloud obscures
| yonder shore. / wonder where the
| strange old man can beP"
| 81 am he," said solemn voice.
The man turned and looked on him
who spoke, and he saw a warrior clad
in black armor and welding an iron
| sword.
'No, you are not he," cried the imam.
"You are warrior come to do me
harm"
II am, indeed, warrior" said the
other. 'Come with me across the
river"
''No," replied the man, "I will not
go with you. Hark, hear the voices
of my wife and children calling to me
/ return to them!'
The warrior strove to hold him fast
and bear him across the river to the
| yonder shore, but the man prevailed
against him and returned to his wife
and little onesand the warrior was left
upon the river bank.
Then many years went by and the
strong man became old and feeble. He
found no pleasure in the world, forhe
was weary of living. His wife and
children were dead, and the old man was
alone. So one day he came to the bank
of the river for the third time and he
saw that the waters had become quiet
and that the wind which came up
from the river was warm and
gentle and smelled of flowers;
there was no dark clouds overhanging
the yonder shore, but in its place
was golden mist through which the old
man could see people walking on the
yonder shore and stretching out their
hands to him, and he could hear them
calling him by name. Then he knew
they were the voices of his dear ones.
al am weary and lonesome cried
the old man. ''All have gone before
me--father, mother, wife, children--all
whom / have loved. / see them and
hear them on yonder shore, but who
will bear me to themp"
| Then spirit came in answer to this
cry. But the spirit was not strange
old man, nor yet an armored warrior
but as he came to the rivers bank that
day he was a gentle angel, clad in
white; his face was very beautiful, and
there was divine tenderness in his eyes.
-. Rest est thy head t upon my my bosom
across the river to those who call thee. -
| So, with the sweet peace of little
child sinking to his slumbers, the old
man dropped in the arms of the angel
and was borne across the river to those
who stood upon the yonder shore and
| called Ghicn0O Mems