The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-04-29

Harrild's house. Above him spread
the fantastic branches Of the tree, hunG
about with icicles and fringed with
delicate aud graceful tracerieS in snow.
Even in the midst of his rapt attention
of the house he could not avoid
being struck with their beauty, and
at odd moments he turned his
eyes upward to observe them. Pres
emily a singular fancy crept upon him.
The branches assumed weird shape
and form. Crooked twigs became
transformed into grotesque figures,
perfect in limb and feature, and though
there was not one among them that
was not out of all reasonable proper
ton, not one seemed monstrous. They
were all pygmies, and sat or stood in
unnatural attitudes-with their legs
twined under them. with their arms
curled around their bodies, with their
faces between their knees; here an eli,
with his back to William, and his head
turned over his shoulder to gaze at him;
there a dwarf, lying at full length, and
bending over toward him at a danger
Gus angle. The unfamiliar and curious
figures were motionless for many mo.
ments; not limb, not feature stirred,
but at the end of that time animation
passed into their bodies. Motion came
into their limbs, expression to their
features. And of the hundreds of
strange faces with which the tree was
filled, there was not one that was not
directed toward him, there was not one
eye that was not fixed upon his. Some
smiled with the familiarity Of oldac-
quaintanceship, others frowned with
severe cause; and one old fellow with
a great knot in the middle of his fore
head eyed him so sternly that he turned
away in anger at the delusiOn which he
had allowed to take possession of his
senses. As he turned, his attention
was attracted to the beautiful appear
ance of the hedge-row which lined the
boundary of Reuben Harrild's land.
1t was nearly man high; and as
he gazed into the tangled sl2cins
of bare and naked bush, snow-hned in
purest white, he saw thousand start
ling pictures in the maze. Through
the intcrlaccd vista he saw castles and
rocks with the glow of sunlight upon
them; merging gradually into the phaG-
tasy of many suns setting with gloT-i-
Gus light upon dozen battlc-iields,
with shreds of armies flying from
bloody pursuers; merging again into
grave-yards lying in the light of pale,
cold moons, which threw q ehastly
glare upon myriad of white spccterS
in their winding-sheets, gauntlr stretch
ing out their attenuated limos. And
there-woAder upon wonder!-was the
same stern old man with the knot in his
forehead, cycling him more seriously
than ever, and, with a monstrously dis
proportionate finger, reckoning him to
approach Whom did this old man re-
semb3c? His face was surely familiar
to William. All, yes; it was DIR. BaX.
No; Stephen Winkworth. Wrong
again. 1t was one of the worst of the
persons to whom the little doctor had
been good that night, and who, crazy
with drink, had threatened to do them
both an injury if they did not instantly
run. Wrong again. 1t was the toy
soldier which Dr.. BaX had fastened TO
the foot of the child's bed. Still
1t was Alice, the defOrmed
girl, with her silken hair cut short.
Wrong once more. 1t was an entirly
strange face-a face he had never be-
fore looked upon. William rubbed his
eyes; there still stood the grim Old man
with his gigantic finger, bidding MIN to
come.
But now the figure was no longer
alone. On every side arose hundreds
Of white phantom shadows, inviting
William, with the same reckoning
gesture, to join their company. As he
watched them, with increasing amaze
ment, their numbers grew until the en-
tire landscape became filled with mo-
upward into the spreading branches
of the tree, myriad white faces
crowded down upon him, urging him
10 rise. Compelled to obey, he stood
upon his feet, and. looking toward tho
house. found that il had disappeared.
that trees and hedges had vanished,
and that he was standing on great
plain, carpcted with snow as far as tho
eye could reach, without a single sPcc!s
OF stain upon it 10 show that it had
ever sustained ha5itatiOn. Not one
stationary object reared itself between
Heaven and earth: and, stranger still,
although the plain was thickiy
-hronged with shadows gliding rest
cssly around him, and though he wGS
turning this way and that.
n his cmdeayor to follow their weird /
md ghostly motions, the surface Of the |
'nOw did not present single mark 70 |
lenOte that it was trodden. And now |
! miraclc occurred. A wild excite
nent possessed the phantom throng, |
md, the ranks dividing, figure OF sur
passing loyplincss approached. 1t was |
hat of a beautiful woman, with
,rown of crystals upon her head. A
thousand stars of icicle CLEANED about
Ter. She was CARRIED in robes of snowy
yhiteness, which hung loosely upon
Ter form. Her limbs and features
we're faultlessly nodded, and in her
yes dwelt an expression OF such Heav-
My love and goodness that William
vas impelle1 to kneel TO her. But he
vas pOwerless; his limbs refused TO
hey mis- impulse. Closer and closer
he approached. Clear as spotless
rystal, she stood before him, lustrous-
Y beautiful, with holy light in her
yes. No stain was on her soul-for
e beheld it in all its purity. And on
Ter heart, with calm and placid smile
pom its lips, lay the body OF q sleep
ng child.
William, gazing with awe and Won
er on the vision. felt cold touch upon
is arm, and turned in the expectation
f seeing some new wonder. But ne
TODD alone within circle into which
o spirit ventured to intrude, and 4
dice whispered into his ear the word:
'.Faithr'
lie knew that the presence of an In