Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1888-01-07

Overcame with the extremity Of horror
we, too, fell on the sandy floor Of that dread
place, aod swooned away
l know not how long we lay thus. Many
hours, ! suppose. When at last / opened
my eyes, the other Two were still out
stretched upon the floor. The rosy light
still beamed like a celestial dawn, ard the
thunder wheels OF the Spirit Of Life still
rolled upon their accustomed track, for as
! aYoke the great pillar was passing away.
There, too, lay the hideous little monkey
frame, covered with crinklcd yellow parch-
ment, that once had been the glorious She.
Alas! it was no hideous dreaYn-it was an
awful and unparalleled fact!
What had happened to bring this shock
ing change about? Had the nature of the
Ife-giving fire changedp Did it perhaps
from time TO time send forth an essence of
Death instead Of an essence of Lifes Or
was it that the frame once charged with
Its marvellous virtue could bear no more,
SO that were the process repeated-it mat
tered not at what lapse of time--the two
appropriations neutralized each other, and
LETT the body on which they acted rs it
was before it ever came in contact with
the very essence Ut life, This, and this
alone, would account for the sudden and
terrible aging OF Ayesha, as the whole
length OF her two thousand years took eff
feet upon her. / have not the slightest
doubt myself but that the frame now lying
before me was just what the frame of u
woman would be if by any extraordinary
means life could be preserved in her till
she at length died at the age OF twenty-five
centuries.
But who can tell what had bappenedp
There was the fact. Often since that awful
hour | have reflected that it required no
great stretch of imagination TO see the fin
ger OF Providence in the matter. Ayesha
locked up in her living tomb, waiting from
age to age for the coming of her lover,
worked but n small change In the order OF
the world. But Ayesha, strong and happy
In her love, clothed In immortal youth and
godlike beauty, and the wisdom OF the
centuries, would have revolutionized soci-
ETY., and even perchance have changed the
destiny OF mankind. Thus she opposed
herself against the eternal law, and strong
though she was, by it was swept back to
nothingness, swept back with shame and
hideous mockery.
For some minutes I lay family turning
these terrors over In my mind, while my
physical strength came back to me, which
it soon did in that buoyant atmosphere.
Then | bethought me OF the others, and
staggered to my feet, TO see IL | could
arouse them. But | first took up Ayesha's
kirtle and the gauzy scarf with which She
had been. wont to hide her dazzling lowell
ness from the eyes of men, and, averting
my head SO that might not look upon IL,
covered up that dreadful relic OF the glori-
Gus dead, that shocking epitome of human
beauty and human life. Ibid this hurried
ly, fearing lest Leo should recover, and see
1t again.
Then, stepping over the ~perfumed masses
Of dark hair that lay upon the sand, L
stopped down by job, who was lying upon
his face, ana turned him ever. As ] did SO
| his arm fell back in n way that l did not
| like, and which sent a chill through me,
and | glanced sharply at him. One look
was enough. Our old and faithful servant
was dead. His nerves, already shattered
by all he had seen and undergone, had ut
terly broker dow beneath this last dire
sight, and he had dice of terror, or in n fit
brought on by terror. One had only TO
look at his face to see it.
1t was another blow; but perhaps it may
help people TO understand how overwhelm-
ingly awful was the experience through
which we had passed-we did not feel it
much at the time. II seemed quite natural
that the poor old fellow hould be dead.
When Leo came To himself, which he did
with a groan and trembling OF the limbs
about ten minutes a~fterward, and l told
him that Job was dead, he merely said
"Oh" And, mind you, this was from no
heartlessness, for he and job were much
attached to each other, and he often talks
Of him now with the deepest regret and
affection. 1t was only that his nerves
would bear no more. A harp can only give
heavily it is smitten.
Well, / set myself to recovering Leo,
who, to my infinite relief, | found was
not dead, but only fainting, and in the end
| succeeded as ] have said, and he sat up;
and then | saw another dreadful thing.
When we entered that awful place his
curling hair had been of the ruddiest gold,
now it was turning gray, and by the time
we gained the outer air 1t was snow white.
Besides, he looked twenty years older.
"What is to be done, old fellow Z" he said,
in a hollow, dead sort of voice, when his
mind had cleared a little, and n recollec-
ton Of what had happened forced itself up
on it.
'1ry and get out, Isuppose. ~ answered.;
that Is, unless you would like TO go in
there" and | pointed TO the column of fire
that was once more rolling by.
II would go in IL | were sure that it
would kill me-" he said, with "a little laugh.
1T was my cursed hesitation that did this.
IL | had not been afraid she might never
have tried to show me the road. Blu | am
not sure. The fire might have the opposite
effect upon me. Ii might make me inn
mortal; and, old fellow, | have not the
patience 10 welt a couple of thousand years
Tor her TO come back again as she did for
me. | had rather die when my time comes
and | shout fancy that it isn't far of
either-and go my ways to look for her.
Do you go in, IL you like"
But | merely shook my head, my excite
ment was as dead as ditch-watei, and my
distaste Tor the prolongation OF my mortal
span had come bnck upon me more strong.
ly than ever. Besides we neither OF us
knew what the effects of the fire might be.
The result upon she had not been OF an
encouraging nature, and on the exact
causes that produced that result we were,
Of coursc ignorant.
well, my boy" I said, eve can't stop
here till we go the way of those t,yo," and
l pointed To the little heap underline white
garment and to the stitfening corpse or
poor job. If we are going. we had better
90. But, by the way, | expect that the
lamps have burnt out" and | TOOK one up
and looked ut 1t, and sure enough ii had.
There is some more oil in the vase"
said Leo, indifferently, IF it Is not broken,
mt least"
Iexamined the vessel in question-it was
intact. With n trembling hand 1 hlled the
lamps-luckily there was still some OF the
linen wick unburnt. Then | lit them with
one Of our wax matches. While l did SO
we heard the pillar OF fire approaching
once more as it went on its never-ending
journey, il. indeed, it was the same pillar
that passed and repassed in a circle.
Lets see it come once more" said Leo;
eve shall never look upon it's like again
in this world"
1t seemed n bit Of idle curiosity, but
somehow | shared 1t, and SO we waited till,
turning slowly round upon its own axis,
il had famed and Numbered by; and / re-
member wondering for how many thous-
ands of years this same phenomenon had