Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1889-02-21
CHAPTER XXX.
NOT ALL A DREAM.

NOT ALL, A DREAM.
Fairfax had been dreaming. He stood
on a barren. rocky islet in mid-ocean. All
about him was wild, wide waste of de-
serted, sunlit wators-R,st a sail, not cloud,
not bird, nor fish, nor any living thing in
sight! Only the endless, boundless, ever
lasting stretch of sea and the solid, scorch-
ing rock beneath his feet.
He knew not how he came there. nor why.
To him time and space had no beginning
nor end. Past and future there was none
only one eternal nor.
Like the ancient mariner, he was ''alone
on wide wide sea- but with no other
facts, no other data. no other knowledge of
any thing save of himself, Arthur Fairfax,
and this blistering. barren rock and that
vast, silent, glaring wilderness of waters,
met on all sides by heavens of brassy hue.
Here he stood, stony hearted, passionless,
quiet as the rock itself and as motionless,
staring out over that horrible sea-salt plain,
with fixed, expressionless eyes.
There came no morn, no noon, no night;
but one never-ending, unchanging day.
Time was not.
II might have been day, it might have
been month, year, a centul.y-he knew
not, nor cared-but st last there rose, far,
far away on the uttermost, EXTREMIST verge
of the horizon, feeble, upward-crawling
line of smoke, which came near and nearer,
and grew dense and yet more dense. On it
rolled with ever-increasing rapidity, until 1t
rushed ahead with lightning speed.
Within, and almost hidden by this mighty,
roaring column, belching forth fire and
smoke, ne detected the outlines of a vessel.
Straight toward the rocky islet, straight
towards himself it came, with unerrlngs I'M
swerving course.
Now he saw and recognized it,
II was the "Namovna,n envelopedm rag
ing sheet Of fame that shot upwards and
backwards, roaring and laundering with
terrific sound, and, high III the farthest
tip of the yet unscorched bow stood Natalie,
in speechless horror, her snow-whlte arms
stretched appealingly toward him.
Nearer and swifter, yet, swept on that
frightful, rolling pillar of fire, the sea boil
ing and seething in its track and vast
clouds of white steam arising and inter-
mingling with its million blazing tongues
and smoke of inky blaclxness.
With an almost incredible suddenness it
stopped its headlong speed snort distance
from the rock, and at once began quickly TO
sink.
Jump shrieked Fairfax, in terror. And
back over the thunderous roar rang tho
| piercing cry:
sSaye mel Save me o, Arthur, save me Y
His soul on fire, his strength nerved
to utter desperation, he leaped far out from
tho crags over the sea, and struck---not
the water, but solid earth!
In an instant he had awakened from sleep
and found himself standing erect, with
nerves and muscles strained TO their Ut
most tension, his arms extended rigid from
his side, his head bent eagerly forward,
/ like one alert from fear. Every nerve
/ tiugled with horror. And his ear could
| have caught the faintest possible whisper
What was it, What did it meant The
cold sweat stood out in great beads over
! his forehead, and it seemed to him he could
yet hear that piercing cry for help ringing
/ far along the shore and in tho woods. :,
If ever a man was thoroughly awake, be
now was.
He ran to the water and glancing up and
! down heard or saw nothing, save the sui
len waves knocking angrily against TIC
rocks, and the shining pillows, glistening IN
the moonlight. From the forest came nc
sound. but the PARKWAY, sea-lil1e murmur OF
the pines.
Nothing nothing nothing, at ALL Only
a sillv dream! And, yet, that cab that CRY
for helpl 1t was real 1t was no delusion
Of sleep, for it rang, still, in his ears with
too true a tone TO be aught else but genu'
incl ~
In terror--yet he could not have said why
he stood, listening with bated breath.
Histl harkl What was that, borne by OF
the passing breezel II there was ever wal
of woman for help that was one. Clear anc
high il sounded
g Sdee mel ArthHrf to die thissi"
Wild and mad with blindestrage and Teas
Fairfax bounded over the rocks and fed int
the wood, like one insane, as if all he'll yvers
pursuing him. On, on he dashed, needing
neither bush, brier nor crag Torn anC
bleeding, straight forward, towards tn
call, he pushed.
Again he heard it, and nearer still; ans
again he paused.