Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1889-05-24
A DREAM OF YOUTH


Omaha Republican.
"And here's 10 you and your family,
and may you al live long and prosper"
For The last time during the evening the
words fell from Rip Van Wrinkles lips,
and then there was puttlt on of cloaks
and grasplng Tor hate, and crowding
towards the doors of the Grand Opera
House, which had been packet to see the
greatest of all American comedians.
Only the gamins in the gallery fingered,
casting look at the curtain, which had
shut out the fairylaud be. ind; and It was
longing look. Only the young can
feel.
1t was quite number Of years ago
rather larger number than one cares TO
think abo1t, even though years do not
matter when Jefferson was announced
to appear at a Southern theatre. 1t was
not much o. theatre, 1t had the small
stage, the contracted auditorium ami the
gallery set aside for negroes. But it an
swered all the purposes. A plank, with
Jefferson, would DO stage enough. And
there were two brothers. And one COM
mi.ted the daring sin against CalvRulsm
OF suggesting to the other tuat they take
some lit lie money that bad been saved
for childish purposes aud 20 to the
tilNhAiNs ~ was u DIthlll-AU5' fTNINR IrO j.
position-something which seemed TO in
vite Gods lightnings, but it was fasci-
naling one. They had read OF the vara
bond OF the Catskills, aud they lonpcd
to zee him IN life, NaRahond Rip ana
the children climbing over him, aud thu
village OF Falling Water, and the seold-
ing Wifi, and little MeGn,e--all these had
fla tened themselves upon their magma
tons, an they hungered to see them live
and move ana have their being.
So they stole down the whitGncss of Il
Kentucky pike, to where the struggling
streets Of Lexington btgln-oo rather
proud in a roundabout, and the other
still In the humiliation of an old-iash-
iou-d white waist which buttoucd 10 the
trousers-snd wandered on with flushed
checks and sense of crime to the disma Al
building which walled ia,tyland. And
the elder, with hall tre.nble, but with Il
certain daring, nevertheless, pulled the
| other up the stairs, and they pushed for
ward with the crowd and bought tickets
in the gallery which entitled them to sit
with negroes and ladies who were not
ladies.
There were whistles AMI shouts, and
the curtain went up, and the village OF
Failing Water was before them, and Rip
Van Wrinkle aud the hurrying childr, II
and the sculding wife, aud ghostly crew
Of Hendrlck Hudson snd the awakening,
and the weary way down the mountain,
and the ribaldry OF ths children who had
hung about RIPS neck as childran, but
who scohed at him as men, and the
Mecnie, who had become woman, and
the wife who had become repentant-all
these were toQraplled on the minds of
the little fellows in the gallery, aud they
sobbed and laughed, and laughed and
sobbed. All, how true anti tender it
wasl The great mountains and the
dream OF the Hudson slipping away to
sea in the darkness, and the life that
flashed and faded in the fairy ring, round
ed by the dim stage lamps! 1t was not
what Irving wrote, but what he dreamed
that they saw. 1t was not his expression,
but his thought. And po II, oil ragged
Zip was greater than even Washlngt on
Irving had made him.