The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1890-07-12
THREE DREAMS IN A DESERT.

Il
drew my horse up under a mimosa-
tree. and took the saddle from him
and left him TO feed among the parched
bushes. And all to right and left
stretched the brown earth. And sat
down under the tree because the heat
beat fiercely. and all along the horizon
the air throbbed. And after while
heavy drowsiness came over me. and
laid my head down against my sad
de- and / fell asleep there. Aud Ia
my sleep l had curious dream.
thought stood on the border of a
great desert, and the sand blew about
everywhere. Aud / thought l saw
two great figures like beasts Of burden
OF the desert, aud one lay upon the
sand with its neck stretched out. and
one stood by 1t. And l looked curl
ously at the one that lay upon the
ground. for II had great burden on
It's back. aud the sand was thick about
II. 30 that IL seemed to have piled over
IL for centuries.
Aud looked very curiously at IT,
And there stood one beside me watch
ing. And said to him. What is this
And he said This Is woman; she
that bears men In her body
Aud / said. Why does she lie here
motionless with the sand piled around
herp"
And he answered. Listen, will tell
you! Ages and ages long she has lain
here. and the wind has blown over her.
The oldest, Oldest man living has never
seen her move; the oldest, oldest book
records that she lay here then. as she
lies here now, with the sand about her.
But listenl Older than the oldest
book, older than the oldest recorded
memory Of man, on the rocks OF Lam
guage, on the hard-baked clay of
Ancient Custom. now crumbling to
decay, are found the marks OF her foot
stepsl Side by side with his who stands
beside her you may trace them; and
you know that she who now lies there
once wondered free over the rocks with
him"
And / said. why does she lie there
nowp"
And he said, II take IL. ages ago the
Age OF dominion of muscular-force
found her. and when she stopped low
back was broad. he put his burden OF
subsection on TO IL. and tied II on with
the broad band Of Inevitable Necessity.
Then she looked ut the earth and the
sky. aud knew there was no hope for
her; and she lay down on the sand
with the burden she could not loosen.
Ever since she has lain here. And the
ages have come and the ages have
gone. but the band OF Inevitable Neces-
sity has not been cut"
Aud looked and saw In her eyes
the terrible patience OF the centuries;
the ground was wet with her tears, and
her nostrils blew up the sand.
And l said. Has she ever tried to
moveP"
Aud he said. Sometimes n limb has
qulvered. But she Is wise; she knows
she cannot rise with the burden on
her"
And said, why does not he who
stands by her leave her and 60 onP"
And he said, "He cannot. Look
And l saw broad band passing
along the ground from one to the 9TH
or. aud Il bound them together.
He said. while she lies there he
must stand and look across the desert"
And said. Does he know why he
sannot mover"
And he said. NO"
Aud heard a sound OF something
cracking. and looked and saw the
baud that bound the burden on TO her
back broken asunder; and the burden
rolled on the ground.
Aud said. What Is thisP"
And hs said. The A.e-of-muscular
force Is dead. The Age-of-neryous-