The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-01-04

Tor my uncle, ana gazing ilsLlesSly out OF q
window opposite me. But as my uncle came
nearer to open the door for us, / happened
to cast my eyes again upon it. and saw my
uncle coming in the opposite direction,
when | concluded, of course, that1 had made
a mistake about the door, taking it for a
clear plate of glass instead of mirror re-
fectng the corridor behind me. | looked
back AT my uncle with little anxiety. l
saw him start and then stand like stone.
Almost Immediately marvellous light over
spread his eountenance, and with cry he
bounded forward.
| looked again at the mirror, and there ]
saw the self-same light-irradated counte-
ance coming straight, as was natural, to
meet that of which it was the reflection.
Then all at once the solid foundations of
fact melted into vaporous dream, for l saw
the two figures come together, the one IN
the mirror, the other in the world, and just
as | thought my uncle of the world would
shatter the mirror, saw the two fall into
each others arms. l heard also two voices
weeping and sobhng, as the substance and
the shadow embraced.
Two men had for a moment been deceived
like myself; neither glass nor mirror was
there-only the frame from which a swing
door had been removed for repair. The
two walked right into the arms of the other,
whom he had at first taken for himself.
They paused in their weeping held each
other at arms length and gazed as in mute
appeal for yet better assurance; then smiled
like two suns from opposing rain-clouds,
fell again on each others neck and wept
anew Neither had killed the other. Neither
had lost the otherl The world had been a
graveyard, and was paradise.
John and | gazed in utter bewllderment,
The two embraced each other, kissed and
Rugged and patted each other, wept and
murmured ana laughed. then all at once,
with one great sigh between them, grew
aware of witnesses. Had they not been too
happy to blush they could not have blushed,
SO red were they with the fire of heavens
own delight Utterly uDembarrassed they
turned toward us, wherewith came fresh
establishment, an old joy out of the treasure
OF the divine householder The uncle of
the mirror came straight to me, cried ''Ah,
little onep' took me in his arms and en-
braced me with all the old tenderness and
Joy such as had never before bcheld upon
human countenance. Then l knew that my
old uncle was all right, the same as ever 1
had known him since l used to go TO sleep
10 his arms.
When we reached our hotel it was dinner
time. and John ordered bottle of cham
payne. He and l were hungry as two
happy children, but the uncles ate little
and scarcely drank They were too happy
in each other to be aware of any animal
need. A strange solemnity crowned and
dominated their gladness. Each was to the
other a Lazarus given back from the grave.
When we drew around the fire, for the
evenings were chilly, they laid their whole
HlSlOly OpCu " uS' W nav d eIUIN IL WAS,
and what a telling of it !! My own uncle,
Edward. was the principal Narrator, but he
was occasionally helped out by my newer
uncle, Edmund. When my Uncle Edward
had told his story, corresponding in a more
conversational form to that l have tran
scribed, my Uncle Edmund took up his
part of the tale from the moment when he
came to himself after their fearful rush
down the river with the abyss yawning TO
receive them. 1t was TO this effect:
When he came TO himself he lay on the
very verge of the hideous void. How it was
he got thus far and no farther he never
could think. He was out of the central
channel, and the water that ran all about
him and poured Immediately over the edge
of the pTecipice could not have sufficed to
roll him thus far. Finding himself on his
back, and trying to turn on his side in or
der to rise, his elbow found no support, and
lifting his head little he looked down at
once into moOnllt vacancy, from which
thin silvery mists were steaming up. One
turn and he would have been on his way
plumb down TO the valley below = say
rather, on his way off the face of the world
into that vast that bosoms the stars and the
systems. and the cloudy worlds Not
daring to rise and unable to roll
himself up the slight slope, he shifted
himself slowly backward along the ground
for few yards, then lose and ran stagger-
ing away as from monster that might pur-
sue and overtake him. He doubted if he
would ever have recovered the shock of the
sudden discovery of his awful position and
of his one glance into.the CHASTITY Depth but
for the worse horror OF the all-but conviction
that his brother had gone down to Hades
through that terrible trap-door. If only he
too had gone, he cried in his misery, they
would now be together, with no wicked
woman to come between their hearts! For
his love was changed into loathing. He too
was at once, and entirely and forever, freed
from her fascination. The very thought of
her was hateful to him. He sought the
foot of the fall the same night, but the
body was not there. As one possessed OF
demons to the t0nibs he fled to the solitary
places of the dark mountains He went
through many sore stress. His money
was soon spent, and for many months he
had to endure severe hardships of simple,
wholesome human sort-cold, hunger and
dirt. He thought afterward that if he had
had no trouble of that order his brain would
presently have yielded. lie would have
surrendered himself but for the uselessness
OF it. and the misery and public stare it
would bring upon his family.
ct length he had brain fever, and but
partially recovering his senses after il, was
taken to an asylum. During his gradual
recovery he dreamed every night of his
home, became awake with the joy of the
dream, and could sleep no more for longing
not to go home, that he dare not think of,
but to look upon the place, if only once
again. The longing grew till it was intoler-
able. He had fallen exhausted, when man
with a divine spot in his heart found him
and took him to hut he had in the widest
part Of the region. He lay helpless for a
week, and then began to recover. When he
was sufficiently restored. he helped mis- host
to weave the baskets which, as soon as he
had enough to make load, he took about
the country in cart. Uncle Edmund STAYED
at home and made more, becoming so clever
at the work as to earn his food and shelter.
On the back of the mans gray horse, Uncle
Edmund would not unfrequently go
wandering in the twilight as far as his old
home, not being able to walk so far. He
would go round and round the house while
we slept like ghost, dreaming of ancient
days.
AS the story ended l forgot myself and
cried out: And that woman is Johns
mother I"