Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-11

ly endless lane of laden trees. But there
was no getting in and getting out apparent
ly of strange people. Perhaps every family
or group of friends had its own little gliding
car from which the world could be contem-
plated in quiet.
At one of these little leafy stations the
priest put forth his hand and received from
a pretty Indian girl two yellow bananas.
They were like yellow ears of corn, so large
were they. And such favorl The
world, the outside commercial world, has
never vet tasted banana, think. Those
wild things, gathered green by savages OF
the Caunibal Islands, and thrown into the
holds of sailing vessels to rot and ripen, and
ripen and rot, are not bananas. They are
disease. They are death, death for little
children.
And now we glided over glass bridge
thirsty horses had drank. and over and
through which had driven them in the des-
ert years and Years before.
The central railway station, where we now
stopped, and from which all tracks. trains,
pneumatic tubes, airship lines and even
streets and highways ran, was simply pal
ace, glorious palace of glass; blue above as
the sky is blue, and under foot the solid
earth, snow white sand, with fountains
bursting up through, trees, birds in every
tree.
She came forward to meet me with the
same dear old sincerity; the eloquence OF ST.
lence on her pale and holy lips as We stepped
from the car. But how pale and wan she
was nowi The terrible trials of her youth
were telling on her at last; even in this
Paradise. Her great, earnest eyes looked at
me as if looking out from another world.
Beautiful she was still. it is true.
The priest went his way without words.
There are times and they are very fire.
quent, when words are an impertinence.
There we're no servants, indeed no noise
of anv sort anywhere. 1t seemed as though
had at last found land on earth that had
some sense of rest. Here 1t seemed as if it
were one eternal Sunday. And right and
left, up and down the long wooded and wat
cred streets people were coming and people
were going; pausing now to speak to one
another in a soft and restful fashion, linger-
ing to listen, turning about to catch last
look or word, but that was all. The chat
tering was lett TO the birds.
Passing ON and MP and around through
lanes of perfumed woods, by sparkling
fountains and pleasant trout pools. we came
to the summit, or rather the center, where
the great fountain, of which spoke, that
bubbled and boiled up through the massive
blocks and broken ruins, still watered the
thirsty world below. She paused here to
rest a moment and turned to look below.
She put out her hand. comprehended her
thought. She had indeed built city; her
city in the desert. This where we stood was
the hub of wheel; in every direction ran
the spokes. At the tip of the spokes and far
out and around at the foot of the mountains
ran track of glass around which cars of
liz 81 oil Aa oil
around and over their own little world of
curious and intricate web in silence aud
harmonious perfection.
But the title deeds of it alp The world
will come this way some day and then
what?"
"Ah, that have provided for. You are
a poet. L am builder merely. You are
of heaven. but am only of EARTH And SO
after escaped"
"Escaped?"
"You did not know ] was for two years in
PRISON."
And waited but one."
"Ah, we'll I know. You waited long, for
a man. But as 1 was going on to say, 1
sent to London after searched Mexico City
through and found that the owner of this
desert lived there; and 1 bought the whole
great so leagues of desert for small sum.
And so you see 1 have in this, at least, lived
up to the Lords prayer, lead us not into
temptation for no man will be tempted to
try to take this land from us. Then l came
here with quite number of colonists, and
the first thing L did was to deed to every In
dian, man, woman or child, an alternate
section. They, in turn, after giving me a
fair trial, have surrendered all to the COM
munity and became part owners in every
thing. /, in turn, have given all by irrevo-
cable will to our community. There is not
human being here, from the priest who
brought you here down to the babe born
within this hour who is not full partner
In all this vast garden and city of the
desert" She arose and we passed on.
"And they are all so happy and prosper
ous," 1 exclaimed, my mind turning back
to the brown girls had seen gathering
fruit among the broad leaves as we glided
down from the mountains an hour before.
$50 happy, SO healthy and so beautiful"
she exclaimed, as we entered her retreat
where she threw herself on lions skin that
covered broad silken couch. 1 sank at
her side. 1t seemed to me that this lions
skin meant much. I, in my vanity and ego
tism, said to myself. she has had this
made ready for my coming. She has for
given my kisses at Cairo. All blessed Cairo;
and thrice blessed forgivenessP
/ put out my hand to touch, and take hers
to my heart. She did not repel me. She
did not take her hand away. She did not
disdain my touch. But somehow her soul
seemed far, far away; above me, SO far above
me. So much larger she seemed as I sat
there in my narrow vanity and selfshness,
that felt like sliding from the lion skin to
the floor and crouching there in the dust at
her feet. How TRANQUILITY grand she was in
all her silent splendor. Time had only made
her more glorious, glorious in body rs in
soul it seemed to me now as she sat there all
aglow and flushed with the excitement Of
our meeting. But it was only momentary,
this flush and glow and glory of form and
face. Beauty there was, and glow and
color, fervor and fire even; but it was the
fading fire and glow of the dying sun.
CHAPTER TX.
The sun had gone down. The stars were
out. And yet it was not night, or at least it