Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-23

there was a dream of her in the air; tn
birds sang of her thoughtfully, and the wint
was touched With chill "reminiscences. Blu
what matter? let her come, let the fate o
the year be fulfilled.
These fancies drifted through q hea,
cushioned on moss and half hidden anon,
LEAKAGE on the verge of a little wood, over
looking wide rough spaces of Englisl
country.
pair of sprawling legs revealed theil
presence at intervals by connections among
dead leaves The naturally dark face wa.
still more bronzed with August sunshine; il
was the face of a man saddened with wears
he had keen eyes, a thick beard an6
whiskers-like the underground that now
encompassed it-a forehead that friend:
called ''bumpy," eyebrows shaggy and over
shadowing. The features were heavy but
not coarse. In form the loiterer seemed
gigantic; he failed neither in length, breadth
nor thickness.
The vast depression which his bulk made
in surrounding brambles amused him.
81 have gained in extension if have lost
in elevation since those benignant days,
which this old tree knows as well as IL be
SAID inwardly, apostrophising the presiding
oak, which genfly, at intervals, sent a
stealthy leaf to join its fallen comrades.
The man shut his eyes and lay very still.
And ioi the oak tree no longer shed its
leaves and rustled mournfully; it was green
with the first pale green OF spring; the
whif of primroses came up through the
wood; the air was full of promise, and the
hand that now lay with close-shut palm
seemed to clasp another smaller. softer
hand!-the lost moments renewed them
selves, swept back wind-like over the years,
came close, caressed, thrilled every nerve,
and stirred each drop of blood The eyes
opened and the vision remained The self
same spot, the seif-same tree. Startlingly
familiar was each bend and contortion of
those old branches; every Leaf seemed an
old TREND! and the little wound in the
trunk Just above the level of the brow
painful, almost terrible was the vividness
OF sensation it evoked. So impossible to
the bewildered senses seemed old Times
wild work, sweeping away, tearing down,
dimming, DESTROYING, while the old scene
stared with unaltered eyes, and babbled
distractingly of the human things that
could never be again.
Never again-the thought ate and fretted
in the mind as acid upon steel 1t was
ridiculous as we'll as cruel, when every
birds note, every stir in the air, every sigh
of the woodlands insisted that these things
other second must be footstep sending
ripple through the silence-the breaking of
a stick, the pushing of a light, white figure
through the branches. A wind swept east
ward the heads of the trees; the dead leaves
swirled over the body of the man whose
face was turned toward the earth.
The rush of wind had concealed from him
the sound of someone approaching. A young
fellow, loosely attired, with a big Panama
hat shading his eyes, made a sudden pause
on coming to the vast form among the un-
dergrowth at the oak trees foot. He was
slightly built, with thin, worn face and
thoughtful expression. After a few sec
onds the close presence of human being
seemed to make itself felt, and the Hercu-
lean bulk stirred.
Taking brisk walkrswas the young
mans murmured comment
me OF starteL
tsOhl It's y61, is il? Come to measure
the difference between principle and prac-
tice.''
cit is me, or 1, as odious grammatical
people will have it, forgetting that me is
the most self-effacing form of expression
showing that the speaker looks at himself
effectively"
81 think YOU are about the most self
effacing fellow 1 know" said the elder man,
arranging his substance slowly against the
oak trunk.
''Self-effacement. Mr. Parkes, is compar-
atively easy to a man of moderate size"
said Wilfred Turner, sinking down among
the underwood.
"Have you room?" asked Mr.. Parkes
benevolently.
'Thank you, 1 have found crevice. L
like your way of taking exercise"
Joseph Parkes grunted.
81 thought sir, when saw you yesterday |
at Warrington Court that you had rever- |
$50 had, when you saw me yesterday at
Warrington Court
"Your to-day's variation lands you in |
contempt for the great world-rudder. All, |
foolish youth, for whom the Shrine is |
emptyi Replenish thy faith and set alight |
again the sacred lamp of reverence, lest |
evil things befaIl thee! Know that the |
muses. remain in their majesty, though at |
intervals their votaries take exercise under |
oak trees and think upon the days that are |
no more"
"Ahl is that what you are doing" Will
fred exclaimed
"Young man," said Joseph Parkes, 81
have Past
81 congratulate you" Wilfred returned. |
The man of letters gave short laugh.
81 always knew it." W'ilfred went on. |
'eYou have been envied and called success |
tul; but 1 felt there was something out of !
gear with you. You seem at times SO weary |
of things and people,
"NOt altogether on account of nv Past |
however" said Joseph Parkes. "Were |
as innocent of Past as yourself, think 1 |
should get tired of writing fugitive articles ,
Tor newspapers; 1 should weary of being |
everlastingly smart, and critical, and tell !
hot 7 hora
ridiculous longings to say what 1 really !
think sometimes. confession which know
/ may rely on you to hold sacred in your
own bosom"
Wiltred buttoned up his flannel coat
secretively.
That's right. Yes, it gets absolutely
it does indeed. However, it is
the way of the world, and one must keep
ones grumbling for ones self-efacirg
iriends"-
''NNho wish most heartily they could do
more useful than listen to them"
said Wiltred.
Then with some hesitation he went on to
suggest few ideas of more hopeful char
acter. Why did not Mr. Parkes say the
thing he wanted to saw? Why not write a
book on his own account? Honest speech
was far more wanted than smart newspaper
articles.
'But bread and butter for aged mothers
and spinster sisters is wanted more per-
than either" observed Parkes
And yet, and yeti
All! yes, Wilfred talked boldly; it was
lust the wav Joseph Parkes used to talk at
his age; ones heart warmed to such talk,
mel Did he not know that there
was Succubus stalking the highways of
he world, creature who had swallowed