Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1892-06-11

piece of folly, but 1 could not forget
those terrible eyes and l remember
with what actual dread ! looked into
the face of the first person with whom
| l talked.
| As time passed began to feel more
myself, and us dined just preparatory
to my return had shaken the feeling
from me and could laugh at what was
pleased to term the fancies of brain
overtaslled and heated.
| 1t was late when arrived in F.,
and after stay of four or five hours it
was just gathering dusk.
| 1.-The sinking sun
mass OF gold and purple in the west
The fieecy clouds
We're banking down to rest"
AS reached the depot AMI heard in
the distance the roar and rumble of the
approaching homeward-bound train /
wondered as it came in, snorting and
shrieking like a thing of life, if we
were not more than human, n race
whose brain could fashion such ponder
GUS machinery that single stroke
from one of the wheels would crush out
Of it's own creators all semblance of
humanity.
AS l ascended the steps tremor
seized me for which / could not ac-
count 1t brought back the scenes of
the day, but determining not to let this
silly weakness get the better of me l
turned resolutely to my freshly cut
magazine and soon became interested
in India scenes and Count Tolstois
work through Siberia and Russia. l
read until l grew tired and until the
tlicllering lights in the car thew
dancing shadows on my book, when
turned my face wearily and looked out
of the window.
The heated day had merged into q
cool night with signs of storm in the
heavens The moon, like broken
silver ring against the sky, had come
up grandly, and in the mellow light the
flying clouds and scuttling shadows made
a weird picture. A strong breeze was
rising, which brought to me the fresh
scent of hay fields. and l could almost
hear the drowsy twitterings of the
birds. The sweeping foliage of the
trees as we shot by bowed and swayed
in the night breeze, like dark phan-
toms, pausing just long enough to salute
each other in a grand courtesy before
the revelry of wild night dance. 1t
brought to me the lines:
=" The day is merging into the night,
| From the purple into the gray,
And along the cattle trail over the hills,
The tiocks are vending their way.
The heather mods itself to sleep,
| Rocked by the breeze of the night.
The swaying boughs have assumed strong
| forms.
In the weird fantastic light"
We whirled by farmhouses standing
in the shadow, and fields heavy with
fruit waiting for the sickle. The
soughing of the wind had played upon
my ear until it seemed my window had
become transformed into an 1Eolian
harp that was playing the story of my
life, and with the silver moon, and the
trees like tossing plumes, and the
shadows-I listened.
The soft melody of the tender, witch
ing strains was the tiny fingers of my
childhood as they twined about my
mothers heart, and then they increased
and grew as they passed from child
hood into girlhood, losing the subtle
sweetness and pure note, but increas-
ing in the volume of grand sound and
harmonizing chords-ever increasing,
ever changing, shifting, restless and
longing. Then strange, weird strain
swept across the strings, so intensely
sweet with wild imaginings that the
very air seemed to grow thick and
warm and the strings quivered and
wavered and sobbed and moaned in an
agony of pain, and cried out in anguish
and seemed to break into a ghostly dis
cord as we reached wild prairie
waste.
The moon was out silvery white,
banked by dark clouds, while a low,
rambling farmhouse stood silhouetted
against the plains
The train shot on. Station after sta
ton was passed until we were almost
home again. / had grown drowsy, and
throwing my heavy travelling wrap
about me rested against the cushion.
Suddenly raised my head and looked
around the car. l cannot describe the
force that compelled me, but am quite
sure that had my life been weighed in
the balance against my inclinations
could not have done otherwise. l saw
the same terrible eyes fastened upon
me with that awful glitter, and they
expressed more than mortal tongue
could have done-hatred, revenge, cru
city, fendishness.
!. / grew sick at heart. could under
stand now the fear that must possess
the poor little animal the prey of the
larger. My limbs trembled. My head
reelcd. My teeth chartered like cas-
tenets, and it seemed to me that the
beating of my heart could be heard al
over the car, above the roar and din ol
the rafting train. A desperate thought
flashed through my mind i would
speak to the conductor and ask his pro
lection, or that fatherly looking gentle
7 man in the corner who resembled {
physician. But what should i say2 Tel
him / was afraid of man on the trair
who was looking at me? Go to the