The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-09-25
THE RAYS WORK.

OF all the beautiful things in this
beautiful world there was none thai the
little ray loved so well as the summer
sea. He and his comrades would play
by the hour together with the ripoling
wavelets, darling from one TO another
in dazzling, mad flashes of light, spread
ing themselves over the waters, a sheet
of molten gold, till a touch OF the
winds light lips broke it up into o thou
sand shimmering fragments. And the
waves loved their playmates, too. and
each, as the rays kissed lit became itself
a little golden sun, sending forth itslight
into the radiant air, for the sea, like o
tickle, lovable woman, answers back to
all in their own moods and lis loved Just
because she cannot be trusted. Then,
where the waves broke ON the golden
sands or round the clean, dark rocks,
the little rays would fill their foam with
light till it shone more brightly white
than the Jungfrau' q crest, and the music
of the waves breaking was q joy song
! for their own loyeliness. Laughing, they
ran up the smooth sand and embraced
with teasing play the small pink feet
which scampered away before them,
while the suns rays flashed from their
surface to meet the light. brighter still,
which shone from children's eyes. Oh,
those were happy days, and rs the little
ray danced along over the waters he
hoped that they never might end.
But q time came when the voice OF
the wind sounded from afar. The sea
heard it and was troubled to its depths
at the new life of power and strength
which was tearing within it, while the
wavelets far and wide raised their tiny
crests, and in ripples Of white foam
whispered the news to another. The
clouds, too, heard the voice and gath
cred together at its bidding to spread
themselves a thick, dark curtain over
the sea and hide from the suns face
the things which were to be. And SO
the little ray could visit the sea no
longer nor join any more in sport with
his favorite playmates. AT this his
heart was very sad, and he took no de-
light in the other pleasures to which
his comrades called him. They told him
of the wild games they played with the
wind shaken leaves of tine forest; of the
snow cold peaks which they crowned
with dazzling splendor OF jewels; of fog
laden valleys filled with dream forms of
weirdest, strangest loneliness; of mys-
teries of beauty revealed midst the
worlds most squalid dreariness. But it
was all in vain. The little ray longed
for his lost playmates and would care
for none of these things.
As he wandered sadly among the
heavy, driving clouds, losing himself
in their sullen masses, searching for
some crevice through which he might
penetrate, one of them pitied him.
tSince you will 1t So, said she, II
will let you through, though / fear you
will find that dreams that are past can
never be dreamed again. THEN she
shrank back from her neighbor, and
with one swift word of thanks the little
ray darted down through the opening
she had made.
Down he went to the sea below and
there lay quiyering and lost in It's black
gulf. Oh, what q changed world II
wasi Above him the tempest hurried
along and shouted to the q az II
went, and the waves threw their white
heads up and answered back in crashing
thunders. death, death, and the END
of all thingsp' ~passionately yelled the
tempest. stRuini'' reared the waves.
aNanght is that can withstand usl'
q world of darkness and tumnlt an6
terrible unrest. The little ray lay whert
he had lighted, tremulous and afraid,
now glimmering for an instant among
c~ataracts OF rushing foam and then los
again i'm the dark depths of the water.
"HaI' cried the waves when they saw
him. $50 you are here, little ray. Tht
world is changed since You saw it last. :
Changed indeed said the ray. "Oh,
why cannot You be rs you were before
my playmates?'' But the waves laugh
ed, shaking spray from their crests Til
the tempest caught Ii and whirled ]
mountain high i'm the air. give u
the winds for playmates, " they cried
land the mems lives for our sport Tall
to as not of the wretched, spiritles
days that are past. The world La wortl
: living In now" "But you were happ.
then. You rejoiced in the earth's beau
ty and were happy, said the little "a.
wistfnlly. because we knew no bet
: ten, Y they answered. I'VE have learne'
since then that there Ii something faire
than beauty, more glorious than JOY
Oh, the rapture Of fury when we rails
the ship high in the air to hurl he
: down ON the rocks beneath---the crue
rocks whom we love and linger to kis
and Unfold In onr soft white arms eve,
! then in the joy Of that moment OF pow
er. To crush into pieces the might
; vessel with all its wealth and labor /
workmanship; to scatter abroad th
heavy fragments, finging them to an
fro In the very scorn Of our sovereig
strength; to watch men gasp in thei
9 death agony as we lift ourselves aboy
their writing bodies, and then to cras
q down and dash the life from their lips
e this Ii power, little friend; this is pov
er. and there is NO glory In the wcrl