The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-30

the cnalrman's ready hands. He glanced
rapidly over the manuscript with kind
ling eyes.
Nothing could be more beautiful and
approphate;" he observed enthusiastic
caily- With a slight preparatory .Ahem,'
he then read with noble intonation the
Following lines. which the Student Tray
eler had entitled:
OLD. TRIED AND TRUE.
& song I sing TO all that's old
Old, tried and truei All, l would fain
The bitter with the sweetest hold.
Could all old hands clasp mine again.
The face of Change / meet with fear;
Though good the new. the old is dear.
4 song ] sing to olden cheer:
For frosts Of autumn gid the leaf;
They crown the seasons: test the year.
They mist the grape and bind the sheaf;
Their tender touch is longest lent
To earth and air and armament.
a song I sing 70 oldcn ways
Old scenes, old homes, old ingle-nooks:
old faiths of blessed olden days:
Old myths, old rhymes and dear old
books:
And, II with faults. old friends: and calm
Loves flowing like some stately psalm.
o angel dread Of untried lands.
Move slow the pendulum Of change!
Hold kindly with thy faithful hands
Its longest reach in youthward range;
FOR sweet as is the new hours cheer,
The olden hours are dear. more dear.
81 now propose" said the Clerical Trav-
eler, when the hearty plaudits had some
what subsidized, las our first toast of the
evening, and as peculiarly appropriate TO
the occasion and the hour-Old Tried and
True" May such friendships ever grow
more leal and steadfast here and IN all
the lands hallowed by friendships. loves
and homes, this solemn New Years Evei"
We drank thu toast in silence. when.
save for a few moments congratulation
of the Student Traveller upon his lines.
we were certainly entering another
gloomy period of retrospective reflection
Each of our Ten Travellers seemed busy
with his own thoughts. Whatever these
may have been each individual had al
ready grown into a tense and nervous
mood.
The cracking of the blazing knots with
IN the cavernous fireplace brought sud
den starts and anxious movements to
some. The soughing of the night wind
In the huge chimney seemed TO distress
and distract others. The ticking of the
great clock in the corner gave out a deep
and omnibus sound. Our dog, Nero, now
and then looked up from his rug and
softly whined. The lights and shadows
m the newly polished panels curously
resolved themselves into grotesque fig
ures. And more than one of us noticed
with something like anxious interest, that
In place of the one light tread we had
.nfrequently seemed to hear on the floor
above our ceiling, there was now clearly
audible the sound of two walkers foot
falls which beat, beat, beat, with pen
etrative regularity back and forth upon
the softly creaking deals.
Wonder If the old place is haunted?"
qu!zzically inquired the Commercial Tray-
eler with gesture of his head toward
the ceiling.
NO doubt no doubt" promptly re-
Piled the Aimless Traveller with some en-
phasis. "All these old historic London
inns are haunted"
with returned claimants for over
charges by the sad dogs. their landlords"
cynically Interrupted the Merry Traveller
by the very tragedies which have cul-
minated within their chambers" insisted
the Chronic Traveller. with spirit. Every
apartment could tell it's grewsome tale
of the past-of blighted hopes, of loss
and discouragement. of strange meetings
and bitter separations, of loves awakening
to the hollowness of deception and treach-
cry, of suicide and crime. and, worse than
all Of lives fading out in loneliness, ST
lence and despair"
Come. come, Let's think of pleasanter
wraiths this New Years Eve" urged the
Clerical Traveller with just a hint of a
shudder in his broad shulders. This
room at all events, indeed no room near
it, can never again be haunted save by
gentle and loving wraths Surely more
than half hundred brave
life chapters have fallen from
our Ten Travellers lips in this
old room, within the year; life chapters
of faith nobly anchored, of sacrifice merit
ing its well-won reward, of love faithful
and loyal on and on through dolor 10 it's
largess of happiness. and of hope reach
ing its glad fruition at LAST
"A toast, then" ventured the Morose
Traveller with momentary enthusiasm,
''to all the Tales here told"'
"Hear!-hear!' came heartily from all
at the huge oak table.
ITO the Tales of Ten Travellers it shall
be- returned the Clerical Traveller. May
their fruitful influence be as benignant
as their making and telling have been
kindly, genial and purev'
He said this so glowingly, so like a
noble parent leading his offspring out to
the edge of the great worlds untried
lands with prayer and blessing, that this
toast, too. was drunk amid subdued and
suppressed murmurs of whole-hearted ac-
| cord.
But there it was again, the regular,
| persistent tread as of two feeble but tire
less walkers directly over our heads
1t checked the flow of conviviality. It
revived the half-formed fancies of su-
pernatural presences. It intensified the
cracking of the embers and the meas
ured pendulum-beat of our clock 1t
| somehow brought with it. even through
| the thick walls of our old inn. somber
| sounds and seemings from the outer
night.
! Quick looks of mutual surmise passed
| rapidly about the table.
! Most extraordinary" half-whispered
| the unusually quiet Comm-rcial Tray
| eler.
Perhaps they are some of the airy
! folk of our Tales. come back here for
| importunate reckoning" urged the Aim
| less Traveller with a meaning look above
! our heads.
/ Among more than a thousand that
/ have moved through the happv
/ hours in this good old room, there is not
! one I can recall who would turn u reprov-
/ ing or recriminating face upon u.s." said
! the Morose Traveller empbaticany. as if
/ dissenting upon the pleasant traits of alb
/ sent friends.
Here the Student Traveller passed slip
/ of paper 10 our chairman who read its
/ contents with Frightening face
/ kFasat~ a.