Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-06-15
IN THE MINDS EYE.
A vifion That Came to Listener While
the Fiddler PLAYED.

A vifion That Came to q Listener While
the Fiddler Played.
Every man has somewhere in his mem
ory pictures that come wildly before his
minds eye. summoned perhaps at will,
perhaps by word, by some feature of an
alien landscape, by an odor, by few
notes of music-in short, by any one of
the things, tangible Or intangible. that
serve mysteriously to link the past and
present in the individual mind. One of
company listening to an excellent fid-
dler the other night suddenly found that
by some unguessed principle of associa-
ton the music was calling up half for
gotten scenes. Doubtless in the case of
many others present memory was busy
while the music sounded. Here are some
of the things that came before the lis
tener in question:
The lights of the room where the au-
iiencc sat were shining in his eyes, but
what he saw was not there, only n
shrouded sky of sultry June night aft
er storm, with uneasy mutters of with
drawing thInders in the nir, drops still
HUH tll0 uGIcC lOliatrSC VI tuC
trees, and here and there overhead u
single star shining in a rift that showed
an irregular bit of the blue black and
velvety heavens. The "big road stretch
ed white, far up and down through the
gloom, and one could distinguish inky
masses Of high foliage about q home
stead. Just across the road from the
homestead there was splash of warm
light from the half open door of the
country store. and passing from gloom
to gloom through the light We're occa-
sional silhouetted figures of whites and
negroes in rough straw hats and work
ing clothes. The scent Of a purple dotted
clover field hard by the store was heavy
on the sullen atmosphere There was
much talk, and there came from the re-
gion of the store loud negro laughter and
boisterous negro salutations. Then the
cry of pump handle under vigorous
arm was heard, and there passed into
the store through the broad ribbon of
light great earthen pitcher, dripping
with fresh drawn water. Now the
wheels Of swift drawn carriage cut
through the wet sand of the road, and a
moment later the steaming figure of a
we'll made horse was seen belted with
light from the doorway. A man alight-
ed, whip in hand Some of the crowd
drew near and talked of the steaming
horse, and one backed him SO that his
keen head with its distended nostrils
and foaming mouth were well within
the stream of light. The driver. his pur-
chase made, stepped into his carriage
and was soon swallowed up in the
gloom, while the crowd talked of him
and his horse until the echo of his
wheels died in the distance
Suddenly a negro began to play the
jewsharp, another fell to patting juba,
and three or four began to dance, while
the others looked on with odd half saw
age cries of applause and loud outlaws.
The thin metallic music went crinkling
through the veins of all.that heard, and
one after another, though wearied with
long days work, fell into the hard
athletic dance. The music and the dane
ing continued till the last white man
filed out of the store and the door was
locked on the gloomy interior. Every
body knew then that it was 10 O'Clock,
and all trudged off their several ways,
save two Or three negroes who remained,
their voices gradually sinking low into
the confidential talk that comes upon
small companies under the spell of
night.
An hour later the late risen moon was
silvering the surface of great tidal
river, in sight from the upper windows
of the homestead The two or three ne
groes were still gossiping in the gloom
at the corner of the store, one of them
occasionally giving short, weird, melan-
choly touches ON the jewsharp. They
had gone before midnight, and the place
was silent, save for the distant melodies
of other negroes singing in chorus as
they trudged homeward on the high
ways under the now cloudless and moon
lit sky. An hour later these haunting
melodies had died out of the air, and
there were only silence, moonlight and
the odor from the clover field left to pos
sess the region along with the mysteri-
GUS summer night, until earliest dawn
should put to fight moonlight and mys-
terry, wake the birds and call men to the
DAYS activities. New York Sun.