The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-12-15

ING TINKLE.
| negroes assembling in front OF the house.
| The invitations had not been confined 10
the tenants on the coloneFs place. but
had included those who lived on some of
the adjoining farms.
The colonel was early astir He brought
1u,ep TO my room, and handing il 10 me,
remarked: Under amber glass. Don't let
that point get away from you. Listen az
'em down there. Happiest people on the
face Of the earth-the only real philoso-
piers. Do you know what I've got for
them? Molasses candy for the children
and eggnog for the men and women. You
| know that negro has always thought that
10 have enough eggnog is to catch a
glimpse of heaven. We got up before day
and made wash kettle full Of it. Drink
| that. Amber glass. I'm afraid that you
are about TO let that point get away from
| you
assured him that was not 1 told him
| that ii was really better than the mint
that grew along the branch, and this
| pleased him. "Ah." said he, II see that
| you have not lived too long in the North.
| Well, let us go down and open up
What day that was, With yoke of
steers the negroes drew an enormous
I hickory log into the yard, bored auger
holes into it, loaded the holes with gun
| powder and Jared the neighborhood. They
! strange songs. AT noon they were Toasted
| and at evening they took their departure,
| some of them wabbling as they walked.
And now | have come to a mystical
| part of the recital / have never bel.ev-
| ed in the mysterious have mildly hooted
| al Impractical owl, striving to deal alone
with pain realities-but / am impeued.
| even al the risk of being charged with
/ untruth, to tel OF something that oc-
! Cured during the night the followed
+, our noisy merrymaking. Until late the
! colonel and l sat in the parlor, a room
| which once had been richly adorned, but
/ which was now dingy with faded finery.
| l admit that We had talked a great deal
| about the amber glass. / confess that the
/ old man, as he sat in a rocking chair OPP
! posite me, became shadowy and uncer-
| tain. l acknowledge that / lay down up
| on an old horseha!r sofa. 1 had nothing
| to say. but the colonel continued to talk.
He told me that the North. with all its
| wonderful resources. could not set up
! that was his term-cou.d not set up
| such a Christmas as the one We had just
| seen. OF course mint could be raised there
1 under amber glass, eggnog could be made
| there. and hickory logs could be blown
| asunder with gunpowder. but no such
spirit of the past could be invoked. l
| didn't argue with him. L couldn't
| 1t must have been about midnight when
the old fellow. getting up and feeling about
AoI SOHittA4iS NAlCh nc rutu not HHd,
| turned to me and said: I'm going into
| the other room and lie down. An idea for
! the betterment of my country. sir. has just
| occurred to me, and / must needs so and
| work ii out. You may go 10 your ,oom
| or lie there, just as you please"
He fumhled his way out. and I continued
| 70 lie there. My head was clear, yet ev-
| erything / looked at appeared to have an
| amber cast, the pictures, the furniture.
/ and especially an old harpsichord in the
| corner. 1t was an ancient instrument.
| with spindle legs and with its feet turned
| under, as II Il would soften its weight
upon the floor. | must have dozed Off
! 20 sleep, for l remember that for a few
| minutes / knew nothing. and then, open
/ ing my eyes, I was conscious OF a light
! n the room; not the ,amplight. for that
! had gone out, not merely the moonbeams
that fell n az the window. but a luminous
hazy fog. Il seemed 10 float about. Yes:
il was floating, for il crossed the room and
lowered near the h2rpschOrd. | knew
! that t had no existence except in my
own fancy. and yet ! watched I lntentIy
Suddenly / saw motion, quick. impuls-ve
"A Low hanging sleeve. white, .aceljke-
swept above the keys Of the old instru-
mtnt. And then there came a soft and
thrilling tirkle. SCI I knew that Il was
a fancy, hat l was afraid 10 move lest
/ ! might frighten the vision away. The
tnklinE ceased, and then there came the
Z mos rAtk 45lS f'rttt.t . J ever lGHTI.
the love song in a fairys opera. In
! nearly al tunes there IS a memory Of
other airs, but this brought up nothing
that I had ever known II was new in its
delicious sweet ncss. over and over again
/ ii was played and I lay there with ny
eyes wide open, entranced. There was q
sudden darkeainS Of the room and the
music was hushed. ] arose. ard. walking
! mp and down, whistied the tune I went
70 the ola mans door stu Wh-stliug it,
and tapped TO arouse him, but his snoring
was the only answer 7 received. so / went
back 20 the sofa ard lay down the tune
s;il running. ike a sun rejecting rivulet.
[ through ny head. ! dropped 20 sleep and
awoke with a jump. The sun was shining
The tune, I strove to whistle Il. Not a
har % e came 20 me. Then il must all
have been 4 dream. and 7 was wiling %
let T. go a. sweet nightmare. bur at
breakfast the negro that waited on the
table asked me- r 7 did not t-y 70 wake
the colonel during the night. said that
he thought he heard me tapping on his
door. Then X was not sdream.
I sad nothing % The old man about the
vision. bat all day I strova 70 catch tha-
cure !. wouldn't come. And yet ] felt
st. heard e humm'ng deep within myself
Ari thus L vas day after day 7 have
had q simple tune 20 rule ne, but a. last
oou.3 fight * of whistle & % duIluass.
and then throw Il away but this mystical
air mastered me-would not let me whistle
it-nestIed in my heart and hummei soft
" Blu; tha humming gradually grew less
and one day K ceased. And then I wished
for . back aga'n. 7 had lost something.
Another Chr.s-ma5 was approaching. and
J wrote % the colonel telling hsru -ha+ he
might look for me. Il don't want any old
time hurrah." ! said "a nv letter '.but 7
10 want 70 sleep On that old horseha.r
( sofa ore more Christmas night
Tie old gen,leman's answer was fun
OF hlct-ed eEclaTatjons His people were
/ OF again he said. and he swore tha. ne
was on the point OF writing to ne when