The Red Cloud chief., 1896-05-29
CLASS OF SO.
Continued from page A.
Prophecy.

Greeks and Romans. If thou beest
god, carry ms out OF the 18Th cen
tur,. back, back to the shrine OF Del.
phi, where thy mutterings and thy
omcns are construed, unroll for US,
tonight, the scroll of the future as
thou didst in the time OF Aeneas,
when the little band Of Trojans bat
tied So desperately with the elements;
rend IN twain that dark, mysterious
veil which hangs between us and our
destiny; or, il thou beest too aged
give to US at east to hear the mutter.
ings Of thy voice, to see the presence
OF thy face.
Scarce had / breathed my prayer.
when, 10, the North Wind and the
South Wind, and the East Wind and
the West Wind rushed upon mt with
. mighty roar. 10 the awful chaos
that followed, l was borne past hill
and dale, over continent and ocean,
and finally gently laid at the foot Of a
beautiful mountain. l looked about
me. A strange people clad in quaint
garments; an impsnetrabl, forest;
the blue sea shimmering in the dis
lance; the snow. capped mouotain,
sparkling in the sunshine, appeared
around me. l was bewildered by the
quaintness, by the wealth of natural
splendor. Turning, | asked a passer.
BY: Friend, where am II" The
venerable sire, compassionately gazing
upon me, answered in the plainest
Volapuk; "This is Delos, the isle of
the Delphic oracle. Yonder is the
shrine of Jupiter"
l was %somewhat stunned, thinking
that perhaps this was a cruel jest, but,
hearing the whirr of wings, l glanced
above. There, balancing himself up.
Oh the air, wal a shadowy form beck.
onipg to me-. AS soon as he saw m
upliited eyes, be also addressed me 10
that strange new universal language:
"Be not afraid; Mercury, the wing.
footed messenger Of the gods, sum.
mons thee TO the shrine Of the father.
Follow me-"
On aod on ] went, past tiny rill
and r~ivulet, through rocky gorge,
along a steep abyss. l reached the
widest, wierdest spot of all that isle.
Before me stretched the great, rest.
less, murmuring, complaining sea;
behind, the forest, whose giant trees
nodded and sighed and answered
back the deep. In this solitude was
the shrine Of Apollo; here he was
wont to disclose himself. Awed by
the awful s%ublimity, | sat and museu
Suddenly the artillery Of the sky
thundered to the left of me. The
reverberations rolled and rolled and
rolled against the rock. bound caverns:
The jagged lightning played upon the
waves, the sea became uncommonly
agitated. Then above a crested wave
appeared n hoary head; the luminous
eyes shone full upon me. "Child of
the setting sum-" quorh he, "Thy
wish is granted. Behold the scroll of
time The Book of the ages shall
open for thee" The head, frosted by
hve thousand winters, dr. oped for.
ward on the aged breast. Intensely
did | listen for the prophetic words.
Slowly the endless roll of parchment
unwound itself. There was a whirr
aud clicking as Of a spring loose from
its attachment. Page upoa page of
the Book of Time passed through into
the water. Then there was a clicking
very like an Edison Phouograph.
Monotonously the name and history of
generations past and generations vet
unborn was chsnted. At last familiar
sounds began to shape themselves.
Then family hoated nm IN mo Tho
vsinly %smothered sigls of the '96ers,
Who failed 10 be. l shudder with
them, but-a cog has slipped.
hear no moro. A long blank follows.
Now, again l hear accustomed names.
The first to hold my fancy is that Of
Bell. Her psst speeds by, We
not for IL it's her future tina, we
wish to hear. Listen with me. Thus
All onfo d uA~..- |