The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1896-12-11
THAT PECULIAR GIFT.

ItHOiOdkhiuiS WhSiV PSoPiS "NAC
constantly passing and repassing.
She was young and beautiful and
her garments were all of gold. But
the people needed her not as they
passed though she called to all Of
them; young men, old men, middle
aged men and youths. But her
voice was so sweet and low that
many passed unhearing, and she
never called to the same one twice.
Some passed her indifferently, 9TH
ers contemptuously, and one, in the
first flush of manhood, and full OF
the pride of life, scoffed at her and
mocked her, but another heard her
voice in the distance and hastened
to clasp her in his arms. Then the
young man noticed that her gar
ments were all of gold and he said
regretfully, "What have | done?
What have | done?"
Then she said TO the other in sur.
prise, ''Dost thou know me?" And
the man replied: "Long years
have | listened for thy voice. All
my days have | longed to gaze upon
thy face" And he barred his head
before her and she saw that his hair
was silvered about the temples and
there were burrows on his brow, but
his face was full of patience and
strength and hope and determine
ton as he clasped her hand in his,
SO she answered, "Follow me-"
She led him from the city beyond
the cool, green meadows, to a place
where two roads stretched out be-
fore them. One road so bright and
beautiful in the sunlight, was Dor.
dered on either side by fragrant
! flowers, while the other was rough
and stony, bordered by briars and
thistles, but she chose the latter
road and he followed her. The
briars caught his garments and there
were many obstacles in the way,
but still he clung to her and strug'
gled on till they reached the sum
NIT of hill where she bade him
rest, and she showed him a little
: village nesting at the foot of tn,
hill. In the twilight's sombre shad
ows it looked poor and mean, and
he thought with regret of the beau
tiful city he had left behind, but sh'
. showed him many things and point
: ed out possibilities to him, and he
listened TO her voice till the shadows
deepened and she turned to depart,
Then he held out his arms to her
entreatingly but she said: "Nay,
| come but once in the life of every
man, but he that harkens to my
voice shall know both Prosperity
and Fortune" And, 10, he gazed
after the maiden longingly then de-
scended to the village below where
he followed her instructions and
Prosperity came to him, and by a
peculiar gift he recognized many
other opportunities when they came
to him, but he never forgot the first
one.
One night he heard a timid knock
at the door, a knock SO low and
.timid that none without this peculiar
gift would have heard it at all. He
hastened to open the door, and a
coquettish maiden stood on the
threshold, then he knew that this
was the lady whose coming had
been foretold. II am Fortune,
she said, and entered.
Another generation had risen.
Again the maiden as young and
bright and beautiful as OF yore stood
on the corner Of that busy street and
called to the passers-by, but the
passers-by were as Indifferent as the
former generation had been. At
last an old man with flowing beard
and faltering footsteps, clad in tat
ters, hobbled past, but he knew her
and strained to catch her voice, but
liz could not reach him. He was
deaf. Then he held out his arms
despairingly toward her, but she
shook her head. NAY, too late, J"
she said. "You Knocked me in
your youth. leone but once in the
life Of any man, too late, too late!"
Then he heard her voice and cried
out in grief, "Then l knew you not,
but now know you. You are the
Opportunity that ! lost, the golden
Opportunity that l missed, because
| would not harken to your voice."
and he sighed, "Aias!
There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which taken at the flood, leads ON to fort.
une.'"
But she did not hear. him. An
other man with that peculiar gift"
which men call foresight, had heard
her voice and clasped her in his
arms. CATHARINE THOMAS.