The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-06-28

IL Was. cfowded with things me4o or fees
.distinct A bridge and roadway thereby
were the ciearest. lie dared not stare too
hard because of the strain on his eyes.
Eyesl The word brought something
more to him. He had been warned not 10
strain his eyes, and by doctor, too, who
lived In street near the bridge
The blackbird lit on hazel twig close
10 him, and shrieked again. The sound
awoke him second time, and he listened
dreamily as his disturber uttered O final
cry and reiterated across the open space to
q olump of jumpers.
He winked his eyes against the velvety
darkness and gathered up the skein Of the
vision again. The sense Of security which
he associated with being in the dark now
explained itself He had been warned
not to use his eyes much. But he did it
did 1t, always was doing it-against or
ders. What said the vision? 1t was bright
er still, and showed him something more.
The little views of the street and the canal
and the smiling faces were ranged to-
gether evenly, each In its little franc of
cloud. The flneness of their lines was ex-
quisite. Hecrawled forward for a moment
to examine them, and saw that tboy were
gaze with guilty start.
A cart came into hearing and ratified
over the fiints in newly mended bit of
road, tumbling the vision out of sight and
bringing him back to a rude realization of
the shaw and the damp moss and the
darkness. Then tho concrete meaning &C.
CURED to him. He had been steel en-
graver once. How long ago he could not
tell 1t was battle between his eyes and
the lines in the steel. And the lines had
won, pushed bis brains sideways, as 1t
seemed to him, SO that one day he dropped
his tools on the floor and cried for help
and vowed not to i'll use his eyes again
too late.
The vision came to his help once more.
1t was more radiant and wonderful. The
faces were known to him now. They were
portraits of his wife and three children,
and the peculiar design of the vision fol-
lowed closely in style frontispiece for a
book Of Christmas stories by Charles Dick
ems. 1t was the most perfect portrayal of
life In the world or out Of it, and all his
own. The faces could speak He could
hear the echo of steps on tho path under
the bridge. Even tho peculiar smell of the
place came back to him. The hum of
voices was pleasant music and the smile
was smile of universal recognition. Life,
health and happiness were concentrated in
the moving scene. 1t occurred to him
further that tho street was Shepherdess
walk and the bridge SPAWNED the Regents
canal.
There remained one final transformation
before the whole vanished. Hecould never
describe it properly because the unearthly
beauty of the scene declined to be commit
ted to words. but he said that he saw
over all the face of the great Snowman
who orders and governs all visions and
dreams. And he added that the meaning
of everything he had seen was made mani
fest to him, including the meaning of his
life within the Place of Yellow Brick. His
mind WAS raised out Of the darkness, and
he looked just for the moment on the bril-
liant landscape, Shepberdess walk, the
Regents canal, tho people in the carts and
on the paVemcnts, all lit up with one daz-
zling iridescenco reflected from the face of
God.
Whether by design or coincidence 1t may
not be known, but at this second the moon
leaped suddenly from behind ridge of
Clouds and shed q sheaf of her rays on his
closed eyes. He stretched out his hands
and awoke slowly and painfully. There
seemed to be a harsh voice telling him that
1t was time to forsake visions and grasp
tho real world. 1t must have seemed a
very harsh voice indeed to man newly
awakened in body and soul alike, whose
clothes were wet, whose limbs were chilled
and stiff, and whose chief sensations were
of 70 hu Rttt hn al, =
With his hands to his forehead he stag
gered forth from the shaw across the scrub
into the road, trembling but sane man.
They found him-the two keepers who
had been sent to search--walking steadily
toward London. He turned back with
them without comment or dcmur Only
when they arrived within sight of the
Place of Yellow Brick he asked TO be blind
folded-for the sake Of his eyes, he said.
Later he was confronted with the head
doctor, as are all truants from the Place
of Yellow Brick.
"This is bad CASE" said the head doc
tor.
There was no reply.
"a disappointment, too, to me-" he
went on. Il thought you were much bet
ter. Take your hand away from your
eyes"
The truant dropped his hand to his side
and murmured, Il was much better, sir"
He spoke very softly, for fear the dread
full old self should hear and awake. Con-
sequently the other did not hear him, but |
merely leaned back and looked warily in |
to his eyes. After half minute, during
which they remained in mutual gazc the |
head doctor sighed and reached forward to
an electric bell on the liable. Then no |
wrote on half sheet of paper: "No. All.
Watch carefully and report" As the pen
moved over the paper, No. All knew that
tho old terror had begun again. and as the
came homo to him he felt the
cloud settling on his brain.
But as they led him from tho room he
to say, at was true, sir, while
1t lastcd-worth anything to mor'
Hopeless said the head doctor as the
door closed. Temple Bar.