Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-06-07

toward 1t, bending men and things
most unlikely to her purpose-she must
succeed at last. Men and things are
plastic They part to the right and
left when one comes among them NOV
ing in a straight line to one end.
know it by my own little experience"
she said. Long years ago | resolved
to be sent to school. 1t seemed thing
utterly out Of my power. but waited,
| watched, | collected clothes, | wrote,
took my place at the school. When all
was ready, | bore with my full force
on the Boer woman. and she sent me
1T last. 1t was u small thing, but life
is made up of small things. as body Is
built up of cells. What has been done
In small things can be done in large,
shall be-" she said softly. Waldo lis
tened. To him the words were no con-
fession, no glimpse into the strong,
proud. restless heart OF the woman.
They were general words with gen.
eral application. He looked up into
the sparkling sky with dull eyes.
Yes" he said; but when we lie and
think and think we see that there is
nothing worth doing. The universe Is
so large. and man is so smalP'-
She shook her head quickly.
But we must not think so far. 1t
is madness; 1t is disease. We know
that no mans work is great and stands
forever Moses is dead and the proph-
ITS. and the books that our grandmoth-
ers fed on the mold is eating. Your
poet and painter and actor-before the
shouts that applaud them have died
their names grow strange; they are
milestones that the world has passed.
Men have set their mark on mankind
forever, as they thought, but time has
washed II out as 1t has washed out
mountains and continents" She raised
herself on her elbow. And what If
we could help mankind and leave the
traces of our work upon 1t to the end?
Mankind is only an ephemeral blossom
on the tree of time. There were others
before 1t opened; there will be others
after ii has fallen. Where was the
man in the time of the dicynodont and
when hoary monsters wallowed in the
mud? VIII he be found in the cons
that are to come? We are sparks. we
are shadows, we are pollen, which the
next wind will carry away. We are
dying already. II is all dream.
81 know that thought. When the
fever of living Is on us. when the de-
sire to become, to know, to do, Is driv-
ing us mad, we can use 1t as an ano-
dyne to still the fever and cool our
beating pulses. But it is poison, not
a food If we live on Ii, 1t will turn
our blood to ice. We might as well
be dead We must not, Waldo.
want your life to be beautiful, to end
in something. You are nobler and
stronger than l." she said, land as
much better as one of Gods great an
gels Is better than SHINING man.
Your life must 20 for something"
"Yes; we will work." he said.
She moved closer to him and lay
still, his black curls touching her
smooth little head.
Doss, who had laid at his masters
side, climbed over the bench and curl
ed himself up in her lap. She drew
her skirt up over him. and the three
sat motionless for long time.
"Waldo," she said suddenly, they
are laughing at u.s."
"Who?" he asked, starting up.
"They-the stars" she said softly.
"Do you not see? There Is n little,
white, mocking finger pointing down
at us from each one Of them! We are
talking of tomorrow and tomorrow,
and our hearts are SO strong; we are
not thinking of something that can
touch us softly in the dark and make
us still forever. They are laughing at
us, Waldo"
Both sat looking upward.
"Do you ever prayT he asked her In
low voice.
mo"
81 never do, but ] might when look
up there. | will tell you," he added, In
a still lower voice, where could pray.
If there were a wall Of rock on the
edge of a world, and one rock stretch
ed out far, far into space, and / stood
alone upon 1t, alone, with stars above
me and stars below mel would not
say anything, but the feeling would be
prayer"
There was an end to their conversa-
ton after that, and Doss fell asleep on
her knee At last the night wind grew
very chilly.
"Ah," she said, shivering, and draw
ing the skirt about her shoulders, Il
am cold Inspan the horses, and call
me when you are ready"
She slipped down and walked toward
the house, Doss stiffiy following her,
not pleased at being reused. At the
door she met Gregory.
II have been looking for you every
where; may not drive you home" he
said
"Waldo drives me-" she replied. pass
ing on, and 1t appeared to Gregory that
she looked at him in the old way, with
out seeing him. But before she had
reached the door an idea had occurred
to her, for she turned.
eff you wish to drive me, you may"
Gregory went to look for EN-, whom
he found pouring out coffee In the back
room. He put his hand quickly on her
shoulder.
1Ou Win w
going to drive your cousin home"
But / can't come just now, Greg. /
promised Tant Sannie Muller to look
after the things while she went to rest
little"
"Well, you can come presently, can't
you? didn't say you were to come
now I'm sick Of this thing" said
Gregory, turning sharply on his heel.
"Why must | sit up the whole night
because your stepmother chooses to get
marriedT
"oh, It's all right, Greg. I only
MEANT
But he did not hear her, and man
had come up to have his cup filed.
An hour after Waldo came In to look
for her and found her still busy at the
table.
"The horses are ready" he said, 'but
If you would like to have one dance
more l will wait"
She shook her head wearlly.
"No, | am quite ready. want to
go"
And soon they were on the sandy
road the buggy had Travelled an hour
before Their horses, with heads close
together, noddlng sleepily as they
walked in the starlight, you might have
counted the rise and fall OF their feet
In the sand, and Waldo In his saddle
nodded drowsily also. Only En- was
awake, and watched the starlighted
road with wide open eyes. At last she