The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1900-02-01

ne sdlu:
"'Yes. Why should die here in
this awful darkness? They are warm:
they melt my frozen bloodv And he
stretched out his hands to take them
"Then In moment there arose be-
fore him the image of the thing he had
loved. and his hand dropped TO his side.
"'Oh. come to us! they cried.
.But he buried his face.
"'You dazzle my eyes, he cried. you
make my heart warm, but you cannot
give me what | desire. | will wait
here-wait till die. Cor
''Hescoyered his face with his hands
and would not listen. and when he
looked up again they were two twin
king stars, that vanished In the dis
lance
And the long. long night rolled on.
"All who leave the valley Of supersti-
ton pass through that dark land, but
some go through it in few days. some
linger there for months, some for
years. and some die there"
The boy had crept closer. His hot
breath almost touched the strangers
hand. A mystic wonder filed his eyes.
'At last for the hunter a faint light
played along the horizon. and he rose
to follow 1t, and he reached that light
at last and stepped into the broad sun-
shine. Then before him rose the al
mighty mountains Of Dry Facts and
Realities. The clear sunshine played
on them. and the tops were lost in the
al he N,
up. AM exultant cry burst from the
hunter. He chose the straightest and
began to climb, and the rocks and
ridges resounded with his song. They
had exaggerated. After all. it was not
so high, nor was the road so steep. A
few days. a few weeks, few months
at most. and then the top! Not one
feather only would he pick up. He
would gather. all that other men had
found. weave the net, capture Truth.
hold her fast, touch her with his hands,
clasp her!
HE laughed in the merry sunshine
and sang loud. Victory was very near.
Nevertheless. after awhile the path
grew sleeper. He needed all his breath
for climbing, and the singing died
away. On the right and left rose huge
the lavalike earth chasms yawned.
Here and there he saw sheen Of white
bones. Now, too, the path began to
grow less and less marked. Then it
became mere trace, with a fOotmark
here and there; then it ceased altogeth-
err. He sang no more. but struck forth
a path for himself until he reached a
mighty wall of rock. smooth and with
out break. stretching as far as the eye
could see. 4 will rear a stair against
it, and. once this wall climbed, shall
be almost there he said bravely and
| worked. With his shuttle of Imagina-
ton he dug out stones, but half Of them
would not fit. and half months work
would roll down because those below
were ill chosen. But the hunter work
ed on. saying always to himself, Once
this wall climbed, shall be almost
there, this great work ended!
"At last he came out upon the top,
and he looked about him. Far below
rolled the white mist over the valleys
Of Superstition, and above him tower
ed the mountains. They had seemed
low before. They were of an immeas-
urable height now, from crown to foun-
dation surrounded by walls of rock
that rose tier above tier in mighty cir
cles. Upon them played the eternal
sunshine. He uttered a wild cry. He
bowed himself on to the earth, and
when he rose his face was white. In
absolute silence he walked on. He
was very silent now In those high re-
gions the rarefied air is hard to breathe
by those born in the valleys. Every
breath he drew hurt him. and the
blood oozed out from the tips of his
fingers. Before the next wall Of rock
he began to work. The height Of this
seemed infinite, and he said nothing.
The sound Of his tool rang night and
day upon the iron rocks into which he
cut steps. Years passed over him. yet
he worked on, but the wall lowered up
always above him to heaven. Some
times he prayed that a little moss or
lichen might spring up on those bare
walls to be a companion to him, but it
never came"
The stranger watched the boys face.
"And the years rolled on. He count
ed them by the steps he had cut-a few
for a year, only few. He sang no
more. He said no more, 4 will do this
Dr. that he only worked. And at night
when the twilight settled down there
looked out at him from the holes and
crevices in the rocks many strange,
wild faces.
"'Stop your work, you lonely man,
and speak to u.s. they cried.
my salvation is in work. If l
should stop but for" one moment, you
would creep down upon me- he re-
piled. And they put out their long
uecks farther.
look down into the crevlce at your
feet they said. See what lie there
white bones! AS brave and strong
man as you climbed to these rocks.
And he looked up. He saw there was
no use. in striving. He would never
| hold Truth, never see her, never find
her. So he lay down here, for he was