Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-07-10
CHAPTER XXVI.


Tell me what q soul desires, and
will tell ycu what it is" So runs the
phrase.
Tell me what a man dreams, and
will tell you what he loves" That
also has IT'S truth.
On the night when Gregory told his
story Waldo sat alone before the fire,
his untasted supper before him. He
was weary after his days work, too
weary to eat. He put the plate down
on the floor for Doss, who licked II
clean and then went back to his corner.
After time the master threw himself
across the foot of the bed without I'M
dressing and fell asleep there. He slept
so long that the candle burned itself
out and the room was In darkness. But
he dreamed a lovely dream as he lay
there.
In his dream, to his right rose high
mountains, their tops crowned with
snow, their sides clothed with bush and
bathed in the sunshine. At their feet
was the sea blue and breezy. bluer
than any earthly sea, like the sea he
had dreamed of in his boyhood. In
the narrow forest that ran between the
mountains and the sea the air was rich
with the scent of the honey creeper
that hung from dark green bushes, and
through the yelvety grass little streams
ran purling down into the sea. He sat
on q high, square rock among the
bushes. and Lyndall sat by him and
sang to him. She was only small
child, with blue pinafore and a grave,
grave, little face. He was looking up
at the mountains. Then suddenly when
he looked round she was gone. lie
slipped down from his rock and went
to look for her, but he found only her
little footmarks. He found them on
the bright green grass and In the moist
sand and there where the little streams
ran purling down into the sea. In and
out, In and out, and among the bushes
where the honey creeper hung, he went
looking for her.
At last, far off, In the sunshine, he
saw her gathering shells upon the sand.
She was not n child now, but woman,
and the sun shone on her soft brown
hair, and In her white dress she put the
shells she gathered. She was STOPPING,
but when she heard his step she stood
up, holding her skirt close about her,
and waited for his coming. One hand
she put in his, and together they walk
ed on over the glittering sand and pink
seashells, and they heard the leaves
talking, and they heard the water baD.
bling on their way to the sea, and they
heard the sea singing to itself. singing,
singing.
At last they came to place where
was a long reach of pure white sand.
the sand one by one the shells that she
had gathered. Then she looked up into
his face with her beautiful eyes. She
said nothing; but she lifted one hand
and laid it softly on his forehead The
other she laid on his heart.
With cry of suppressed agony Wal
do sprang from the bed, flung open the
upper half Of the door and leaned out
breathing heavily.
Great God! 1t might be only dream,
but the pain was very real, as though
knife ran through his heart, as though
some treacherous murderer crept on
him In the dark! The strong man drew
his breath like frightened woman.
'Only dream, but the pain was very
real" he muttered as he pressed his
right hand upon his breast. Then he
folded his arms on the door and stood
looking out into the starlight.
The dream was with him still. The
woman who was his friend was not
separated froIn him by years Only
that very night he had seen her. He
looked up into the night sky that all
his life long had mingled itself with
his existence. There were n thousand
faces that he loved looking down at
him, thousand stars in their glory, In
crowns and circles and solitary gran
deur. To the man they were not less
dear than to the boy they had been not
less mysterious, yet he looked up at
them and shuddered, at last turned
away from them with horror. Such
countless multitudes, stretching out
far into space. and yet not In one OF
them all was shei Though he search
ed through them all, to the farthest,
faintest point of light, nowhere should
he ever say, "She is herel' Tomor-
rows sun would rise and gild the
worlds mountains and shine into its
thousand valleys. 1t would set and
the stars creep out again. Year after
year, century after century, the old
changes of nature would go on, day
and night, summer and winter, seed
time and harvest, but In none of them
all would she have part!
He shut the door to keep out their
hideous shining and because the dark
was intolerable lighted candle and
paced the little room faster and faster
yet. lie saw before him the long ages
Of eternity that would roll on, on, on,
and never bring her. She would exist
no more. 4 dark mist filed the little
room.
"Oh, little handI Oh, little voicel
Oh, little formw he cried. "Oh, little
soul that walked with mine! oh, little
soul that looked so fearlessly down
into the depths, do you exist no more
forever, for all timer He cried more
bitterly: 'It is for this hour-this-that
men blind reason and crush out
thought For this hour-this, this
they barter truth and knowledge. take
any lie any creed, so 1t does not wills
per to them OF the dead that they are
deadl o God, God, for hereafter"
Muttering to himself, Waldo walked
with bent head. the mist in his eyes.
To the souls wild cry for its own
there are many answers. He began
to think OF them. Was not there one
of them all from which he might suck
one drop of comfort?
"You shall ,see her again. saws the