Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-05-17

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not hear him.
Truth! Who is she? Can you eat
her? Can you drink her? Who has
ever seen herr Your birds were real
All could hear them sing. Oh, fool!
Vile reptile, Atheistr they cried. You
pollute the air"
Come; let us take up stones and
stone him. cried some.
what affair is it of oursF said
others. Let the idiot CO. and went
away But the rest gathered up stones
and mud and threw at him. At last
when he was bruised and cut the
hunter crept away into the woods, and
it was evening about him"
At every word the stranger spoke the
fellows eyes flashed back on him
yes, and yes, and yes! The stranger
smiled. 1t was almost worth the trou-
BILE of exerting oneself, even on lazy
afternoon, to win those passionate
flashes, more thirsty and desiring than
the love glances of n woman.
HE wandered on and on" said the
stranger, land the shade grew deeper.
He was on the borders now of the land
where it is always night. Then he
stepped into it, and there was no light
there With his hands he groped, but
each branch as he touched it broke
off, and the earth was covered with
cinders At every step his foot sank
in, and n fine cloud of impalpable ash
rs flew up into his face, and it was
lark. SO he sat down upon stone
Ind buried his face in his hands to wait
A that Land of Negation and Denial
till the light came.
"And it was night in his heart also.
"Then from the marshes to his right
and left cold mists arose and closed
about him. A fine, imperceptible rain
fell in the dark, and great drops gath
cred on his hair and clothes. His heart
beat slowly, and a numbness crept
through all his limbs. Then, looking
up, two merry whisp lights came dane
ing. He lifted his head to look at
them. Nearer nearer they came, so
warm, so bright, they danced like stars
of fire. They stood before him at last.
From the center of the radiating flame
In one looked out woman's face,
laughing, dimpled, with streaming yell
low hair. In the center of the other
were merry, laughing ripples, like the
bubbles on a glass Of wine. They
danced before him.
"Who are you, asked the hunter,
who alone come to me in my solitude
and darkness?
"'We are the twins Sensuality! they
cried. Our fathers name is Human
Nature, and our mothers name is Ex-
cess. We are as old as the hills and
rivers, as old as the first man, but we
never die they laughed.
"4Oh, let me wrap my arms about
your cried the first. They are soft
and warm. Your heart Is frozen now,
but will make it beat. oh, come to
mer
"1 will pour my hot life into you,'
said the second. Your brain is numb,
and your limbs are dead now, but they
shall live with a fierce free life. Oh,
let me pour it inp
"'Oh, follow u.s. they cried, and live
with us, Nobler hearts than yours
have sat here in this darkness to walt,
and they. have come to us and we to
them, and they have never left us, nev-
er. All else is a delusion, but we are
real, we are real Truth is a shadow,
the valleys of superstition are c farce
the earth is of ashes, the trees all rot
ten, but we-feel us-we live! You
cannot doubt us. Feel us. How warm
we are! Oh, come to us! Come to US!
"Nearer and nearer round his head
they lowered, and the cold drops melt
ed on his forehead. The bright light
shot into his eyes, dazzling him, and
the frozen blood began to run. And
he said:
"'Yes. Why should l die here in
this awful darkness? They are warm;
they melt my frozen blood! And he
stretched out his hands to take them.
"Then in n moment there arose be-
fore him the image of the thing he had
loved, and his hand dropped to his side.
"'Oh, come to usp they cried.
"But he buried his face.
"'You dazzle my eyes, he cried, you
make my heart warm, but you cannot
give me what 1 desire. / will wait
here-wait till l die. Go!
HE covered 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
tance.
"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 n faint light
played along the horizon, and he rose
to follow it, 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
clouds. At the foot many paths ran
up. An 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. \
few days, a few weeks, a 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 patti
grew sleeper He needed all his breath
for climbing, and the singing died
away. On the right and left rose huge
rocks, devoid of lichen or moss, and III
the lavalike earth chasms yawned
Here and there he saw a sheen OF white
bones. Now, too, the path began tc
grow less and less marked. Then II
became n mere trace, with footmarb
here and there; then it ceased altogeth
er. He sang no more, but struck forth
a path for himself until he reached q
mighty wall of rock, smooth and with
out break, stretching as far rs the eye
could see L 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-
tion he dug out stones, but half of them
would not fit, and half n months work
would roll down because those below
were i'll chosen. But the hunter work
ed on, saying always to himself, Once
this wall climbed, l shall be almost
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