The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-01-12


can never put his foot across them
Left, they are left forever. Upon the
! road which you would travel there is
no reward offered. Who goes. goes
freely, for the great love that is in
him. The work is his reward
CO. said the hunter, but upon
| the mountains. tell me, which path
shall take?'
am the child OF the Accumulated
knowledge of Ages said the man. 4
can walk only where many men have
trodden. On those mountains few Feet
have passed. Each man strikes out a
path for himself. He goes at his own
peril. My voice he hears no more.
may follow after him, but cannot go
before him.
'"Then knowledge vanished.
"And the hunter turned. He went to
his cage and with his hands broke
down the bars, and the jagged iron tore
his flesh. 1t is sometimes easier to
build than to break.
"One by one he took his plumed birds
| and let them fly. But when he came to
his dark plumed bird he held it and
looked into it's beautiful eyes, and the
bird uttered its low, deep cry-Immor-
| tality!'
"And he said quickly: 4 cannot part
with it. 1t is not heavy. 1t eats no
| food. will hide it in my breast.
will take it with me- And he buried
| 1t there and covered it over with his
cloak.
I hn hnH
| heavier. heavier, heavier, till it lay on
his breast like lead He could not
move it. He could not leave those val
leys with it. Then again he took it out
and looked at it.
ooh, my beautiful, my hearts own"
he cried May not keep your
Gle opened his hands sadly.
| "'Go,' he said. 1t may happen that
in Truths song one note is like to
yours, but shall never hear it. !
Sadly he opened his hand and the
bird flew from him forever.
"Ihen from the shuttle Of Imaginn-
ton he took the thread Of his Wishes
and threw it on the ground, and the
empty shuttle he put into his breast,
| for the thread was made in those val
leys, but the shuttle came from an I'M
known country. He turned to go, but
now the people came about him, howl
ing.
| Fool, hound, demented lunaticv
they cried. How dared you break
your cage and let the birds f1yY
'The hunter spoke. but they would
not hear him.
"'Truth! Who is she? Can you eat
her? Can you drink her? Who has
ever seen her? Your birds were real
All could hear them sing Oh, fool!
Vile reptile! Atheism they cried. You
pollute the air!
"'Come; let us take up stones and
stone him. cried some.
"sWhat affair is it Of ours?' 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 a woman.
"He wandered on and on" said the
stranger, "and 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 CROPPED, but
each branch as he touched it broke
off, and the earth was covered with
cinders. AT every step his foot sank
in, and a fine cloud of impalpable ash
es flew up into his face, and it was
dark. So he sat down upon a stone
and buried his face in his hands to wait
in 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 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 a woman's face,
laughing, dimpled with streaming vel
low hair. In the center of the other
were merry, laughing ripples, like the
bubbles on 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.
"'Oh, let me wrap my arms about
your cried the first. "They are soft
L. se,f