The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-01-16
The story Of On African Form.
By OLIVE soHRE1NBR.
lCoNTINUEDl

(CoNr1NUED.l
"sOh, follow u.s. they cried, and live
with us Nobler hearts than yours
have sat here in this darkness to wait,
and they have come to us and we to
them, and they have never left us, new
er. All else is delusion, but we are
real, we are real. Truth is a shadow,
the valleys of superstition are 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:
ayes. Why should I 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 a 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.
"sYou dazzle my eyes, he cried, you
make my heart warm, but you cannot
give me what 1 desire. will wait
here-wait till die. Coz
Gle 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
lance.
"And the long, long night rolled on.
Cali 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.
cat last for the hunter a 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. A
few days, 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. 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 in
| the lavalike earth chasms yawned
Here and there he saw sheen Of white
( bones. Now. too, the path began to
became mere trace, with footmark
here and there; then it ceased altogeth-
er. BE sang no more. but struck forth
path for himself until he reached q
mighty wall Of rock. smooth and with.
out break, stretching as far as the eye
could see. I will rear . stair against
1t, and. once this wall climbed. shall
be almost there he said bravsly and
worked. With his shuttle Of Imagina-
ton he dug out stones. but half Of them
| would not TT. and half months work
would roll down because those below
J were Ill chosen. But the hunter work
ed on. saying always to himself, Once
this wall climbed. shall be almost
there. this great work endedv
"At last he came out upon the top
and he looked about him. Far below
rolled tho white mist over the valleys
of Superstition, an4 above him tower
ed the mountains. They had seemed
low before. They were Of an immeas
urable height now, from crown to foun
datisn surrounded By walls Of rocl
that rose tier above tier In mighty cir
eles. Upon them played the eterna
sunshine. He uttered wild cry. HI
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when he rose his face was white. II
absolute silence he walked on. HI
was very silent now. In those high re
gions the rarefled air is hard to breath,
by those born in the valleys. Every
breath he drew hurt him, and tn,
blood oozed out from the tips of hi
fingers. Before the next wall of rocl
he began to work. The height Of thi
seemed infinite, and he said nothing
The sound of his tool rang night ant
day upon the iron rocks into which b,
cut steps. Years passed over him, ye
he worked on, but the wall lowered VI
always above him to heaven. Some
times he prayed that little moss O
lichen might spring up on those bar
walls to be 3 companion to him, but
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 year, only few. He sang n
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