The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-09-10

VI ;r~ke Splinters of it flew
!it:a - q diamonds through the sun
i-ht az those others, the drowsed, who
h Il known nothing of his pain, spread
joyful wings and flew away into the sum
nscr.
But ho-the sickness not yet dried
from his body-fell futtering into the In
Vulnerable meshes of a spiders web
Between tall sunhowers that stared open
eyed at the srn the web was stretched.
Butterflies from their Shells bronze and
gold, like coins from the minting, shot
into currency And then in that fair
place he became aware of the spider,
barrel of yellow fat rolling toward him
1t would stab him, it would draw his
blood with the lances of its hairy legs, its
bloated body would expand with his life
In the keenness of his fear he burst its
web, which fell, delcately dislocated, and
swung to and fro by a single thread. The
gross beast itself, it's eyes bullying indig-
nation, was running madly down the cor
ridors it had devised, spinning fresh mazes
as 1t ran.
John Rubython dreamed, and 1t was
autumn. He dropped from tree, a leaf
among other leaves, all yellow and shriv-
eled, for they had forgot the spring and
the glory of being green. Westward, low
on the horizon, the sun set in sickly
orange, and he knew in his heart that
when it was gone a little wind would
come up out of the east and beat him
down on the moldering earth Already
other leaves were falling YEARLY and
swine nosed among them. But he feared
too much to fall. What resurrection
would there be or what new holdings
and whisperings in the springtime when
the warm winds should blow again to
quicken the forests? Out of the marshes
a dun fog crept, like an invader, silently.
Now the delirium drove him, human In
body as in soul once more, over great
tracks Of earth in the very strangest COM
pany of men made of wax with whom, by
reason of their peculiar substance or be-
cause they were enveloped in great vol
umes of smoke, he could not become IA
miliar. They wandered together and not
together, and at last they stood all massed
In a great desert of yellow sand, and a
storm rose The sand was churned up
like foam on a shallow sea, pillows Of II
rolled against them. pits yawned In front
and behind. In that terror he could not
address these men of wax, for somehow
he knew that If he called to them they
would melt away, and he would be alone
in body as he was alone in spirit. Yet he
called out.
John Rubython woke to consciousness to
find the companions who had ridden of
and left him back in the tent They were
real, not made of wax, and there were
others, too, who were also real.
whats upP he asked in a voice that
he. could scarcely hear. The American,
who sat smoking near him. bent forward.
"Sit quiet" be said soothingly. "Too
much sun on an empty stomach that's
f1attened you some
But argued John Rubython.
The other went on talking to keep him
still. He and Saqui, it seemed, had fallen
in with some other prospectors who were
we'll stocked with provisions and had
agreed to show them the road.
Suddenly Ruhython recollected himself.
"But l found the gold" he said. "You
knew that? It's Uttered about" He
il.ed to sit up and look, but his strength
failed. One or two of the other men had
come forward at hearing of gold.
"What is itP' asked one.
"All about" said the American.
"An what's the muck on the floor"
"That's 1t, guess" said the American.
"He got sun touched and went round
picking up most anything he could lay
hands on. Comes of thinking and empty
stomach. Knew another man like that"
John Rubython lifted up his head again.
TITS all there, isn't it?"
"Every dollar" said his friend assur-
ingly.
Because If don't get better I'd like
check sent to an address. You'll find it.
You chaps can share. But I'd like her
to know-not a Waster--I said it-yOu can
force luck-they said was"
He began to wander again. fulfilling his
purposes in his delirium. Awake, he had
not found it so easy to force fortune. But
there are many ways of doing it. Here.
for instance, in one corner of the tent lay
a sick man, and on the floor of it much
dust and rubble turned into gold by his
sickness.-Black and White