The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-11-09

and every insect that fitted and ran
across 1t.
Sometimes he would wander to the
paths end, where through vast,
beautiful arch of trees he could see
the ocean. In the north there shone
the high towers of a white city, and
from it's shadows, as from a great areL
ma, there trooped innumerabIe ships;
great, lean, high-breasted ones that
swan swiftly and straight, urged on
by huge machines whose breathing he
could hear far across the miles Of
shining sea, while from their many
tunnels there arose great branching
trees of black smoke; battered, rusty
ones that seemed to tell of world-for-
gotten island harbors with palms and
coral reefs encompassing them ships
that crowded sail on sail and leaped
| into the open sea like swimmers eager
| to try their strength barges and la
boring tugs and yachts all issuing from
the river gates of the white city and in
unending procession heading for the
! far world.
| And the boy would lie and dream
| that the city was many lowered Came
| lot and that the ships were royal
barges setting out into. the world of
adventure, seeking lost islands and
| splendid treasure houses.
| Because he loved it, the sea opened
itself to him like a story book; and
he saw ships with high poops and coll
| ored sails hung on long spars, rolling
| and pitching in the ocean, pressing
| toward the port. He saw the fleets
| of the gentlemen Adventures throng-
| ing the broad water. When the clouds
| drifted toward the west in the long
! afternoon and became fiery and gorge
Gus with the lights of the sunset, he
saw, not clouds, but a great shattered
| fleet with flaming sails withdrawing
| from a sea battle. The surf doomed
like great guns grumbling themselves
| into silence.
| AS the night came he. watched the
| world Tight its coloTed fires. over the
sea quivered the broken, blood-red
beams of lighthouses that rose like
| spires out of the dark running swell.
| Red and green danced the port and
starboard lanterns of dipping, fleeing
ships.
In the north the city lay invisible. In
its place, as if appraised by mighty
hand, there was built mountain OF
| light. 1t fiared from a thousand PIN
nacles. 1t beamed from ten times a.
thousand unseen openings. Lights
mounted toward the dark sky, up and
up. They hung in blazing draperies
| flung sheer across the vast gulf of the
night. They shone far and alone, like
splendid stars; they stood in marshalled
ranks like waiting regiments.
Somewhere in the monstrous mass
there stood an aspiring building, rising
far above the rest as great captain
towers amid his army. And from every
foot of its seaward angle there blazed
a star, as II a fiotilla of ships had lent
all it's masts to be set on each other
and be hung with signal lanterns from
truck to deck.
Shining steadily and true through the
clear air, trembling as IL through tears
when the sea fog rolled in--ever and
always they lured him. Where the
river rolled on its way to the ocean the
lights swan, rejecting those that peer
ed into the mysterious flood. Some of
their dancing beams seemed to reach
almost to his feet.
Then the boy felt pain-such pain as
he never had felt when he lay in the
dim forest path where he could not see
the ocean. 1t was the pain of the out
err world Juggling at him, tempting him.
urging him to follow. Such pain
| Ulysses felt when he, too, looked upon
the sea from the peaceful land. Such
pain felt the Frobishers and the brakes
and the Magellans. the La Sales and
all the pathfinders of the world.
Reckoning, reckoning to him, day
| and night, were the sea and the city,
and at last he followed. Long they led
him, year after year. while still the
pine needles fell softly In the forest
path.
Then, once upon day, the boy awoke
| to find himself man. He sat in one
| of the tall buildings of the city whose
| lights had led him far From his high
windows he saw the ships on the river.
! At q pier deep below him he saw a
crowded pier rich with his merchan-
disc. Wherever he looked he saw his
wealth. But on this day he saw some
thing else. something that he had not
seen in many years since he had left
his forest path. He saw that 1t was
autumn and beautiful. And far away
| the land met the ocean.
And in that awakening he saw boy
boy lying peacefully with wide, wise.
young eyes in dim forest path where
the pine needles, falling softly. had
made a carpet of silence He saw the
/ leahess trees solemn and grand, ana
the clear serene sky and the little
| brown pools OF water In fairy holiows.
And he followed the dream in his age
! as once he had followed another dream
! in his youth.
But though he searched with brave
and longing heart, it was in vain. He
found a city where the old trees had
stood. And when he asked, men told
1 him that this was his. They praised
him for the Improvement that he had
I made by his energy and bowed before
him because of the wealth that he had
amassed by allowing the useless woods
to be cut down that houses might be
/ built.
! So he never found the dim forest
path again.