Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1902-06-19
-r.r. holy lint. ossprtns Of Heaveprs

FIRST born"
His deep voice rose and fell, riding
this mighty rhythm of inspired song
until he reached the words:
.Tha 1 may see and tell Of things invia.
Bile to mortal sight"
When he had finished he sat down
and, holding the lantern between his
knees, opened its door and, as the light
streamed out upon his hands, rubbed
them a time, silently. as if washing
them in the flood of light.
.'Blind?' said the stranger.
NO" said he, only dreaming as you
are-both of you"
1t seemed strange to me he should
think we were dreaming.
Went to bed one night" he contin-
ued, ~stroking his long, white beard,
"and saw the lights go out and b
dark; and it's never come morning. !
went into a dream after I'd gone to
bed and dreamed that / was blind.
And then l thought I woke up and
could hear my shipmates dressing. And.
says /: it's a terrible dark morning
And 1 thought they laughed and
said it was broad daylight, and wanted
to know what wal the matter. And
/ heard myself ask:
"'Ain't it night?' And 1 heard them
answer:
might, why, man, we must DO
dreaming Then 1 thought / felt my
way back to my bunk; and I'm lying
thara yaf IN 4, 1roo- md ~ CoarnS xarv
long. And I've dreamed everything a
man could think of since then. You
see l was coming home to marry and
settle down. Thought I came home
and my mother and sister met me at
the dock. OF course l couldn't see
them, and 1 felt all over their faces
and heard them crying, just as if it was
real.
"And, says I, Where's Annie?' mean
ing the girl I was to marry; and |
thought they told me she was there.
and put her hand in mine and / tried
terrible to see her. I thought l sat
down and cried and cried, and then l
happened to think that / was only
dreaming after all. I dreamed that
DIG "CAC away anu ihdt any
died and that l started this little shop.
Seems as If it was all real, and yet 1
know I'm only dreaming. You men Who
come here to buy things and talk with
me are only part of my dream. One
day / thought a man came in and told
me Annie was married. Well, sir, l
sent the boy home and sat there in
%ha chow aI1-z 4 ~.1~ And hu
and by my sister came in and says she
to me-: What are you crying for"
and says /: 'Annie's married.
ooh pshaw!' says she, you're only
dreaming. It'll all come right
"And sc I keep forgetting it's a
dream. Sometimes l have al awful sad
ness, but, thank God, l know I'm only
ing comes 1 shall wake and laugh at
the phantoms of the night and I shall
be young and happy. Wen be of
Sandy Hook and looking to catch a
sight of home. And I shall be getting
ready to meet Annie and mother and
the rest. And I'll have my best clothes
out. o, it'll be grand"
The old mans face had a merry
smile as he spoke of the coming morn
ing and the things it had forh him.
Seems as if this dream had lasted
a thousand years. he continued, yawn-
ing and rubbing his eyes. Seems as it
1 had grown old since l went to bed
last night. But I've dreamed the like
before, and, my God! how glad felt
when l woke in the morning."
Come" said he, speaking to the boy,
Tets have the lights up-port an star
board an masthead. All right, sir, you
may have it for a dollar. It'll be all
the same in the morning"
And so we left him like a ship lying
to and straining at the cables, his n
Choir sunk in the deep Of that long
night. 1t seemed to me that it would
be better for many of us if we could
think it all a dream and have his faith
in the morning-that it will bring back
the things we have lost. But then, he
was a lunatic.
And years went by-many of them
filled with coming and going and
loving and striving and nights
and days like this one. And.
long afterwards, when I went to Riggs
funeral, they told me that he rose
in bed before the end came and held
his hand to his eyes. Looking into the
far sky he cried aloud: The day has
come, thank God! and l am going
home"
And as I was coming away I heard
the preacher saying: "a thousand
years are as a day. Our lives are but
a dream of the night. You that hear
me are dreaming"
The words angered me, for | knew
that I was awake. / could bear with
the insanity of Riggs, but not with the
sophistry of the preacher, and I
shouted:
"Life is not a dream, you fool. Can
we not hear and see and feel?" AT the
last word l struck a table at my side.
And, as my hand touched it. the room
turned dark, as if night had fallen
suddenly, and every sound hushed. And
then I thought a mighty wave of light
swept over us in which everything van
ished and l was awake and it was morn
ing.