The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1902-04-03
RALPH HARDELOT',
MEDIATION

BY WILLIAM MIMIC

| =. 'A0 waves dIter violent ana
distracting storm, embodied but not op-
pressed by great pail of restful sad
ness.
lie sat for time as in trance, and
then gradually his thoughts began to
wander back over the events of his past
life. But memory brought back no
poignant feelings. The events of the
last hour or two seemed as remote and
passionless as the events of years ago
all separated from his present life by
dark, silent, impossible wall.
He accepted his lot with unquestion-
ing faith in the Eternal Justice. But
his thoughts ran upon the stirring scene
from which the All-Disposing power
had withdrawn him. Would men con-
tInue to stumble on as they were doing,
crowding and struggling through their
several appointed courses? He had
vowed with others to proclaim to a
needless generation Christ's clear law
Of service and self-sacrifice: would they
triumph speedily? How many of them
would be permitted to fail as he had
done before the great work was accom-
plished? That it would be accom-
plished in Gods good time and way he
believed with high and loyal assurance;
but ali! how sad it was to think of the
slowness of fulfilment, Of the many
warm hearts and fervent voices that
might never be gladdened by the GER
tain contamination of their hopes! Sad,
too, still more profoundly sad, to think
of the iniquities of the world, and the
mystery of Gods indulgence of His
creatures in the open defiance of His
Sons clear law.
England as he had known it passed
before him as in a vision, and high
above the crowd of shifting figures he
saw the stern features of his master
Wycliffe, and heard as in a dream the
tones of his strong, firm voice denounc-
ing the sins of the followers of anti
Christ, the pomp of prelates, and the
sensual vanity of worldly clerks. That
voice took him back to the scenes of his
first discipleship, and he sat once more
on his bench in the lecture room, pen
in hand and ink horn at his girdle,
eager to catch words that thrilled in
the ears Of youth. He sighed to think
of that enthusiasm now.
Scene after scene of his past life slow
ly unfolded itself under the quickly
shifting finger of Memory, all touched
with ineffable sadness. His life at
Cavendish Hall came back, and keen
err thrill went through his blood as the
azzling figure of the girl whom he had
worshipped flashed upon his mental
vision out of the darkness of the past
as wildly as if he saw her with his
bodily eye. His whole being was
flushed for moment with wild rapt-
ure, and he half started from the
ground. But he sank down again with
a sigh, and saw the sweet vision re-
treating, watched with strange, sad
resignation as its brightness became
DINNER and DINNER in the distance,
making no effort to detain it.
For a minute or two this tranquil
mood lasted, his heart stirring under
sad memories like a stringed instru-
ment under gentle, wandering hand.
But suddenly harsher note was struck
anu JdTTlHR NlUIdeioho eooh 'ho P'"NS 70
soft music. What would become of
her? How would she fare if she fell
again into the hands of her brutal lord?
This was a more disturbing thought,
and he tried in vain to beat it back by
saving to himself that she was safe in
her convent. Why should so fair life
have been marred by union so revolt
ing? AS the thought took possession OF
him, it brought back with it all the in
dignation and pity he had felt when
first he heard of the ill assorted match,
all the agitation in which he had lived
through the preparations for its cele-
bration. The shroud of resignation in
which he had lain before restfully, as
if charmed out of all desire to move,
was rent roughly asunder, and he tried
in vain to retain his former mood. He
could not Danish from his mind the
hideuos apparition of the ruffian
knight. 1t came between him and his
visions of peace like some monstrous
harry. blotting out the sun, futtering
over him with its black wings, clutch
ing at him with beak and claw. The
question why God suffered such men to
live forced itself upon his thoughts,
and no satisfactory answer came TO give
peace to his troubled soul. For a
moment he lost all self control, stamped
with insensate fury on the ground,
"A ,trrcL at the door with his heel.