The Hawaiian gazette., 1902-12-26

| rock, ana the ocean about H., as III
powdered with star dust from the
MILKY Way. sparklcd like a field OF the
cloth OF gold. And no Christmas came
and went as with royal progress and
In pomp and circumstance and sol.
emn majesty that behtted the kingly
memories and glories OF the day and
the seer-seen tragedy to come.
There was weird, strident, wailne
cry In the air when awoke on Christi
mas morning in a walled town OF the
Manchus-a captured town whose sons
lay dead in heaps outside, their frozen
eyes glaring with dull hate at the
stranger passing unchalleuged through
their gates. Still dazed from a
draught OF lethal fumes. thought that
the ravening. uncanny sounds now
rising like the growls Of beasts, now
sinking to a single inartioulate shrek
we've some goaded chorus from the
Pit, some passionate clamor Of the
damned and lost. Slowly the light
grew, the mind cleared. things got
back their natural look and sound.
heard now in the distance, sent back
| human note. uncanny enough, God
knows. but gratefully and surely hu-
man. Afterward I knew that I had
heard the matin song Of pagan SOL
diery, choired upon the gray old city
| walls in uncouth salutation of the
dawn. But how sad and desolate 1t
made the morning of the Christian
holiday. Faint and alone, prone on a
brick bed in room where men had
lived but yesterday and now were
dead, myself still near the dark. valley
through which / had been led by an
unseen hand-perhaps the hand of him
whose baby fingers had been clasped
in mine on that Christmas morning SO
long ago. l had no heart to rise. Out
upon the ground; ravens croaked upon
the tiled roof or hoped awkwardly
through the snow; the cold was bitter,
and far above, hid by the scurrying
clouds, the genii of the gales FASTENED
like petrels OF the upper deep to the
gathering Of a mighty storm. Weary
and hopeless Of the day, fell asleep
When I awoke 1t was early after
noon. The wind had gone far past and
there was a beam Of sunshine slanting
through a jagged hole in the paper
window by my bed. The long sleep
had refreshed both body and mind,
and hunger pressed for food. Then
footsteps crunched the snow and in
the army doctor came, and after him a
comrade of the field. who stood by
with pleasure in his rugged face when
the man of science said was getting
better and must take the air. Hot
broth was brought, and the breast of
fowl and a brimming glass; and so
1t came about that, with strength re-
newed, ventured to say yes when
pressed to join old friends and new
that night in Christmas feast. They
would make me comfortable, they said,
sleeping bag and rest on an army cot
Chums of camp and battlefield would
be there; the old Field. Marshal was
the guest of honor, unless a Prince of
the Blood should come; and noblemen
of European armies had been summon
ed to the board.
1t was -to-be-forgotten
Christmas night. The dining room,
manger carpeted deep with rushes, was
a symbol of the Birth. Through the
broken roof stars shone with cold, In
clement light; and about the table OF
the feast torches fared and quivered
as the hanging gOatskins at the door
way were thrust aside to disclose a
snowy guest. At one end of the man
ger great dragon flag, captured in
fierce fight near by, hung from upper
beams, and at the other end a queer
painted cartoon flushed red with Jap
anese victory, was blazoned In bas-
relief against the dark Swords and
bayoneted guns were hung or stacked
about; spears and guidons were there,
while the flags Of many countries
brought by the admiral from his fleet
were intertwined as II in pledge OF
everlasting peace.
And the generous banquet 1t was
as cosmopolitan as the guests. Prince
and Marshal and Admiral found the
tidbits that meant Home, The splen-
did Russian had his white vodka ana
his black, hard, smooth caviar, un-
known on Western tables the French
vlscount found Partisan dainties and
vintage of his grape-trelllsed land The