Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1902-01-09
CHAPTER IN. oContinued.1

F.. 80 ~ EAtNE - ~ 1879
eirI. claspe1 close in the arms of a tall
man, to whom she was speaking as q
woman speaks emily 10 the man n
loves above all the world. And-most
appalling thing OF ail-she called this
imam Gilbert Rickerby!
You viii not laugh at me because |
call this place. to when [ have come to
meet you, the world OF dreams, viii
your asked the girl, looking up, wist
fully, into the face Of the man, Think
how long we a waited; think how
often, in my dreams. 4 a V dreamed
of you-poor Gilbert Rickerby-doomed
TO wander over the earth, loving me,
set neyer seeing me. never holding ms
in your arms. Oh. there is nothing to
laugh at in that, is there?'
Indeed, my sweet, / am nearer TO
tears than TO laughter, . replied the
man. How can / ped the thought of
meeting you like this, after all these
years, Oliver He held her closer in
his arms and stared, huugrily, into her
innocent, upturned face. Look into
my eyes, and listen to what i ave to
say to YOU. Sol ann not laughing,
dear Olive; / am i'm deadly earnest.
You have been told that this old lover
of yours. Gilbert RIckerby. is dead?"
Yes. she replied, quite calmly, and
smiled up into his & eyes. But
that is nothing at all; for death has
not divided us; / W. been able, mer,
cifully. to come back to you, to meet
you again. Why should we grieye, or
trouble about that? oh, il you knew
all the dark and wandering ways /
have come through, since L fell asleep,
to find you, you would be glad, as /
am"
sun he held her close; stiIl he tried
TO show her what he really was, and
hat this was no dream-world wherein
they met. but a world OF flesh and blood
and strife and danger. He knew that
he could do nothing to help her, or to
get her away from that dreadful place,
while she held to hat strange belief of
hers: he wanted to call her back to the
vital present, and to show her where
they stood and what terrors lay before
their feet. For all the impression, he
might as Wen have cried to the angels.
"indeed-indeed. / am glad" he said.
.But | wantryou to see that this is but
g dream of yours, from which you have
H1y happily awakened. / want you to
N1ow@that we are united. not in a mere
Aream sense, but in reality; that we
are living flesh and blood, man and
woman; and that the world Is here be-
fore us, to be conquered. Look into
m.' eyes. hear my voice, and when 4
tell you that Gilbert Rickerby is not
dead, that that is all a mistake, that he
stands before you now. with his arms
close about o u that he is your living
losef."
She seemed to ponder his words for
a moment. and then, suddenly, put UP
hes hands and thrust him away, COW
ersd her face with her hands and be-
gan TO cry softly, like a child In pain.
.Oh-my dream-my dreami" she
whispered, brokenIy. us it to be shat
tered. like all the rest? Have / come
through so much pain and WEAKNESS TO
1in3 him; and now he does not know
mee / dreamed that we had left the
world behind; that we stood alone in
the World OF Dreams. and that all the
sorrow and the waiting wee ended.
oh--my dream-my dream!"
He saw what he must do; he stepped
forward hurriedly and put his arms
again about the weeping little figure.
Indeed was wrong, sweetheart" he
Faid; II had no right to say such a
thing at all. Call 1t the World of
Dreams. IL you will; call it what you
like. so that you let me hold you like
this-so that I know you are SAFE
Yet, under his breath. he muttered,
softly, "Oh, heavens! to find her like
ahisi"
She seemed comforted with that,
gradually raised her head, II looked
at his again. with something OF the old
confidence. Ursula Sewell, listening
and watching like someone in a dream.
heard the strange thing this man the
girl called Gilbert Rickerby had to say
next.
Nov. 1 want you TO do something for
me. dear Olive-something to please
me" he said. 1T Is necessary that you
should go away from here: that you
should go away in the nighttime, when
your dreams come to you. There are
those who would do me harm IL they
c~ould-those who would take you from
me-
"Ah-no-no!" she cried. clinging to
him. "They hall not do that. But do
you think they can reach us here-now
that we nave got beyond them-far
AVA from them?"
~ fear they can" he said, sadly.
"And so I want you to do what / ask
just as you used to do a long while ago
wher-when we were in that-that 9TH
e. world" He knew that It was neces-
sary to humor the idea in her mind IL
he was to get her to do what he want
ed.
II will do it. gladly--whatever it Isl"
she said. quickly.
"That's a dear girl!" he cried. "I
want you TO go away from this place
TO go away with a good friend of mine,
who will take care OF you until / can
come to you. Remember, il you remain
here. they will keep o from me-will
find means to separate us, win you do
what / ask?"
h looked at him in bewilderment.
"I-I do not understand she said,
~nervously. How can they come here:
How can anyone divide US ever AGAIN."
Believe me, dear Olive, when I say
that they win. Come. now. In that 9TH
er world you say we have left behind.
you always believed In me. always let
metake the lead in everything, did you
not" VIII you let me take the lead