The Savannah morning news., 1904-09-18
THE PRISON OF GOLD
By JULIUS MULLER.

Once, in the days that are behind
the closed door of last year, boy and
a girl played on a long, brown beach,
where the sea came every day to make
solemn organ tunes.
The boy was the son of the poorest
fisherman in the village that lay
crouched behind the sand dunes. And
the girl was the daughter of the rich
est man, who had the general store
and the postoffice and everything else
Every day they played together on
the singing shores. The boy built cas-
ties of sand for her and made tiny
boats that he named for her, and he
thought there was nobody like her.
and she thought that there was nobody
like him.
But there came a time when her ia
Their was so rich that he wished to
stay in the. little village no more; so
one day a big ship stopped off the
long, brown beach and the fisher boy
saw his little playmate go out over
the tossing waves, and presently the
big ship moved away again and he was
left alone.
They have gone out into the wide
world" said his father to him, land
you will never see her again.
The tide came in and the tide went
out two times a day, many hundred
times. No message ever came back to
the beach from the girl. At last no one
ever thought of her again-no one ex-
cept the boy. But he thought of her
always.
He grew tall and strong and went
out into the rolling sea with the
smacks to pull up the cold, wet fish.
When the boats returned laden with
their catches, the other fisher lads
went into the village to frolic and
dance with the girls; but he sat on
the beach, through the long, soft sum-
mer nights and thought of the girl
that had gone away into the wide
world.
One night he could bear it no long
er. He stepped into his dory and
f1oated out to sea. The ocean lay black
and smooth in the dark On the slope
of every wave the starlight swan like
sparkling fish.
"Ah, if you, that see the whole
world, could only tell me where little
Elsa is" said he to the swimming
lights.
we do not know" said the Star
light. I'VE looked down on her till
she vanished in the palace of the Fog
that rises out of the grayest sea and
mysteriously with every moment
You must steer north by east for
seven days and seven nights till you
raise Cane Sable over the dim sea
rim. And there where she drowned
ships are. is the palace of the Sea
Fog. He may tell you where she is.
II will 60" said the fisher boy
You must take gift from u.s."
said the Starlight. 1--WE will teach
you what to say to her when you find
to any one else, but when you stand
before her it will come to your lips
at the right moment. Listen!"
He listened. but all that he could
hear was the confused murmur of the
waVes-the sea sounds that are like
the rushing of the distant waters and
the beating of wings and the whispers
of many voices far away.
II do not understand" said he.
Farewell, FAREWELL" said the Star
light. you will understand when you
need the knowledge"
He sailed fast and far over the
worlds deep places into which no HUI
man eye has ever looked since the
world began. At last. over the brim-
ming rim of the heaving sea he saw
a dim, low land, and that was Cape
Sable all alone in a gray sea.
The palace of the Sea Fog arose out
of the running wateri straight before
him. In it the pillows roared unseen,
and drowning ships beloved with all
their steel lungs for fear of the death
that came invishly and the shining
black rocks stood, each with a hood