The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1905-01-21
CHAPTER II.

*
How I managed to descend the tree
without falling l cannot understand; my
hands and limbs shook as with palsy,
and my head swan as with a deathly
sickness. When I reached the ground
l was so faint that Josiah had to support
me for several seconds. When l recov-
cred, he helped me over the garden wall
The whole way, Josiah never ceased
talking; but l was too bewildered to heed
his words. 1 was only reused to atten-
ton when, upon hating before an ex-
tremely gloomy, solitary looking build
ing, my companion cried, Here we are"
We plunged down a narrow passage, Jo-
siah presented a small slip of paper to
a man who stood behind half-door, and
we entered the pit of the theater.
1t was really Hall of Dazzling Light.
The play, l have since ascertained, was
Shakspeare's Romeo and juliet" Sit
ting in that little country theater. wit
Messing what was. perhaps, only a third
rate provincial performance, a new world
was opened to me-the glorious " orld
of poetry and imagination. l trembled
with a dazed delight at the soft beauty
of the love scenes; my heart swelled with
kindred fire at the passionate outbursts;
| and l sobbed at seeing the lovers die in
one another's arms. 1t was no fiction to
| me, but reality, beautiful almost be-
yond endurance.
When the curtain fell, / fell with it
| from my Elysian heights. With shiver
awoke to the dull realization of myself.
My first action was to turn to Josiah,
and grasp his hand in silent gratitude.
| l did not wish to see any more; l
wished to get away now, to dream over
what l had seen. Josiah had to go be-
hind the scenes to get the proof of the
next nights bill, and l waited outside
the stage door until he returned. In a
| few moments he came out in a great
furry.
Look here. Silas," he said; 81 can't
| 60 back with you. | must get home di-
rectly, or therell be an awful kick IN.
Come along; I'll put you in the road. so
| that you can't miss your way"
l shall never forget the sense Of DESC
lation that fell upon me when l found
myself alone in the street. All the direc-
tons Josiah had given me vanished in
an instant from my memory, and I stood
helpless, not knowing which way to turn.
l was in the outskirts Of the town, it was
nearly eleven o'clock, and not soul was
about l walked straight on, fervently
hoping that it might be in the right direc-
ton.
Finally | was in the middle of a long
street, one side of which was occupied
by ordinary houses, but that on which
l found myself was distinguished by q
line of vast. gloomy looking buildings
turreted walls hung with ivy, and broken
ruins. I felt awe-struck at the mighty
piles Of masonry that lowered above me
l was standing right before an archway
Of grand Norman tower. I walked tim.
idly beneath its black, vaulted roof, to
the iron gate at its further end, and peer.
ed at the line Of crumbling ruins that
rose among the trees and shrubs, white
and CHASTITY, in the moonlight.
As l stood thus. heard q rustic
Chilled with sense Of fear. I turned
quickly round. Through a rent In the
wall. many yards above my head, came
broad ray of white light. As turned
1t was falling upon an object that fasci
mated my gaze. Il was the head and