The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-03-27

THE LADY OF THE HEAVENS.


HyrlddS or points Of light, in every point a tiny face. They gazed at her with their golden eyes; they whispered together concerning her. and the sound Of their whispering was the sound of the sea at peace. They accompanfed her to the very heart of the opal rose of life whence all these wonders welled they set her in a great grey hall roof ed in with leaning cliffs, and there they left her desolate.
 Fear came upon her. the loneliness choked her, it held her by the throat like a thing alive. She seemed about to die of it. when she became aware that once more she was cOmpanioned. Shapes stood about her. She could not see the shapes, save dimly now and again as they moved, but their eyes she could see, their great calm, pitiful eyes which looked down on her, as the eyes of a giant might look down upon babe. They were terrible. but she did not fear them so much as the lone Illness. for at least they lived.
 One of the shapes bent over her, for it's holy eyes drew near to her, and she heard a voice in her heart asking her for what great cause she had dared to journey hither before the time. She answered. in her heart, not with her lips, that she was bereaved of all she loved and came to seek them Then, still in her heart. she heard that voice command:
 Let all this Rachers dead be brought before her.
 Instantly OOOTS SWunR open dC tfle end of that grey hall. and through them with noiseless steps, with shad- ory wings, hoated a being that bore in it's arms a child. Before her it stayed. and the light of it's starry head illumined the face of the child. She knew it at once-it was that baby brother whose bones lay by the shore of the African sea- It awoke from its sleep. it opened it's eyes, it stretched out it's arms and smiled at her. Then it was gone.
 Other Shapes appeared, each of them bearing it's burden-a companion who had died at school. friends of her youth and childhood whom she had thought yet living, a young man who once had wished to marry her and who was drowned, the soldier whom she had killed to save the life of Noie. At the sight of him she shrank, for his smiled like the rest, and was borne away, to be followed by that witch doctoress whom the Zulus had slain because of her, who neither smiled nor frowned but passed like one who won ders.
 Then another shadow swept down the hall, and in it's arms her mother-her mother with joyful eyes. who held blessing, and to whom she strove to speak but strove in vain. She was borne on still blessing her, and where she had been was her father who bless
  ed to shed peace upon her soul. He pointed upwards and was gone, gag ing at her earnestly and To! a, form Of darkness cast something at her feet. It was Ishmael who knelt before her, Ishmael whose tormented face gazed up at her as though imploring pardon.
 A struggle rent her heart. Could she forgive? Oh! could she forgive him who had slain them all? Now she was aware that the place was filled with the points of light that were Spirits, and that every one of them looked at her awaiting the free verdict of her heart. Rank upon rank, also the mighty Shapes gathered about her,and in their arms her dead, and all of them looked, awaiting the free yer dict Of her heart. Then it rose with in her, drawn how she knew not, from every fibre of her infinite being, it arose within her, that spirit of pity and of pardon. As the dead had stretched out their arms above her, so she stretched out her arms over the head of that tortured soul, and for the first speak.
 "As I hope for pardon, so pardon she said GO in peacey'
 Voices and trumpets caught up the words, and through the grey hall they rang and echoed, proclaimed for ever, and as they died away he too was gone and with him went the myriad points of flame, in each of which gleamed a
  ing another Spirit, that Spirit she had travelled so far and dared so much to find But there came only a little dwarf that shambled alone down the great hall. She knew him at once for Pani, the priest, he who had been crushed in the tempest, Pani, the brother of Eddo. No Shape bore him, for he who on earth had been half ghost, could walk his ghost-world on his mortal feet, or so her mind con- ceived. Past her he shuffled shame faced and was gone.
 Now the great doors at the head of the hall closed: from far away she could see them roll together like light clouds. and once more that awful loneliness overcame her Her knees gave way beneath her, she sank down upon the floor. one little spot of white in it's expanse, wishing that the roof of rock would fall and hide her. She covered her face with her golden hair, and swept behind it's veil She looked up and saw two great eyes gazing at her-no face, only two great. steady ones. Then a voice speaking in her rtsasked her why she wept whose desire had been full filled. and she answered that it was because she could not find him whom | she. sought, Richard Darrien. 1n- | the tongues and trumpets took | ID the name.
 CTo be Continued.l