Licking Valley courier. [volume] (West Liberty, Ky.) 19??-current, 1911-07-13
" West libey Morgan County Kentucky Thursday July 8 lgll

llCdIC -IllcIS lldtllSO ilV lliO.' WIFI
her Ambition perishes and the
StarLof Hope forever fades. Her
house is, a CHASTITY tomb, her bed,
the granite rock, her lover child
less, for her womb is barren"
And the Youth, glancihgwith a
at the figure in the mist,
drew closeto. Life and echoed
her words with trembling; lip,
How uncanny and how, cold!".
Thus Jared he on thro' many a
toilsome year, to where mo- shad-
ow falls to East orafWest4 = to
manhood's glorious noon. He
looked at the towering heights
before him with undaunted eye,
measuring his strength, against
the walls of stone. He glanced
back, and'a chill swept over him,
for he was standing far up on
the mountain-side, he was in "a
barren desertrwhose, leyel2waste
stretched back to, the pathetic
tomb where Love was, left to
starve and sweet Content lay
fostering in her shroud. Fool
cried Life, why looked We back
like wife of ancient sLot9a Now
are We 'indeed undone!''.' The
voice was harsh and ,shrill, and
starting as from an uneasy dream
he looked on Life with wide-op-
EN- eyes and soul that understood.
He found her far less fair than
in the heydey of his youth, when
he reveled in her .voluptuous
charms and loved her we'll Her
face was hard and stern as that
of some hag from hell; the sun
light had faded from her hair,
the cestus Of red roses become a
poisonous serpent, her fragrant
:breath-a consuming flame, her
robe of glory a sack-cloth suit,
begrimed with ashes, torn, by
thorns and stained with blood.
Thou hast changed, 0 Lifen'
he cried in horror. Not So
she said; "the change is thine.
In youth you saw me- not, but
EonIy dreamed you saw She you
loved was a creatureof your vain
imaglnlngs; | am Lite, mother 81
thy scurvy brat, Ambition"
She pointed upward, saying:
Behold, thy star is gone, and
the shining goal hangs painless
in the heavens, When the, sun
hath reached the zenith it must
descend. Henceforth your path
leads downward, for every hour
will sap your lusty strength, and
every step be- weaker than the
last, until you sink into semlity.
Come my love, you donot know
me yet; behold me as i am!'
She cast aside her soiled an6
ragged robe and stood revealed
in all her hideoushess "a thing
of horror. Her breasts distilled
a poisonous dew, around p, .hel
Igaunt limbs aspics crawled, hel
eyes were fierce, and; hollow, ant
lin one bony hand she held
scroll on which was writ the rec
ord of her frauds and, follies, ,rhe
sin and shame. "Come, z sh
! cried mockingly, .""let us sen. ,toge
ther. You may caress me as i
the! days of old, and | will, an
swer with a curse. i. Hold me- t
! your heart and / % will witherl
with my breath of fame 8 Prals
me, and ! will,requite, ,iyou wit
dishonor and crown YOU ,with;th
: gruesome ehaplets Of grief. Foo
: Thou hast striven for a prismati
: bubble bursting on thee crest c
l a receding wave. Why scorne
1 you gold and lands t0igrasp
I, castles in the air? Why dream
ed Of the Demiurgps when d.
] string harlots beckoned thee
| Why dealt with open hand an
> unsuspecting heart when throw
: mid a world Of thieves2 Had
; thou been content and not a
e pired to rise above the grossnes
!, the falsehood and the folly whic
2 lis Life, l would have loved tn,
/, well and deceived thee with
8 painted beauty to the end IN
! foul breasts would have been
1 thee ever a fragrant bed of flo'
h ers. You have invaded Life
/ mysteries, the penalty where
g is pain. You have looked up
}. the past; behold the future
/ He looked, and saw a tortuo
n Ill 49,, 1,nr lnu,,,,,o,.l AZ .