The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-09-07
The Road to Yesterday

With the ghosts OF all the summers
and little sghing wind OF pink
petals showered upon your day to jour
ney with you. have you not gone back
II only for once, upon your Road to
Yesterday? 1t Is gay and happy
realm. no matter how grey the hours
that have walked by your side and the
sunbcains weave a golden web about
your Etray!ng feet. The road to your
yesterday. the road TO anybody's yes
terday. leads through a tiny wicket
gate. In order that you may make
entrance upon that highway. the bit
ter bread and meagre wine of your
table now, must be left behind, and
only with Hitting, Joyous lay upon
the lips. may the sojourner be per-
mitted 10 pass again under the plum
trees dropping their fragrant snow
upon the cro"dins thoughts. and the
breezes beckon the pilgrim into the
rosy vision Of all things good
The Road to Yesterday goes with a
run and jump. To-day you are
traveller rich in the lore OF life and
all It's manifold meaning. yet once
within the little gate. you cannot re-
member anything more thrilling than
the small matters that filled the days
when you skipped rope and read with
satin princes and Affair with long
gold hair. You have breathed again
upon the many sisters playing dolls
by the nursery FIRE and the stories
that Allied the twilight with mighty
figures OF Jack. the Giant Killer. Co
Hath. and all of the Philistincs. sadly
muddled with the people running
away from the food and the bears that
ate up the bad little children in the
Bible. out from the shadows OF the
wardrobe rode all the knights OF the
Round Table in smiling company with
Mary, Queen Of scots and General
Lees army Your mind was fertile
field, in readiness for the sowing. and
the dear heart that scattered the seed
OF gl!tterinS fairy folk and wicked old
Hodmothcrs that We're continually din
ing upon children who failed TO mind
their mothers TO say nothing OF their
mammics, welded with wiser hand
than che wot with an imagination
that recognized no boundaries and
words that marked no time or period,
this teller OF tales. who lived in your
nursery and tucked the covers under
your sleepy chin. occupies u great
way OF the Road 20 your Yesterday
When she said that Long old Aunt
Malay" would get the engine you left
on the moor and the paper dolls clut-
tering the bureau. the vision OF the
most terrible and approved goblin
rose 10 mind, and with haste you
scrambled from the little white bed 10
hide you! brothers engine from the
grasping old fay and protect the paper
frippcres from her onslaught. You
wondered and wondered what she
could possibly want with "A chiid's toy.
and now that Il IS yesterday. you
have laughed and put her on the shelf
by the side OF Miss Manners" VINO
was forever having TO have dessert
saved to- her. especially II IL was
chocolate pudding.
/; IS laugh now, when you stop at
the biz OF path that leads into the
sand pile time. the time when your
beautiful castle tumbled in on the
grey kitten. but there IS a tightness
around your heart st!!l which you DO
not even want 10 help, for the castle
that came pitching down about a XIII
tens. blinking green eyes. right in the
midst OF It's own pebbled paths. \
laugh for all the Christmas gifts you
bought al the i0-cent store FOR one
tremendous dollar, and the snowstor:r
paper weight that never would snow
for your dear uncle, and the sturdy
and amazingly natural looking stump
with small boy astr!de OF the big
gest par; that your dear father said
was exactly what he'd been needing
tor his matches all these years.
Back in the yesterday-that broad
highway OF pleasant th!ngs-every-
thing is wreathed In the soften!ng
CLEAN OF departure, and only The light
ness and brightness OF the incident
fingers and the tall tiger lilies nod
and nod because they remember. too.
and the Road 10 their Yesterday is
back into the dark damp earth. and
,he!- Now is perfect flower.
BRENT WITT.