Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-01-09

mas baking In n basket.
Il don't believe they've got near
! enough for NIL the folks ! see going
ne explained It
] While he went within doors be had
left the hobbyhorse In the snow close
TO the wall. and ne came back there
/ to wait The street had emptied- By
/ now every one had gone TO Mary
Chavah's. Once he caught the CLEAN
/ OF lanterns down the road and heard
children's voices singing. For some
time he heard the singing. and after
IL had stopped he fancied that be
heard f. Startled. he looked up into
the wide night lying serene above the
town and not yet become vexed by
the towns shadows and interrupted by
their lights IL was as II the singing
came from up there. But the night
kept It's way OF looking steadily be-
yond him.
IL came TO Ebenezer that the night
had not always been so unconscious
OF his presence. The one long ago. for
example. when be bad slept beneath
this wall and dreamed that he had n
kingdom: those other nights when he
had wandered abroad with his star
glass. Then the night used 10 be-
something else. II had seemed 20 meet
him. 10 admit him. Now he knew.
and for n long time had known. that
when he was abroad In the night he
was there. so TO say. without his per
mission. As for men. be cOuld not
tell when relation with them had
changed. when he had begun TO think
of them a. among the externals. but he
knew that now he ran along the sur
face Of them and let them go He
never met them rs Others" as be 1
longing 20 countless equations of which I
he was one term. and they playing .
that wonderful. near role 81 other" I
Thus be had got along. as II his own /
individuation were the only one that 4
had ever occurred and rs n all the .
mass OF mankind-nnd the night and .
the day-were undiTerentiated from .
some substance all inimical.
Then this vast cEoism had heard It.
self expressed In the mention OF
Bruce's baby-fhe third generation.
But by the great sorcery wherewith
nature has protected herself. this nam
moth sense Of self. when Il extends
unto the next generations. becomes a
keeper % the race. Ebenezcr had been
touched. relaxed. disinteErated. Here
was an Interest outside himself which
was vet no external Vast. level reach
IS lay about that fact and all long
unexplored But these were peopled.
He saw them peopled.
As I'm the cheer and stir within the
house where that night We're gathered
his townSfolk. his neiShhors. his
bands" He had thought that their
way OF meeting him. II he chose TO so {
among them. would matter nothing. {
now he saw that IL would I
matter more than he could bear. They ]
were in there at Mary's. the rooms full /
n little families. getting along rs best
they could. taking pride In their chill 4
iren. looking ahead. looking ahead /;
md they would not know that he IN J.
ierstOOd. He could not have defined :
what it was that he under
stood. But IL had. IL seemed. some
hing TO do with Letty's account book
md Bruce's baby.
Gradually he let himself face what :
{ was that he was wanting to do.
And when he faced that he left the
where il was under the
vail and went into the street.
He took his place among the exter-
lals OF the winter night. himself I'M
OF them. The night. with
III its content. thing OF applicable
lay waiting patiently for
hose OF its children who knew its face.
n the dark and under the snow the
cry elements OF earth and life were
bscured. as in some clear wash cor
Getting too strong values. He moved
long the village. and now his domi-
ant consciousness was the same con
ciousness in which that little village
we'd. But he knew it only as the i'm
ulse that urged him on toward Jen-
VS. house. II he went TO Jenny's. IL
e signided so that he wished not to
g cut or from her and Bruce and the
ably. 81 he asked Bruce TO come back
, the business. these meant a lifetime I
Z modification 70 the boys ideals for
rat business and modification To the 5
YES OF the hands back there in !
larry Chavah's house-and 10 some
hing else. o.,
What eise:" he asked himself
Mechanically he looked up and saw =
he heavens crowded with bright a
'stchers- In that high field one star. u
Fighter than the Others. hung over r.
lc LII. .t.-.-sG - -is-.--slf - =
( 90 see tie stars a. they had looked :,
him years ago. when they and the :
ght had seemed TO mean something
So.
What else7'' he asked himself :
The time did not seem momentous- :,
was only very quiet. Nothing new =
~ there. nothing different IL had =
ways been 80. The night lay ia a =,
vereign consciousness OF being more "
an just itself DO you think that -.
u are all just you and nothing else?'
was seen TO be compassionately ask
:. -,
What else:' Ebenezer asked him IN
r.
lie did not face this yet But In that ST
Ut which seemed pure essence. with
Alternating sound or touch he kept A