The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-05-25

cloud, wherein / saw eyes or all coiors,
the eyes of my characters, which LOOK
ed upon me with anguish. grew
more and more distressed ana
ashamed under those looks, so duii
and lifeless.
The tempest ceased to roar, and all
noise died away with it. ] no longer
heard the monotonous ticking of my !
watch, nor the rustling of the snow !
nor the voice which had spoken TO
me. There was perfect silence, ana
the vision hung in the air. and seemed
to be awaiting some mysterious signal
| And also waited, passionately, with
all the strength which remained IN
| my weakened soul.
This lasted for a long time, and
could not withdraw my gaze from the
vision, until cried out at last:
my God! Why is this? WHAT
does all this mean?"
Then the slow. passionless voice
was heard again:
"Reply yourself to you own ques-
tions. Why did you write all those
things? Without contenting yourself
with real troubles, with the tangible
and visible misfortunes of life, why
have you invented new fortunes and
told them to people. forcing yourself
to depict your woeful fancies as
though they had really existed!
What do you wish to do? To destroy
the scant remnants of courage still
left to men, and to deprive them OF all
hope Of better things by showing them
only the evil? Are you, perchance, an
enemy of brightness and hope, and 90
you take pleasure in creating the
blacklist and the saddest things, IN
order to add, without respite. to the
disenchantment of the human race!
Or do you, indeed, hate to live by rep
resenting existence as an ordeal with
out end? What is your purpose!
Speak,"
was dismayed Strange reproach-
es, were they not? Everybody uses
the same method in writing, especially
when Christmas stories are in ques-
ton One takes a poor little boy or
poor little girl, and makes them die
!. windows of some fine house where the
lighted tree is shining. 1t is a GUS
. tom; l have followed it-that is all
l felt justified and decided to explain
: tsc meaning of my Christmas tales.
Listen" began; Il do not know
: who you are, and 1 do not wish tt
know. You have asked me some
questions. Very we'll. am going tt
answer them; and afterwards 1 hope
that you will not longer deny me thu
right to sleep in peace for the remain
der of the night. In portraying thes'
miseries and agonies | only think o
awakening in others sentiments o
\ compassion and humanity; try t.
soften hearts which, alas. are oftel
dry and hard
Z A strange alarming movement tool
. place among the shadows. J locke
at them, stupefied. without understand
: ing their meaning. They turned abou
in a silent round, as though a sudde
attack of fever had seized upon all
them. They writhed. as If strugglin
in q whirlpool which threatened t
carry them away, to tear them
pieces. Again the tempest howle.
whistled. laughed. and moaned. An
! the spectres trembled; their lifeles
I eyes were still as cavernous as befor
faces were contracted by horrible
phantom-like grimaces. The blue pho
} phorescent light wavered under TIL
silent, incomprehensible dance of tt
spectres.
A cold sweat broke out upon n
body, and my hair stood on end.
"They are laughing" said the pa
=, sionless voice.
"a, "At what?" l asked in a vol,
ID scarcely audible.
~, AT you"
"Why?"
Because Of the Stiffness of yo
-, childish talk. BY depicting magma
N troubles you wish to awaken go'
10 feelings in the hearts of men f
whom real troubles are a sight on
ce' too common! Reflect! If the mis-,
ne able reality fails to touch men. al
on does not wound their souls, will 70
oa idle fancies enlighten their &C
vi science? And you think that you c.
eo succeed? And you cherish such
hope?"
De- The grinning spectres continu
IA their merriment 1t seemed to
leu that it would never end, that shot
er' see it. filled with terror. until t
day of my death The tempesA a
sly laughed cynically. and deafened n
nas and still the soulless voice talked. a
vii talked.
me l strove to escape from the obs
and sion. I wrapped myself in darkne
full Of grief and rage.
ear And, suddenly, rolling from my b
l was cast head-foremost into ds
ass abyss, in which swallowed, suffice
the ed by the swiftness of my fall. I
ese pitiless laughter of the spectres ?
leir sued me. Through the shadows Il
be- seemed to gaze at me, fixedly.
ose At dawn awoke with violent D
low m my head. and a sense of distre
an My first action was to seize the pa
sed in which l had described the adv
me? lures of the blind old man and
int? companion. I tore them up with
nan, rereading. threw the fragments
anne of the window, and they were 8,
pom tered by the morning breeze !
yes. with them few away at once all tn
and visions born Of the Authorizations
his the night. which had brought Def
liss- my eyes all the sorrows distress