New-York tribune., 1919-03-02


loved the blue of the heavens and the green
OF the fields. The way to the school was
short, and the road to the woods very long,
yet often he chose the very long wav
There in the woods ne could ramble around
for hours at time without rest, and song
would well up within him softly, very
softly, for his ears were strained to catch
the slightest sound that came from the
trees above the grass below, and his sub
dued inner song was but an accompani-
ment.
Or he could lie down upon his back at the
edge OF the forest or deep in the woods,
where the great clearing was, and gaze up
at the blue skygaze, and listen, and feel
the music within him, for hours and hours
at a time. Now and then he would shove
his hand into his pocket and tear off a piece
OF the bread that his mother had given him
for lunch at school; he would place it al
most automatically in his mouth AIM
iessiy, without interrupting the inner song,
without removing his eyes from the
heavens.
Often he would remain there long after
sunset. The darkness would not frighten
him. He liked to how il descended
upon earth. His eye followed every change
in the colors of the sky; not single trans-
tion escaped his vigilance. And now the
stars appeared They were his best chums.
He lay on his back, gazing at them. count
ing them, planning how to recognize them
easily next time, held conversation with
them, made friends with them. The clouds,
both large and small, that promenaded
across the blue of the heavens, disturbed
him not in the least. AS they passed, he
would play hide and seek with his stars
Until strange breeze famed him, or a
strange sound reached his ear Then he
would recall the world behind the woods.
and his home, where they must be looking
for him. Slowly. very slowly, he would
arise and return to the city,
Once he stayed in the woods all night,
because he wanted to see how the colors or
The sky gradually wake from the dark
blue of night to the days bright blue,
He wanted, too, to how the stars dis
appear, and to know how the forest slum-
bers and how it wakes at dawn. He was
up all night. His eyelids felt as heavy as
lead. and he struggled with sleep. Every
now and then he would jump up and take a
run about, lest sleep should win the match
And the next morning he went home happy
and content, and he thought more of what
he had seen and heard that night than of
the punishment that was awaiting him at
home.
That night was his fate. His parents had
reached the end of their patience with him.
IF you have no liking for school, then to
the devil with you and learn a trade.p
And to the devil he went His father
n ha 70, trbO bn
that evil spirit must dwell in the
boy. The woods fascinated him. And the
employer was to beat the evil spirit out of
the child Whereupon the employer an
swered in harsh voice: Don't worry.
He'll work right here beside me and won't
be running off to the woods"
From that time on he rarely saw the
woods. Only on Saturday or some holi-
day. He longcd for it, for the strange
sounds it contained, sounds that were, it
seemed more mute than The deepest silence
And he longed for the stars; he could not
recognize them in the city, they seemed so
crowded.
Nor was he himself easily to be recog-
nlzed. He seemed to have become smaller
warped. deep sadness sat in his eyes.
and he smiled but seldom And when he
did it was the smile of suffering person.
The years rolled on. BY this time he had
not forgotten the forest, but he had be
come estranged from it. He had stopped
visiting 1t altogether. It was as if he had
lost something there which he could never
recover, and his heart grew heavy He was
like n prince who had been kidnapped in
early youth from the palace Of his royal
parents and brought NJ in dark hovcl in
wretehed necessity, still dimly recalling the
scarcely recognizable picture Of his lost
splendor. His soul became drnpcd In
mourning. II carried within great in
dignation. Ho avoided people. He grew up
without any companions and developed into
very incommuncablc young man
And thus was he branded by all: The
Silent. Michael the Silent.
But ono who sought souls rested his
gao upon Michael. Tho latter's deeply
oppressive eyes pleased him and he was at
srarted to him. He spoke TO Michael,
loaned him books TO read and unfoldcd 70
his, n panorama OF struggle and victory.
And once The Silent had exclaimed, i'm
medately bushing II deep red:
~. too, would like 10"
But he did not finish. However, the other
understood. and had been waiting for this
moment.
And TO the girl, whom he secretly loved,
Michael said that evening:
To-day resolved TO begin a new life"
what? You're going to begin to talk
more"
"No. To do
The first thing that fell to his lot was to
dtetrJbute revolutionary haudhilla
When they tried to discover how he would
act If he detected by the authorities,
he simply raised his eyes TO the questioner,
who beheid in them the greatest self-con-
fdencc and safety to the organization.