The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1926-12-16

On the last night of Tweedle
dee's life far out in the country /
solitary figure was walking alonl
a tiny path. AT either side tai
pines stretched their bristling arm
above the traveller ais though tt
hide him from the curious moon
while before him in the distance
glistening through a maze of tree.
trunks, lay sheet of sparkling sill.
vera luminous lake beneath the
stars.
For many nights "Echo" had
wandered through the fields, as
happy as the wind at play, follow
ing his fitful fancy, dancing IN
the moonlight, singing in the for
est, chasing each stealthy shadow
to the skirts of Mother Sorrow,
where all such gloomy children
should remain. But in the day.
time he was careful not to sing,
dance or shout, for on his should
err was a little wooden demon-a
little wooden demon that whis-
pered in his ear and told him what
to do. And he was careful not to
disobey it-not to brave the bright
sunshine and the passing people,
not to look into the eyes of man
for it was his brain that thus COM
.manded, and by obeying he felt
the dark domain of reasonable
domain of Tweedledee-quite van
ish at the touch of the rising moon.
Yes, when Nature nightly paint
ed that pale portrait in the sky,
he was free-free TO follow the
dancing FAIRIES Through the black
and dewy bushes, through the
multitude of tree-trunks. And it
was at these times that the little
wooden demon on his shoulder
the little wooden demon with legs
like goat and the face of an old
man-fell fast asleep. It was use
less TO ask it questions, for it
would not answer, no, not until the
Morning entered through Her fiery
gates.
The fantastic figure began to
bound forward along the little
moonlit path-the path between
the long rows of silent pine-treee
which seemed to join hands above
it like children in a childish game.
Larger and brighter grew the disc
of silver, till now the wild, dis
heveled traveller could see the
great stars, like jewels, resting on
its bosom. A moment more and
he had broken through the cling
ing bushes-bushes that with tiny
terror-stricken fingers sought ITO
hold him back. Soon he was lying
on the grass, looking out over the
expanse of water. Not a breath
of air caused a ripple on that
peaceful surface; not a branch
murmured overhead. The tiny lake
at this moment-from some great
height must have looked like
drop of dew glistening on a shad-
owy leaf.
echo" lifted his face toward
the sky, and it was as beautiful in
the pale moonlight as the face OF
your own joyous youth. Then he
pulled himself slowly forward till
his shoulders were over the bank.
He fixed his large luminous eyes
on the black, silent water beneath.
AS he stared down trying to pierce
the shadows the little wooden de-
mon could be seen noding on his
shoulder. Evidently it had fallen
fast asleep.
For some time he lay motions
less in the soft grass, till finally
the moon rising over the tree-tops
seemed floating like a golden COB
let on the surface of the water be-
meath his eyes. Then, very slowly
and cautiously, thin, shadowy
army reached out above this disc of
steady light! cropping, nervous fin
gers tried to seize IL, but could
not quite reach the glittering prize.
The fantastic figure writhered for
ward like snake, and again the
long arm shot out.
For a moment it hovered above
its fancied treasure and then
plunged down with splash of
snow-white foam. There came a
loud, frenzied cry, a cry that
seemed echoed by a host of BROTH
ers- brothers hiding in the for
est, in the tree-tops, in the valleys
land something long and black
rolled off the bank, something that
turned the water into cleaning
patches of light.
Once more thin, shadowy arm
appeared, an arm that this time
seemed grasping at the sky. Soon
it disappeared and the foam and
tiny waves changed to rlpples[-
ripples that the moon danced
on like a silver boat. In turn
these ripples subsidized slowly and
the silver boat became pale ID
apitated face-a face of many
lines and wrinkles-the face of
age and grief.
A. moment latter these line and
wrinkles were erased by the sooth-
ing hand of Time. And if another
traveller had stood upon the bank
looking down he would have seen
nothing in this pale, floating FACE
beneath him-nothing OF what had
gone before.
One beautiful night in August
two figures might have been seen
strolling leisurely acr Iss q shad-
.cwy lawn. Behind them was a
large white house, brightly light
ed: before them a little silver lake