Year: 1872

ever delightful. She had never look.


ed so beautiful-the light In her glo-


riOus eyes, the rich bloom In her


cheek, had never been so bright be-


fore. I had never felt so 10th to


leave her as I had that morning.


Why should I have felt so? 1t was


to be only for few hours. The next


morning I should see her at the same


place again. I thought that it was


because she grew loYelier and love


lier each day, that more reluctant
! ly parted with her this last time.


We discussed some plans which we


were maturing to carry out In case


we encountered from the father the


stern, persistent refusal which We


could not but expect. I remained


all day in q state of happy excite


ment. All our happiness was SO
near now, and so sure. OF course
opposition of the father was a far
from pleasant thing, but it was una


voidable, and must be braved. Low
ing each other as we loved, not the


bIgotry of any human being had the
right, or should have the power, to
sever our ives-for sever our hearts
they could not.


I tried to analyze to myself this
alt-conquering passion, before which
doubt and darkness fed, which ex-
allied life into q sphere SO golden and
blissful that the angels themselyes
might envy me.


So, this glorious, never-to-be-lor-
gotten day, this last bright day of
my life, drew near its close. To-
ward evening a friend dropped in
upon me This was not welcome
event, for I was fam to put aside my
own dreams, and listen 10 his, for he
was a dreamer-an impracticable,
fastidiOus, aesthetic-With whose
weird fancies and erratic wanderings
I had always felt too much interest,
and for whose peculiar habits of
mind and thought I had already too
much affinity.


Our conversation this evening
turned upon the effect of certain
drugs upon the human brain, and
some new and interesting expert
ments which had been made. The
rage In certain circles for testing the
power of a new article, hashish, was
then at his height My friend pro-
duced a package Of the wonderful
drug, explained the quantity which
it would be proper to take at one
time, and affirmed that it had been
proven to be harmless, although the
immediate effect WAS wonderful be-
yond imagining.


To meddle with things of this kind
was always one of my pecnlisr temp
tatiOns, I should have known that
person of my excitable, highly-strung
temperament, should never triAe |
with so powerful and mysterious an
agent, but III this evil hour I deter
mined to satisfy long cherished
wish, aud Try for just once its effect |
upon myself My friend took leave,
and I sat in my Office quietly and
alone, when swallowed the accursed |
stuff


Two hours passed before I felt any |
effect from It except that my hands |
and feet gIowed and tingled, as if |
they ha been nearly frozen and then
brought in contact with heat, and |
that the humming OF the hurryirg |
blood IN my veiEs was audible to my
ears; it sounded like the gurgling of |
q brook.


Suddenly, felt myself lifted up,
and set Whirling; round and round I /
went, at first very slowly, then faster
and faster, and at last with almost /
inconceivable velocity.


The sensation of pain and agony /
was dreadful; it seemed that my |
head would fly to ATONE. 1 was un-
able to make the slightest effort for
relief, or even to cry out, and the tor
ture had become insuppOrtable,
when all at once the motion seemed /
to be changing and 1 experienced /
the most delghtful sensations Of
floating IN the air. l seemed to lie /
in an invisible hammock, and by
some unseen power l was swung
back and forth through hmitless
space. Cool, perfumed winds blew
over me; the stars grew large and
clear in their brightness, as In my up
ward motion neared them, and IS
I receded they grew dim and distant
IN their far-of setting. Soft, distsat
might have been the un-
ravishing "music of the
spheres delighted my exquisitely
sense of hearing. Even
nov my whole frame thrills with rap
ture when 1 recall this delicious en-
tree into the very paradise of rest,
which was accorded to me by this de-
mon of unreality


1 seemed to drop asleep at last,
and awoke to find that L had settled
down upon solid earth, q confused
mass of material, without form or or
der.


When this chaotic mass, which was
me, began to. move, 1 ielt myself
consolidating into great broad lines.
immense columns, blocks and angels,1
and I knew that 1 was being built !
up into a great letter "A capital
letter A-running to a fine point ct
top and spreading cut upon solid
and Substantial base at the foot.


Immovable as the sphinzes of
Egypt, I stood there a thousand
years. At the end Of that time the
burning sun, the
storm, the fierce tornado which had
beat upon me pitilessly all this time
had done their work. The pyra-
mid began to culver from base to
then reeled and fell, an i'm
mense ruin But I built up again,
and this time into the whole alpha
naf q oo.l71von 4bo1 4~----o--.4 ,,1,1aa /