The Argosy — page 156: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Under Northern Skies. I4I that ground the wheat into flour. The wheel was turned by a stream whose waters could be let loose at pleasure. ‘A great place for rats,” said T. ‘‘I have often wished to come across some of them, but have never done so.” As he spoke we heard a skirmish and scamper on the floor above, and immediately after, two enormous rats came gambolling down the stairs, apparently as astonished at our appearance as we were at theirs. They prepared for a precipitate retreat, but luckily we both carried a stick, and while T. despatched the one, I was successful with the other. ‘They were monsters indeed. “These, at any rate, have taken their last toll of our corn,” said T. laughing. ‘To judge by their size, the toll has not been a small one. ‘The granaries are infested with them, and would be, I believe, if we kept a whole army of cats.” The stream received the dead bodies, accorded no worthier burial, and we went our way, extending our walk through endless fields, and looking at the grazing cattle—cows with their meek and mild eyes; horses turned into a meadow, and wild in the enjoyment of space and liberty. ‘How many horses have you ?” I asked of T. ** About a hundred and twenty,” he answered. ‘‘So you see we want plenty of food for them ; great barns for the hay, and granaries for the corn. SBesides that, we have an unlimited number of cows.” “True. And they must have good hay if they are to give good milk in return. What is the old saying? ‘ Feed a sheep with grass and it repays you in wool.’ ” “One of the connecting links running through all creation,” said TI. rather dreamily. ‘‘We depend upon each other. ‘ All things in one another mingle,’ does not Shelley say; ‘the fountain with the river, and the river with the ocean.’ So the world goes round, and thus mankind manages to make both ends meet.” The sun went down all too soon that day, and twilight with its mysterious shadows fell upon the earth. Breeze rustled and mur- mured in the tree tops, and bent and swayed them as if uttering majestic sentiments to which they were calmly assenting. Voices seemed to come from out the depths of the forest, which spoke to one’s soul and thrilled one’s very being: voices weighted with the solemn mysteries of the unknown and the unrevealed. Darkness fell and shut out the world. It was nothing now but one great abyss of blackness, sad, melancholy, awe-inspiring. But above, that dark blue vault had taken up the tale, and with its own voice de- clared the mysteries of creation. Stars flashed and scintillated— countless worlds fulfilling their destiny. An eternity of space, demand- ing an eternity to traverse, teeming with worlds known and unknown to us, seen and unseen; peopled with possibly a higher order of being than ourselves, going through more stupendous tragedies. And yet: COMIC OOO SS (S©) im