Whenever these partings happened, the traveler looked at the
gentleman, and saw him glance up at the sky above the trees,
where the day was beginning to decline, and the sunset to come
on. He saw, too, that his hair was turning gray. But they could
never rest long, for they had their journey to perform, and it
was necessary for them to be always busy.
At last, there had been so many partings that there were no
children left, and only the traveler, the gentleman, and the lady
went upon their way in company. And now the wood was yellow; and
now brown; and the leaves, even of the forest trees, began to
fall.
They came to an avenue that was darker than the rest, and were
pressing forward on their journey without looking down it, when
the lady stopped.
"My husband," said the lady, "I am called."
They listened, and they heard a voice a long way down the avenue
say, "Mother, mother!"
It was the voice of the child who had said, "I am going to
heaven!" and the father cried, "I pray not yet. The sunset is
very near. I pray not yet."
But the voice called, "Mother, mother!" without minding him,
though his hair was now quite white, and tears were on his face.
Then the mother, who was already drawn into the shade of the dark
avenue, and moving away with her arms still around his neck,
kissed him and said, "My dearest, I am summoned, and I go!" And
she was gone. The traveler and he were left alone together.
And they went on and on, until they came very near to the end of
the wood; so near, that they could see the setting sun shining
red before them through the trees.
Yet once more, while he broke his way among the branches, the
traveler lost his friend. He called and called, but there was no
reply, and when he passed out of the wood and saw the peaceful
sun going down upon a wide purple prospect, he came to an old man
sitting upon a fallen tree. He said to the old man, "What do you
here?" And the old man said, with a calm smile, "I am always
remembering. Come and remember with me."
So the traveler sat down by the side of the old man, face to face
with the serene sunset; and all his friends came softly back and
stood around him. The beautiful child, the handsome boy, the
young man, the father, mother, and children every one of them was
there, and he had lost nothing. He loved them all, and was kind
and forbearing with them all, and they all honored and loved him.
DEFINITIONS:--Scents, smells. Cricket, a game at ball very
popular in England.Solitary, alone. Summoned, called. Allegory, a
truth related in the form of a story.
WHAT I LIVE FOR.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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