THE JOURNEY OF LIFE.AN ALLEGORY.
Once upon a time, a good many years ago, there was a traveler, and he set out upon a journey.It was a magic journey, and was to seem very long when he began it, and very short when he got halfway through.
He traveled along a rather dark path for some little time, without meeting anything, until at last he came to a beautiful child.So he said to the child, "What do you here?" And the child said, "I am always at play.Come and play with me."So he played with the child the whole day long, and they were very merry.The sky was so blue, the sun was so bright, the water was so sparkling, the leaves were so green, the flowers were so lovely, and they heard so many singing birds, and saw so many butterflies, that everything was beautiful.This was in fine weather.
When it rained, they loved to watch the falling drops and smell the fresh scents.When it blew, it was delightful to listen to the wind, and fancy what it said, as it came rushing from its home, whistling and howling, and driving the clouds before it, bending the trees, rumbling in the chimneys, shaking the house and making the sea roar in fury.
But when it snowed, that was the best of all; for they liked nothing so well as to look up at the white flakes falling fast and thick, like down frown the breasts of millions of white birds, and to see how smooth and deep the drift was, and to listen to the hush upon the paths and roads.
But one day of a sudden the traveler lost the child.He called to him over and over again, but got no answer.So he went on for a little while without meeting anything, until at last he came to a handsome boy.He said to the boy, "What do you here?" And the boy said, "I am always learning.Come and learn with me."So he learned with the boy about Jupiter and Juno, and the Greeks and Romans,--more than I could tell, or he either; for he soon forgot a great deal of it.But they were not always learning; they had the merriest games that ever were played.
They rowed upon the river in summer, and skated on the ice in winter;they were active afoot and active on horseback; at cricket, and all games of ball; at prisoner's base, hare-and-hounds, follow-my-leader, and more sports than I can think of: nobody could beat them.As to friends, they had such dear friends, and so many of them, that I want the time to reckon them up.They were all young, like the handsome boy, and were never to be strange to one another all their lives through.
Still, one day, in the midst of all these pleasures, the traveler lost the boy, as he had lost the child, and, after calling him in vain, went on upon his journey.So he went on for a while without seeing anything, until at last he came to a young man.He said to the young man, "What do you here?" And the young man said, "I am always in love.Come and love with me."But the traveler lost the young man as he had lost the rest of his friends, and, after calling to him to come back, which he never did, went on upon his journey.At last he came to a middle-aged gentleman.So he said to him, "What are you doing here?" And his answer was, "I am always busy.Come and be busy with me."The traveler began to be very busy with the gentleman, and they went on through the wood together.The whole journey was through a wood, only it had been open and green at first, like a wood in spring, and now began to be thick and dark, like a wood in summer; some of the little trees that had come out earliest were even turning brown.
