The Project Gutenberg EBook of Dreams, by Olive Schreiner

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Title: Dreams

Author: Olive Schreiner

Posting Date: August 16, 2008 [EBook #1439]
Release Date: August, 1998

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DREAMS ***

Produced by Sue Asscher

DREAMS

By Olive Schreiner

To a small girl-child, who may live to grasp somewhat of
that which for us is yet sight, not touch.

Note.

These Dreams are printed in the order in which they were
written.

In the case of two there was a lapse of some years between
the writing of the first and last parts; these are placed
according to the date of the first part.

Olive Schreiner.

Matjesfontein,
Cape Colony,
South Africa.
November, 1890.

CONTENTS.

I. The Lost Joy.

II. The Hunter (From "The Story of of an African Farm").

III. The Gardens of Pleasure.

IV. In a Far-off World.

V. Three Dreams in a Desert.

VI. A Dream of Wild Bees (Written as a letter to a friend).

VII. In a Ruined Chapel.

VIII. Life's Gifts.

IX. The Artist's Secret.

X. "I Thought I Stood."

XI. The Sunlight Lay across My Bed.

I. THE LOST JOY.

All day, where the sunlight played on the sea-shore, Life sat.

All day the soft wind played with her hair, and the young, young face
looked out across the water. She was waiting--she was waiting; but she
could not tell for what.

All day the waves ran up and up on the sand, and ran back again, and the
pink shells rolled. Life sat waiting; all day, with the sunlight in her
eyes, she sat there, till, grown weary, she laid her head upon her knee
and fell asleep, waiting still.

Then a keel grated on the sand, and then a step was on the shore--Life
awoke and heard it. A hand was laid upon her, and a great shudder passed
through her. She looked up, and saw over her the strange, wide eyes of
Love--and Life now knew for whom she had sat there waiting.

And Love drew Life up to him.

And of that meeting was born a thing rare and b