The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1868-02-15
The Seven slcepcrs.
MARK TwAINs VERSION OF TIE STORY.

time, and so did dog they had with them, and
walked up and came out after their great SUM
her, Mark Twain, who has recently visited Eph-
esus, gives us, in letter to the .Aha Cabto,ntc,
the following as his version of the legend:
| In the mount OF Pion yonder, is the Cave Of
the Seven Sleepers. Once upon time, about
1900 years ago, seven young men lived near each
other in EpEesus, who belonged to the despised
sect OF Christians. 1t came to pass that the good
King Maximilianus i am telling this story for
nice little boys and girls 1T came to pass say,
that the good King MaXimilianus got to persecu-
ting Christians, and rs time rolled OH he made it
very warm Tor them. SO the seven young men
said one to the other, Let us get up and dust"
And they got up and busted. They tarried not
to bid their fathers and mothers good bye, or any
friend they knew. They only took certain mon
eys which their parents had, and garments that
belonged unto their friends, whereby they might
remember them when far away, and took also
the dog Ketmehr. which was the property OF their
neighbor Malchus, because tho beast did run his
head into u moose which one OF the young men
was carving carelessly and they had not time
to release him; and they took also certain chick
ems that seemed lonely by the neighboring coops
| and likewise some bottles of curious liquors
| that stood near a grocer's window; and then
departed from the city. BY and by they came
| to marvellous III the Hill of Pion, and en-
tered into it and ieasted and presently they hur-
rious liquors, and left them behind. They trav-
eed in many lands, and had many strange adj
ventures. They We're virtuous young men, and
lost opportunity that fell in their way TO make
livelihood. Their motto was in these words
" Procrastnation is the thief of time" And So
whenever they came upol u man who was alone,
they said Behold this person has the where
withal; let us go through him." And they went
through him. At the end of five years they had
oil of ii c1,
to revisit their old home again and hear the vol
ces and see the faces that were dear unto their
youth Therefore they went through such par
ties az fell i'll their way where they soiourned at
that time, and journeyed back toward Ephesus
again. For the good King Muximilianus was
become converted unto the new faith, and the
Christians rejoicod because they were no longer
prosecuted. One dey, as tho sun went down.
they came to the cave in the Mount of Pion, and
said each to his fellow: "Lct us sleep here, and
90 and feast and make merry with our friends
when the morning eometh." And each OF the
seven lifted up his voice and said, " 1t is wlz"
SO they went in, and 10! where they had put
them there lay the bottles of curious liquors, and
they Judged that age had not impaired their ex-
| cellence. Wherein the wanderers were right,
and the heads of the same were level So each
OF tho young men drank six bottles, and behold
they felt very tired then, and lay down and slept
very soundly.
When they awokc, one of them, Johannes
Smithlan,s said, We are naked" And it was
3d. Their raimeat was all gone and the money
which they had gotten from a stranger whom
they had proceeded througha as they approached
the city, was lying upon the ground, corroded,
and rustcd, and defaccd. Likewise the dog Ket-
mchr was gone, and nothing save the brass that
was upon his collar remained. They wondered
much at these things. But they took themoney,
and they wrapped about their body some leaves.
and caE,o up to the top of the hill. Then they
were pcrplexed. The wonderful temple Of Diana
was gone; many grand edifces they had never
seen before stood in the city; men in strange
CARDS moved about tho streets, and every thing
was changed.
Johannes said: " 1t hardly seems like Ephcsus.
Yot here is the great gymnasium hero is the
mighty theatre, wherein have seen $1,000 men
assembled here is the Angora; thore is the font
where the saintcd John the Baptist immersed
the converts yondor is the prison of the good
st. Paul, where we all did ase to go and touch |
the ancient chains that bound him, and be cured
of our distempers; l the tomb of the disciple
Luke, and altar off is the church wherein reposc |
the ashes Of the holy John, where the Christians
OF Ephesus 60 twice year to gather the dust |
from the tomb, which is able to make bodies |
whole again that are corrupted by disease. and
cleanse the soul from sin but see how the wharves
enroach upon tao sea- and what multitudes of |
ships are anchored i'll the bay see, also how the
city hath stretched abroad far over the valley be.
yond Pion, and even unto the walls of Assyria. |
look. and 10, all the hills are white with palaces
and ribbed with colonadcs of marble How |
mighty is Ephesus becomc!"
And, wondering ut what their eyes had seem |
they went down into the city and purchased gar
ments aud clothed themselves. And when they |
would have passed on, the merchant bit the coins |
which they had given him with his teeth and |
turned them about, and looked euriously upon
them, and cast them upon his counter, and lis
tened if they rang, and then he said "These be
bogus And they said depart thou to Hados,"
and they went their way. When they were
camo to their houses, they recognized them, albeit
they seemed old and mean, and they rcjoced and |
were glad. They ran to the doors and Knocked,
and strangers opened and looked inquiringly up
on them. And they said with great excitement,
while their hearts beat high and the color in their
faces came and went. where is my father:
Where is my motherT Where are Dyonisius and
Serapior, and Pericles and Dcclus!" And the
strangers thatopened said, ave know not these"
" How, you know them not? How long have yc
dwelt here. and whittier are they gone that
dwolt here before yc!' And the strangers said
" le play upon us with Il Jest, young men we
and our fathers have sojourncd under these roofs
these six generations; the names We utter rot
upon the tombs, and they that bore them have
run their brief race, have laughed and sung, have
borne the sorrows and the wcarincss that were
allotted them. and are Mt rest for nine score
years the summers have come and zone, and the
autumn leaves have fallen, since the roses faded
OF their checks, and they laid them to sleep with
the dead
"Thc seven young ncn turned chem away
from their homes, and the strangers shut the
!, DOORS upon them The strangers marvelcd great