Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-12-28
DAMP STRAW OF THE CELL
Years Trying to Dry Enough
Straw For Bed.

straw FOR n BED.
He passed the first ten years Of hi
imprisonment without doing anything
just time to turn himself, settle dow
and get into the ways of the place.
Then, as he still had twenty years t
serve out, he said to himself one fin
morning that it was shameful to lead s
lazy life, and that he must find som
occupation worthy-not of free man
for he was prisoner-but simply of
man.
He devoted a year to rejecting, t
weighing the different ideas whicl
passed through his head, and examin
ing what should be the definitive objec
of his life.
To train spider? That was very old
well known! Copy Pellison, peugh! fla
plagiary!
To count on his fingers the wrinkle
on the wall? What! that was ridicu
lous and useless amusement; nuthin.
worth while.
He said to himself: | must find some
thing which would be at once curious
profitable and gratifying to my desire fo
vengeance. must invent a task whicl
will make the time pass, which will
produce some benefit and which vii
have the value of a protest"
A fresh year was spent on this dis
covery, and finally success rewarded 81
much perseverance,.
The prisoner lived in Il veritabIt
dungeon, where the sun entered orll,
for half an hour day, and then onl,
by L thin line like single hair of light
The wretched pallet on which the un
fortunate man rested his cramped limbs
was literally nothing but a heap of damp
straw.
"Now, then," he cried with energy
81 shall bother my jailors and bluff the
law. l will dry my straww
He first of all counted the stalks which
formed his bundle. There were one
thousand three hundred and seven. A
poor bundle.
He next made an experiment to find
out how much time it needed to dry one
of the straws. 1t needed three-quarters
of an hour.
This made then, altogether, for the
1907 straws, a sum OF $50 hours and
fiteen minutes; or-taking it at half an
hour sunlight day. 1861 days.
Assuming that the sun shone, on an
average only one day in three, he arrived
n total of sixteen years, one month,
one week and six days.
At the end of six months this was
what remained for him to do.
He set TO work them.
Every time that the sun shone the
prisoner held one of the straws in the
ray and thus utilized all his sunlight.
The rest of the time he kept warm be-
meath his clothes what he had been able
to dry.
Tenye passed away. The prisoner
had now only a third of his damp
bundle to sleep on, and had his chest
st.aEfad- with the ts~e-sAl.~s-.th which
had gradually been dried.
Fifteen years passed. Oh! Joy, only
1876 stalks of damp straw left? Four
hundred and eight days more and the
prisoner would be finally able to stand
erect, proud of his work, victor over
society and cry with the vengeful voice
and satanic laughter of insurgents:
"Ha! ha! You condemned me to
damp straw in your dungeoni Then weep
with rage! lie on dry straw"
Alas! cruel fate was waiting in
ambush for it's prey!
One night when the prisoner was
dreaming of his future happiness, in
his ecstasy he made furious gestures,
over his pitcher and the water
fell on his chest.
All the straw was:wetted.
What was to be done now? Begin
again the Sisyphus task? Pass another
fifteen years in getting bits of sun into
bits of straw.
And his encouragement! You, the
lucky ones of the world, who give up a
pleasure if you have to take twenty
five steps to get it, dare you throw the
first stone at himl
But, you will say, he had only q year
and half to wait!
And do you reckon for nothing his
wounded pride, his abortive hopes
What, this man shall have worked
fifteen years in order to sleep on a
bundle of dry straw, and then consent
to leave his prison with bits of damp
straw on his hair! Never! There is
between self-respect and lying
down in the gutter.
Eight days and eight nights he de-
bated in anguish, struggling with despair,
trying to find adoOting again in the
which overwhelmed him.
He ended by surrendering and con-
Tossing himself vanquished. He had
lost the battle.
One evening he fell on his knees,
crushed, despairing.
"My God," he said with tears, 81
ask thy forgiveness for being without
courage to-day. 1. have suffered for
thirty years, have felt my limbs decay,
my skin wither, my eyes wear away,
my blood become pale, my hair and
teeth fall out. have fought against
hunger, cold, solitude. had one desire
which sustained my efforts. l had one
object in my life. Now my desire can
not possibly be satisfied. Now my OBJ
ject has fled for ever. Now am dis
honored. Pardon me ior deserting my
post, for leaving the battle, for running
away like a coward. | can no more"
Then in fit of indignation, he re.
sumes:
"No," he cried, "no, Il thousand
times no! 1t shall not be said that ]
have lost my life for nothing. No; ]
am not conquered! No; shall not de.
sert! Ne; am not a coward! No; ]
will not lie minute longer on the
damp straw OF the dungeons. No
society shall not get the better of me y
And the prisoner died during the
night, vanquished like Brutus, grand a.
Cato.
He died of an heroic indigestion. Ht
had eaten all his straw - BY Jear
Richepin.