The Benton weekly record., 1883-03-24
THE EGOTIST AND THE
MIRRORS.
By FRANK MARSHALL EASTMAN.

s.I5 is tfue' said the voice of the pre-
siding justice of the strange tribunal be-
fore which had been brought, s'that The
crime of egotism was not punished by
either the common or civil laws. So far
as | know no human code has ever re-
cogniZed this sin. But in the Great Laws
which it is the province of this court to ad-
minister he continued, laying his hand
| upon u huge volume bound in black with
| brazen clasps, "a punishment is meted out
to those found guilty of this crime, ap-
propriateto the e2ormity of the offence
/ they have committed.
"Egotism is one Of the greatest sins
VIII eli men commit. It il sin again st
God, diyerting from Him the supreme re-
Yerenee and worship which should be
His. 1t is sin against His holy laws
which command us to love our nei y'lnor
as ourself. 1t is 4 crime against Our itI-
low men, lessenng the interest and affec-
tionate regard which should he devoted
to their welfare. 1t is II sin against our
selves, binding us to our imperfections,
shutting our eyes to the excellencies of
others, sitting within Us all the holy af-
fections, all the tender sympathies which
glorify this life.
"Slnce, therefore, your defence admits
the commission of the crime, pleading
only as TO its culpability, the Judgment of
this court is, that you be confined for the
term Of your natural life with that self, the
inordinate love of which has nearly lost
you your soul, and has brought you this
merited punishment
The court room, gloomy before, had
gradually grown darker as the Judge
spoke, and when he concluded, could
only see, as I stood defiantly in the dock,
the mere outline of his tall black figure.
\ silence followed his closing words, brok-
Ell only by the rustling Of the leaves of
some huge folio in which, knew my sen
tence was being recorded. was now
conscious Of a tai! form at my side, which
beckoned to me. I followed it.
Down many flights Of slippery stone
steps, through echotng corridors where
light never entered and the air was close
and damp; by noisome dungeons from
which was heard the clank of chains and
the nervous tread Of restless feet; down,
and still down, [ followed my conductor
only conscious of his presence before me,
by the denser darkness which enveloped
him.
And now we stopped within a sort of
vault made by an enlargement of the cor
riaoI we had been following. 1t was dim
/ lylighted by ereset. From the obscurity
of a recess near there stepped at the clap
ping of my companions hands two figures,
tall, and dark, and mysterious as his own.
Alta signal they seized ME, and, carefully,
without violence, removed every vestige
of clothing from my body. They then in
serted a short steel lever in small creyice
in the wall, and pried upon it with all their
strength movement was soon visible
IN the wall, and presently a large granite
slab turned slowly upon pivot, revealing
a large chamber, brilliantly illuminated,
from which the light streamed blindingly
into the dim corridor. | was now seized
by the two attendants and forced through
the opening in the wall into this chamber.
The wall instantly closed behind nae.
The room in which | now found myself
was in the snaps of an octagon. The cell
ing was vaulted and lofty. There was no
furniture in the room--not even bed, not
even carpet. A brilliant light streamed
into it from above, but its source was con-
cealed by some ingenious device. But the
most remarkable feature of the room was
that its walls, its floor, its ceiling were
composed Of mirrors. One enormous mir
ror, composed each of the eiah5 sides, and
SO artistically were they joined at the
angles that the eye could not discern the
joints. As | looked about the chamber
for the first time, therefore, I saw nothing
but my own figure reflected from all ang-
les, reversed, inverted, magnified, dimin-
ished. [ looked down endless vistas OF
rooms wherein appeared and reappeared
until it was diminished to speck nothing
but my own nude figure. There was not
q scratch upon the surface of the mirrors.
no object whatever in the room upon which
the sight could dwell, but the reflection OF
myself. But for the innumerable refiec-
tons of light which revealed the presence
of the mirrors, might have thought my
self suspended in space.
A short inspection of the room satisfied
me. swell, well, said grimly .s'Not al
together a hideous dungeon. / have seer
few palaces which can boast of such an ap
partment as this. But it's rather un.
pleasant to have no furniture--no bed, nc
chairs, no table, and it certainly is curl
Gus and very disagreeable trick to deprive
me of my clothing. However, if the re.
mainder of my life is to be spent here car
certainly find more amusement in these
mirrors than could in scratching prayers
on the tiinty walls Of an ordinary cell
which | understand is the standard dun.
geon entertainment. With this smiled
bitterly and fell to pacing to and fro
watching with admiration the erect bear.
ing and powerful outline of my figure al
it was reflected in hundred different
I