Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1884-02-21
THE TARANTULA'S BITE.

THE TARANTULA'S BITE.
Among all my acquaintance. none
Seemed happier than Eugene F. l
named him Fortune Favorite. He had a
beautiful and highly accomplished wife:
his children were the prcttiest and the
best hammered have ever met. All the
women considered Mrs. F. as near per-
lection as mortals can achieve; all the
raen voted Eugene F-as clever a man
as one could desire to claim fellowship
with. He was rich in associations, in
the integrity of a name that commanded
the respect of four generations. How
few aspiring Americans can saw as
much? He possessed the advanta res
Of liberal education; his place was
assured as well as it is possible tos as
sure anything in country where the
wheel of fortune obliterates the accumn-
lat;ons and regulations of generations,
lad lifts men and women out of obscur-
::y in day. That is to say, the COM
pany that employed him was the oldest,
most reliable, and the richest organiza-
ton of its kind in the country Final
ly, in addition to salary of three
thousand year, Eugene had good rea-
son to count upon an inheritance in the
near future that would render him in
dependent.
The noteworthy trait fellowship with
Eugene F revealed was his e1uable
spirits. horn. rs he asserted. of content
ment. He was satisfied with his place,
his belongings and enoyments. No
haI To 10
said. No man enjoyed life more philo-
sophically, or fretted himself less over
the big or little things beyond his con-
troll. 1t was this equipoise. and,
doubtless. his ignorance of the trials
and bitter experiences OF less favored
people, that rendered Eugene F. in
different when the misfortunes and
temptations of the poor were discussed
Generous to a fault. he was unable to
comprehend the dire necessities that
drive the unfortunate to desperation
and death. He was severe--cOuld with
difficulty find language strong enough
to express his contempt of the average
suicide.
A poor man who sought employment
and failed to find it, weary with fruit
less effort, despair ne under the world s
rebuffs. plunged reck!essly into the I'M
known. The means employed empha-
sized the poverty of tie wretched Great
ure. The newspapers made much of it.
1t was the item of the day, and proved
base for columns. l dropped in on
Eugene one day when his hours work
was done. He had newspaper in his
hand. He threw it down impatiertly,
angrily, rs he handed me cigar and
pushed me into a seat, saying:
Il am disguised with you newspaper
men. Why do You give so much prom
inence and space to that horrible sui
eide. BY all accounts, the fellow did
all that was left him to do. If he had
only displayed common sense. when he
was about It. and adopted easier means!
II a man must kill himself, why does he
distigare himself, or impose unnecessary
and horrible agonies such as this poor
wretch inflicted upon himself?'
Aside from the fact that l have no
patience with the speculation and theo-
ry that cuts ground from under every
Christians feet, was tired. Eugene
worked an hour every day. worked,
on an average. twelve at least, and did
more in one hour than Eugene did in
three. Since it was clear to me that he
received AT least ten times more for his
mental toll than DID, could afford to
permit him to indulge himself in a pro-
longed dissertation of the Survival of
the fitteSt." 1t pleased him and amused
me.
Now" he said, at the end of a chap
ter, tell Inc why man who chooses to
kill himself, let us say with rat poison,
should be regarded as much above a
re. Here is another account. in this
mornings paper, of woman who held
her head in a tub of water until she
drowned. Tell me a woman who does
that is entitled to the benefits of the
nineteenth century! Why, if such peo-
pie were fairly balanced on the fence
round Heaven, they would hang with
their heads downward of choice. HUI
man tadpoles, all of them"'
Eugene had horror of death; ceme-
teries were his special aversion. He
was never known TO attend a funeral
He could not bring himself to witness
The ceremonies in The house or at the
grave. He had prejudice against
: burial.
why can't everybody have vaults.
with nice. pleasing colors on the walls
have the interior as well as the exte-
Nor ornamented, and made so attrac-
live that people going into them would
feel as they do when they enter an at
tractive chamber with a bed in ite''
do you mean the dead?''
-
visitors-to the living"
Il am afraid" ! could not help say.
ing. gravely. '.you have yet to learn.
Eugene, that not all the religion, all
the learning and all the philosophy in
the world can never make death other
than DEATH"
'.But that is no reason why every
body should make death SO horrible and
grisly. They make it CHASTITY, and in
the same breath tell you it is the way to