The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1889-05-10
THE MYSTERY OF LIFE.
is LIFE 4 FRAUD Is THEIR f.
NOTHING REAL!
The Question Asked and Answered with
Strong Negative. hting and Siriv-
ing are Not in Vain.

The Question Asked and Answered with
Strong Nesative.--Fightinga and Siriv-
ing are Not in Vain.
Especial to STATE CHRoNICLE1
One whom the world esteems wise says
that the Mystery of Life lies in doing with
all ones might what is in ones hand to
do. If this be true my mule, Jack, should
be knowing individual, and that refrac-
tory criminal who in former years was
chained to treadmill in the bottom of a
well where only the most incesSant tread
ing kept the water below his chin should
be up on the problems of life. There
is one other, also, whose curiosity should
have long since been satisfied, be the Wise
Man right For the lash behind Jack and
the water in the well is not more inexor-
able than the demand on the Editor for
Copy" We have all heard of him who
was haunted by spectre that bobbed con
tnuously from behind concealing objects
with Hi VII" exclamation. See that
haggard hollow eyed man stealing away
from the rumbling presses at two O'Clock
i'll the morning. Day and night he is
haunted. Sleeping or waking goblin is
sapplng his life's blood At unexpected
moments its blackened face is thrust into
the sanctum, rises before his work, peers
over his shoulder and with hair all astand,
eyeballs cleaning, and CHASTITY grin
shrieks, Copy, Copyr' AS he drags
towards home the smutty face ogles from
the shadow of every lamp post. 1t creeps
around each corner after him, peers from
every sewer hole. He filings himself upon
the bed, but in sleep the spectre rises. 1t
squats impishly upon the bed post. Its
eyes grow big as saucers. 1t reaches out
chuckles, chuckles. The Editor turns
uneasily mutters Sec, Cab, Samo," :"
but the goggling squat shrieks at the
chestnuts and swinging down by the tail
like a monkey howls Copy. Copy" And
there is no charm to exercise this imp,
this printers devil.
And the next morning request from a
delinquent subscriber lies on his desk,
stop asenin 70 paper doan like them
idees yorn no ways my dOrd can git up
a bettern >
Tell me, you Editors, are you never
faced by Mysteries? Is your curiosity sat
i>ted? Are you the content and happy
lot the Wise Man claims you are9 Had
this Wise Man observed Jack awhile ID
stead OF dreaming he would have reached
a far more truthful conclusion. For
when Jack is on the road and the lash
behind him he seems the most contented
of mules II is pull, pull, pull, with never
a pause nor a look around, but think his
CALLED shoulder hurts Just as badly and
the flies sting as sharply as when the
..blacksnake' is laid aside and he bites
and kicks and wags his tail sore.
Some of US keep scratching around in
the loose track OF existence and every now
and then fancy We have caught the Mys-
terry by the tail and are going to pull him
out of his hole.
Mounted on wild mustang one day
| chased an antelope for miles and miles
across the open prairie. Away over the
rolling turf we sped The horse with his
ing like a greyhound. The wind whlstled
about my ears. the earth flew past, the
blood flashed in my veins | seemed bird
skimming between the boundless earth
and the boundless sky. This is life, said
l. At length realize existence. | breathe,
| think. | am Suddenly the mustang
put his foot into prairie dogs hole, and
away | went, and went, and went. The
antelope turned and stood Serenely on tsIe
hilltop mile away, while the rider gath
cred himself together with sundry excla
nations as to existence, antelopes and
everything else
All but here comes patterlng of little
feet A little voice jabbers welcome. 1or
catch up your baby boy The chubby arm
hug tight and the curly head buries itself
in your bosom. You squeeze the warm little
body so close to you and your head swels
till it seems as big as the world. Oh, yot
poor wretches who have spent life hoard
ing up gold, with never once baby arm:
about your neck, never once opening you1
heart for baby sorrows. Oh, you drieC
cornstalk, you battered tin can, you desi
Gated nonentities, you may we'll talk o
Mysteries and the lnsipidity of life! Bu
| Just wait It will not be long when as WI
| lately saw Uncle George meets George -
George why do you wear your hair 81
long2'
because mamma wants me to look llk
| one Of those dam cherubs." And striking
a match on his thigh he walks away IN ;
| cloud of cigarette smoke. About tha
time you hear him speak of you as th
''old man and somehow it seems tha
your horse has put his foot into prairie
! dogs hole.
l once knew two little boys who ha'
for a playmate bigger boy, the envie'
owner Of a bull calf Ben had been traine'
to draw and to carry. Sometimes the llttl
bows we're allowed to ride on the car
when the bigger boy carried grain to mill
but as to holding the lines-No, he dare'
not. A strange touch on those lines am
Ben would run away and tear the earth t
pieces 1T took MAN to handle Ben.
Awed and terrified the two little boy
would crouch upon the grain sack AM
watch every tailwag of this dangerou
animal and admire the skill and courag
Of the other as he cracked his whip an
guided the two rickety wheels among tn
stumps of the new ground. And Be
could trot. An empty sack on his bac
for saddle, bride in his mouth and h
was equipped for the track. Not that tn
little bows were accustomed to mount, bu
they might stand by the roadside and Sc
the other go by. mighty few horses,
tell you, can out-trot Ben. Now you jes
look" And going hundred yards off h
would spit in his hand, mount frol
behind and come down the road in a clou
of dust. The sun shone like furnace bu
it mattered not. Back he would turn, u
the road and around again, till the bu
calf's tongue hung foot from his mout
and the little boys were exhausted wit
admiration. Away down in his heart on
of those little boys resolved that If eve
he did get to be a big rich man he woul
have bull calf to ride. ''Time is
lenient god,'' was said long ago. or
Time, you are cruel god And SO, OF
after another, the tail skins off the NJ y
terry is like rats, the mutilated varmiI
crawlssdeeper into his hole while We al
left wondering what this thing called Lii
is anyway.