Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-21
FROM THE MODERN CULVER"

| And so, after had dried myself
somewhat and collected the remainder of my
strength, crawied weakly and YEARLY up from
the bench to the top Of the bluff. On one side
was the cruel sea and just below me were the
fragments Of the wreck Of our good ship. and
l sobbed as 1 thought Of all the gallant men
who had gone down in her, and only l, the I'M
| worthiest, remained. Before me stretched q
plain OF sandy, barren country covered with
scant bushes and dwarf trees, and beyond these
| were low, wooded hills Was there a human
being in this vast solitude? There was nothing
| for me to do but to travel inland soon and
| as rapidly as possible, before my body gave out
completely from exhaustion, and see il could
find living souls to succ,r me- or, failing, to die
alone in the wilderness.
For hours-it seemed days-I trudged slowly
| on through the thick, sharp underbrush
Gradually the character of the country changed.
Grass began to spring under my feet, the
bushes became trees and l was soon in the
| midst Of q majestic, primeval forest Still, l
| saw no signs of human footsteps.
But SUDDENLY thought it was an ANGEL
heard a girl's sweet voice singing far off toward
| the east from me. I,plunged madly in that d.
rection. The maiden, too, was coming toward
me. although she was evidently not yet aware
of my presence. Soon saw her coming along
far away, up q sort Of avenue in the trees.
She might have been, for all her dress or face
then, an English colony in this far-of Atlantic
isle? 1t might have been my previous loneli-
| ness, but it seemed to me she was the fairest
creature of Gods making had ever seen. She
was about eighteen, with light hair and eyes,
and dancing along in her girlish innocence she
was picture out of heaven to me, a heartsick
mariner.
But one little popularity about her forgot
to mention, though it is hardly worth while.
She was carrying her head under her arm.
han oha rrfvht iUhf af,,, ata faop
lessly toward me. asked her if she would di-
rect me on my way. As l accosted her she
calmly picked up her head, put it on her shoul-
ders and In the sweetest voice imaginable an
swered that she would be most happy to do SO.
We walked along. chatting gaily l already
felt all my old strength coming back to me in
the sunshine Of her young presence. But alter
had asked and answered q number of ques-
lions my Unborn curiosity could not prevent my
inquiring in regard to her slight cranial lido
syncracy, as / politely termed it. In other
wonis, what did she mean by taking her head
off?
why, SIR" said she, ''what country do you
come from, or in what distant part Of the world
do you live, that you are SO ignoranI Do you
not know that you are in that far-famed land
falsely called the Land of the Fountain of Per-
petual Youth, and are you not aware that a
drink OF our famous waters makes our men,
bers independent Of each other SO that we can
dotach them at will2 Just now, for example, l
tooA uiy beau Oh 10 Keep ~ COOL
But what should you do if you should lose
your head. young ladies are often said to dol''
said /. This was Joke.
"Oh, no, sir ~ said she. "We have learned
not to be SO foolish that, especially if any
young men are likely to be around to find
them. But think how useful this wonderful
power is. Suppose want to pick an apple
from the top of this tree. could never climb
1t. and the girls Of our country would not be SO
weak as to ask any man to do it for us, SO all l
have to do is to stretch out my hand like this
and she slowly lifted her arm like a derrick
until it was at least fifteen feet long. and pick
ing fine fall pippin presented it to me.
'Then," she continued, If / want to see the
surrounding country, instead of climbing some
distant mountain, can just raise my head a
trlne like this, and up went her head like
telegraph pole with an orange on top of it,
until she was at least three rods in height. Com
ing down handsomely, as the expression is she
remarked breathlessly: How is that for high?''
l told her had heard of people holding their
noses up in the air, but had never before seen
any one 80 toplofty as she.
We can also detach our members if neces-
sary," said she. Let me show you;" and in an
instant there flew in the air a confused vision
Of arms, legs, head, shoulders &c. until she
looked like q circus rider caught in a cyclone
had heard Of folks flying all to pieces--in
anger; but had never seen anything like it.
asked her If it was not rather exhausting to
her to throw herself around SO. She said it was
q very popular form OF exercise. / told her
this might do for excitement once in a WHILE
but preferred to see people more collected.
But, said she, this is rather hard on the
little boys. for when their mothers wish to keep
them home from play all they have to do is to
take OH one OF their legs and lock it up and
then the lad has to stay at home or else go out
one-legged."
She said that wives found this was good
way to keep drinking husbands home nights
When person had disease in one member all
he had to do was to just shed it for time and
leave it with the doctor and go about his bust
ness with the rest of his constituency as usual
For instance, she said. you can have an in
cision made in your scalp and have your brains
taken out and cleaned just as well as your
watch, and quite as cheaply. Then you can
60 to work the same day usual and never
miss them" That was a rather equivocal re-
mark, but hoped she didn't mean anything
by it, and so l simply told her that didn't
think it worth while; never used mine enough
to make it pay.
On the way took drink at the wonderful
spring, which was Enclosed in an elegant build
ing OF stone and connected by pipes with all the
surrounding villages. postponed a trial of
the marvellous effects Of the water. To tell the
truth. was a little afraid to "let myself
loose
1t occurred to me to ask how they could pnn-
ish criminals, ''for their different parts would
escape one by one" "Well," she answered, Il
believe they did have good deal Of trouble
that way. They used to box up the parts sep
arately and ship them to distant quarters of the
world, and then let them find their way to-
gether again as best they could. The chances
were that the man would never come to him
self, il may say 80, enough to ever be of much
use to himself or of much damage to anybody
else. But after awhile people got tired of re-
ceiving anonymous express packages sent to
them containing foreign and lonely vital or
gans which were without home or mother
Now they have abolished all crimes by making
them all punishable by death
But how can you kill anybody" asked
1--WE burn the parts separately" the maiden
answered. I shuddered.
But doesn't any one ever die?" asked, feel
ing that the subject was beyond me.
Very few do" said she. when we find
that we are aging We gradually exchange our
selves of with somebody else. 1t isn't consid-
cred good form to do it. None but the poor
die-tkose who cannot afford to pay the differ
ence of an exchange"
"Do understand, them" said I. 'that when
You find yourself growing old You look for
somebody who ia younger than you. but poorer,
and pay him to sell his young and healthy mem
beers and take in exchange your old and decrepit
ones?"
That is our system. The rich change every
year to keep up with the fashions. The poor
are hung up in the pawnshops most of the
time" saw one Of these pawnshops myself,
and as we were going by stepped in and got
my lame back, with which had had 30 much
trouble, exchanged for secondhand one, only
slightly damaged, warranted to stay without
hitching. 1t had a patent adjustable loop