The Portland daily press., 1894-02-23
A PAINTED STATUE.

July looking over Ine HUo pfOpOrsloIS VI
one of the newly discovered painted stat
ues set up for public view in the environs
Of the Greek capital. | had finished my
second year at Yale and was about to re-
turn for another grind Blessed with a
parent anxious to implant in me his own
taste for the classics, l had been sent to
Athens at the close of the college year in
the hope that an acquaintance with mod
ern Greek would stimulate respect for
its hoary ancestor. had acquired GER
tain familiarity with colloquial Greek, but
my personal bias was in the direction of
athletics. AS captain of the football team
the sum. of my desires was to repeat our
victories of the previous year.
The painted statue, with cesti bound to
it's hands stood i'll an attitude which if
not quite Sullivanesque yet showed the
magnificent development of the boxer. 1t
was not idealized-simply copy of man
splendidly n1uscled. The light tan color
ing gave almost the impression of life to
the figure On the pedestal was the name
PoIyerates.
AS the twilight deepened donkey driv-
er came down the road, cursing in most
earnest fashion and beating his animal
viciousiy. His cruelty was too much for
me, and demonstrated, but was met with
the answer tat it was his property, and,
furthermore, he would serve me likewise il
did not pay less attention to an affair
clearly not NY own. My training was not
to be so ligdy.y challenged, and short
scuffie ensued, after which he beat de-
moralizad retreat.
Suddeniy heard a laugh and ''Well
done, my master. Polycrates himself could
have dope no better!"
/ locked around, yet saw no one, but
CHANGING in the direction of the statue
saw the boxer seated on his pedestal, from
which he quietly slipped and came toward
me. My hair began to stand erect, when
l thought ! saw the solution. Playing
the statue, eh?" I said Every good joke.
You had best go home now and put your
clothes on, or you'll catch cold.
"You are mistaken" he replied. II am
indeed Polycrates, the boxer, but now
awakened to life once more
This was Carrying a sell too far, so in
timaeed that he wearied me, and was go
ing home.
7r~ss1, too, will go to your home,'' he re-
piled, ''aad FOR the time allotted do your
bIGding as commanded by Zeus. +"
Look here, ;" [ said, ''Zeus isn't in this
at all. Yol baye had your sell-you took
me- in I admit it. You looked like stat
ue, but ynu are common flesh iikethe rest
of Us, and we'll let it go at that" And
with that 1 started off.
He answered nothing, but followed. l
began to feel annoyed at his persistence,
SO turned aroa1d and said if he kept up
his footlsaness I would punch his head.
At this he gr;nnei. l lost my temper and
struck at him straight from the shoulder.
Then my aair did stand on end, for land
ed on a solid marble jaw
's'Tili my master believe me now?" he
asked. l locked at him dumbly, and he
continued: 1.-The gods have vouchsafed me
the gilt of Walking among men once every
thousand revm ltions of the earth around
the sun. When this period has been &C
complishel, [ attach myself to the doer of
the first good deed that meets>my eye. /
am now you1 servant Follow you must.
A thousand men cannot hold me back"
At this a gorgeous vision crossed my
mind. ga thousand men," l repeated.
'tCut it down bit, can't you? Suppose
only 90 men were piled on top of you,
what would you do?'
"Do? I would rise, shake them off ant
go my way"
His confidence settled the matter, and l
told him to put on my ulster and coAe to
my rooms, where could find something
to add to his costume. He demurred at
this, saving he needed no clothing on SO
mild an evening, but having convinced
him that warmth was not the sole purpose
OF clothing we started once more.
We had not gone 100 yards when the
second result of what Polycrates called my
good deed became apparent Coming to-
ward us was my late foe with some half
dozen friends, evidently bent on having
his innings.
I intimated that we were somewhat
handicapped by numbers, whereupon my
statue said, ~ would not deprive my
master of share in an honorable encoun-
ter; therefore do you engage your former
adversary and leave me the others -
l soon disposed of the donkey driver and
watched my new acquisition. He hit out
neatly and dropped two men. Grasping a
third by the neck and shoulder, he drew
him with such force against his marble
wishbone that he dropped loosely to the
ground. The remaining three drew back
for a moment, meditating a combined at
tack, when Polycrates picked up his last
victim and hurled him at the group. 1t
was ten strike, and we hurried from the
scene, reaching my lodgings without at
tracing further attention.
at once proceeded to put Polycrates
into more conventional raiment, not with
nut many Objections from him, however,
to the tiT;s.her of pieces and variety of
shape.
1t made ZOE feel creepy when I touched
his hand Or arm, and l asked him if he
woultin soften somewhat with time.
s"No," he answered. 81 remain as / am
during one journey of the earth around the
sun, when . once more become lifelcss
marble"
"Wcll, > SID /, & the first thing to be
done is t. geJ away from this town, ana
the next to get out of the country, fug
when the police get hold of this eon!;ey
lriver's story Jail will be too good for Us. y
"Police2 What is police?'' he queried.
explained the use and beauty of police
in general and the New Haven force in
particular, but my description did not
alarm him. for he said. "Let them find us.