The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-10-23
THE WET STRAW.

He had passed his first ten years In prison
without doing anything, settling himself
and fitting himself to the habits Of the
place. Then, as there were yet 20 years OF
prison life before him, he said one fms
morning that it was shameful to lead so
idle a life, and that he must create for
himself some occupation worthy net Of :
freeman, since he was a prisoner, but
worthy simply of man.
He devoted a year to reflection, to weigh
ing the different ideas which presented
themselves, to seeking a definite aim for
his existence.
81 must, . said he, find something at
the same tine novel, useful and defying-
l must invent task which shall occupy
my time, which shall be productive of
some good and which shall have the value
Of a protest" Another year was employed
in this search, and at last success crowned
his efforts
1t was veritable dungeon, that IN
which the prisoner lived, which the sun
entered but for one short half hour daily,
and then by q single ray, which was u
mere thread of light. The bed on which
the unhappy man stretched his aching
limbs was pile of wet straw.
The very thing" he cried, with en-
ergy- Now 1 shall defy my jalIers and
cheat the courts
First he counted the separate straws
that made UP his bundle. There were
], 307 straws, a meager bundled
Then he made experiment to find
out how long it would take to DRY a single
straw Three quarters of an hour 1t
would require for them all, for the L BOZ
straws, total of $50 hours and 8 min
utes, with half hour of sunshine day
/, 96I days. Calculating that the sun
would not shine at least one day out Of
three, it would require 8 years, month,
week and days. He set to work at once.
livery Gay that the sun shOne the pris-
oner carried a straw and put it III the sun
shine, busying himself thus whenever
there was sun For the rest of the time he
kept warm under his clothes the straws
which he had been able TO dry.
Thus ten years passed The prisoner
slept on only a third of the bundle of the
damp straw, and he had stuffed IN the
bosom of his blouse the other two-thirds
which, one BY one, he had dried
Fifteen years passed Happiness I'M
speakablei Only 1876 damp straws re-
mained.
Eighty-four days more, and the prisoner
could scarcely contain himself Proud of
his work, victory over circumstances, he
cried, with the voice of an avenger, with a
mocking, rebellious laugh:
Ali all You condemned me to the
wet straw of dungeonl Well, weep with
ragcl / sleep on dry straw
Alas a cruel destiny was watching for
its prey.
one night while the prisoner dreamed
wild joy he threw out his hands IN speech
less exultation, oyerset his water Jug and
the water ran trickling down his breast.
All of the strnvvs were wet
What to do nows To begin again the
toll of 5isyphus? To pass Is years more
putting straws to dry in the slender ray?
Oh, the discourage of It'll
But, you say, he had only Ia years
more in prison.
And do you count as nothing wounded
F-TV4
would have worked Is years to sleep en- q
bundle of dry straw, and should he con
sent to quit his prison with wet straws
clinging to his hair? Neverl
Eight days and nights he writhed in
agony.
He finished by acknowledging defeat
One evening he fell on his knees, de-
spairing, broken
20 God, ? he cried in his tears, par
don me that I have lost courage todayi I
have suffered for 80 years. / have felt my
limbs waste, my skin mortify, my eyes
grow dim and my hair and teeth fail me-
have resisted hunger, thirst, cold and
solitude. l had hope which sustained
my efforts. had an aim in my life. Now
it is impossible to satisfy my hope. Now
the aim is gone forever. Pardon me that
I desert my post; that I quit the field of
battle; that l flee like a coward. / can
bear it no longer. = Then in a sudden &C
cess Of indignation he cried:
mo, no, a Thousand times mol 1t shall
not be said that 1 have lost my life for
nothing. / will not desert. I am not a
coward. No, / will not sleep for a minute
more on the damp straw of the dungeon.
No they shall not defeat me- -
And the prisoner died during the night,
conquered, like Brutus; grand, like Cato.
He died of a heroic indigestion. He
had eaten all his straw.-FrOn the French
of Jean Richepin-