Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-03
Why That Gentleman is Not Quite
Sure of His Identity.
A TALE OF METEMPSYCHCSIS
A Weird Story Told by Montana
Jim in a Hotel Parlor.
ADVENTURES OF A SPORT

Hotel. 1t was as bright wit. All sorts
of people. from the good to the very good
" ere there
Sitting on the heater. with gaze which
seemed to be looking down the vista of the
past, and to be peeping behind the curtain
of the future, was Col. Jim Struthers, alias
Montana Jimmy" Hello, colonel said
The Star man. slapping him on the back
with a dull thud that almost made him
turn his ribs over on the other side II
thought you were averse to the society of
ladies. and here you are in their midst?'
MY boy" said the colonel. gravely, with
face as sober as temperance pledge. II
was lady once myself"
1t was clear that Jim was about to per-
petrate another of his experiences, and peo-
pie shifted their positions, the better to
hear what he was about to say.
After the usual preface of throat-clearing
and browknitting which yarners affect he
said:
Yes, my boy, 1 was a lady once my
self. The rough figure which stands before
you now is not the original Jim Struthers.
The body in which am temporarily rugged
out is not the one which l inherited at my
birth When 1 was a young man l lived In
the lap of luxury, ate from a souvenir
spoon and used sweet soap, tooth powder
and cologne. But longed for bigger things
than Juggling at the heart strings of girls.
1 built ambitious castles on foundations Of
hope. l wanted to write my autograph in
big caps on the front page of the world S
history. ! chose to be a sailor. My spirits
ebbed and flowed with the tides, and my
heart beat in unison with the throbs of
Neptune's pulse. l went down to the sea
in ship. We were off the coast of Samos.
7 brl of oil he
tory which had been made around those
shores. 1t was evening. The day had plant
ed golden crowns on the brows of the west
ward hills; had gilded the spires of the
town with a soft and tender glow and had
cast back to Samos parting glances of mel
low, loving light.
"A storm was brewing. l could not
grease the water into calmness. The storm
broke The wind would have blown the
breath out of a Dakota blizzard and lifted
the roof off a cyclone cellar. The lightning
blaZed to the right, and to the left, and the
artilleristS of the skies had planted batter
les in every cloud. The storm was an cleo
trio shock. My craft was rocked in the
cradle of the deep, and was castaway.
was broke. and all my valuables were
in the hotel safe and 1t was after banking
hours, L concluded to take lodging on the
beach. | was in the act OF doing this when
a Samos copper pinched me as a vag. The
Vagrant law in SamuS is more regularly
enforced than it is in the hotel corridors of
Washington. | registered a fictitious name
on the station blotter. and as | could not
leave collateral / was jagged in the Gala
bcoSe.
In an Ancient Temple.
1.-The Jail at which l was residing; had seen
better days. 1t had once been q temple OF
Juno. In one corner of my apartment was a
life-sze statue of that gallery goddess. Time
had dealt well with her. and if some of her
anatomy, as is the fashion with old statues,
had not been broken off, she would have
been as well dressed for bathing purposes
as Lady Lodovic when she rode through
Coventry town. There were some withered
peoples and peacock feathers at her feet
Her ears and noStrils were full of cobwebs
and evidently she had not engaged in con-
versation for a long time. Juno always was
peculiar woman. / was very tired, as
much as If l had listened to a defense
of the last Hawaiian policy, and / lay me
down to sleep on the hard stone floor of
my cell. There were no springs under the
stone flags and l have spent many a more
reposeful night down at the wood yard!
l blew out the gas, and after saying my
prayers l slept. of course | had some
dreams. One long, green fellow, with
stripes on his back, had COiled around me
and was just about to sting me, when
awoke. My eye rested on the EhoStly out
lines of the statue in the corner. 1 thought
L noticed something wrong about 1t, but
vision and the excitement through which 1
had passed. The statue seemed to be point
ing its broken arm at me. l raised on one
elbow and held my breath to listen.
would have yelled police! bat Tor the bad
effect it has men to be rudely awakened,
and my shrek fell short. Inc other arm
was lifted now, and the two seemed to be
doing some Delsarte business.
THE lines of Galatea began to rush
through my dizzy brain. The marole pallor Of
the statue was giving place to fresh, warm,
rose tInts. Inc dun eyes began to grow
brilliant, and by their radiant luster all
things in the dim and darksome cell could
be plainly seen. Another fiesh-colored
figure was perched just over Juno. She
carried a small rainbow in her hands, and
/ knew it must be Iris. HallehuJa! what
had 1 struck? Angels and ministers of
grace defend u.s. 1 shouted. Juno turned
her head and rested her gaze. half-sympa-
thetic, half-imperious. on me. Her lips
moved. AT first her vocal cords were TOO
much tangled for utterance, and when her
voice did come forth, it had widowed
ring and several cracks in il which made
me think that were she to apply that voice
to Italian opera the harmony would be COM
plete. Juno did not chlde me. AS a
stranger she babe me welcome. Being
without my notebook, L did not take down
her remarks, and besides she wasn't talking
for publication. as she is too well known
to need this kind of advertising. We talked
of various matters. l found that the god
dess was pretty we'll up on Washington
society. | would tell you what she said
but l don't like to repeat uncomplimentary
remarks about people. Juno said she hoped
/ would forgive her toilet but that it really
wasn't her fault, as Phidas wasn't first
class dressmaker. l told her that l didn't
mind little thing like that, as l had been
to full-dress entertainments before and had
spent a season at the seaShore. Then she
blushed few times and said, Jim, old
sport, you're a brick, and I'd be the hap
piest girl in Samos if / only had my left
arm, right ear. nose and big toe hack :
We got on very friendly terms and began
to discuss ways and means for my escape
Then, as ii a great thought had hit her
she called out to pretty little Iris: L say
'Ris, bring out that demijohn of the elixir
of immortality which Uncle Jupiter sent
in last night and chuck flask of 1t in the
hind fob pocket of Col. Struthers' As
Iris reached for my gun pocket l kissed
her Then Juno stepped down off her ped
estal and gave me directions how to use the
dose She said: One spoonful of this before
meals will separate the soul from the body
but unlike most other medicines, will grant
body You can take drink of it now and
the thirty days are up. when they will
again
The Escape.
Juno cut me off lock OF her hair with
a cold chisel and we prepared for my es-
cape. Juno gave me some notes to
friends i'll the upstairs part of crea-
ola In, ole