Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-10

grow in that cold atmosphere. With his
rife ne supplied his table with meat. and
from skins he realized enough money to
supply his simple wants he also had q
farm near huntsville, which he rented, and
on the same day of each year he called
on mis- tenant collected his rents, went to
huntsville and sold his skins, and from
there to Asheville, where he made his pur-
chases, and returned to his cabin on the
side of the Big Bald mountain.
When we reached the fence surrounding
the cabin, Red-headed Bill called out he'll
To- A big dog sprang up with a savage
growl and started toward us, but was in
inside the cabin. come back. Caesar" AL
most at the same moment the hermit ap-
peared at the door. What do you want
here?" he demanded. in not very cor
dial voice. 1 told him that we were
crossing the mountain and wanted to stop
and rest for awhile You can rest about
as well cut there in the woods as you can
I'm here today" he responded. II told We that
he war inclined to be sorter onsociable ar
times" said Red-headed Bill in a low voice
But after a moments reflection. the
hermit seemed to get in a more hospitable
mood and told my guide whom he knew
that we might come In
Talk With the Hermit.
he pointed Higgins and myself to seats
on oench, while he sat on a fat stump a
Few feet away. His hair and beard were
white and tangled. and he looked at least
sixty-hve years old-perhaps older Red.
headed Bill told him who l was and INV
business In the mountains, and that I had
heard OF him and wanted to see him. The
ola man looked at me for a moment in a
rehectlNe sort OF way, and said: Like all
young persons, you have too much curiosity
foung men are strong animals. old men
have brains Cicero. in his De Senectute
80 Eniin est mems ct ratio ct consiieum
~ seni1us l pleaded innocence of any
knowledge of Latin, and begged him 70
udnsiate. lie looked at me sadly for a
moment, and said: THE English is. For
ment IN hii en- power and reason and judg-
sorrow at my illiteracy The ability m
read caesar said he. may Justly he 70
ggarded as the line between literacy and
llhteracy. I regretted that / had Mt
studied the language while in coIIaee He
Liused Tor a moment, and said: mo n 10
petter mat you are ignorant; the fruft of
AT ni tIee OF knowledge is always bitter. It's
PITY mat Adam did not die with all HE
tbs IN ms body. 1 have had more than nv
S I or trouble with Ewes daughters )"
n nle.,e, ne broke out with TRADE against
mat flesh ia heir to" to them To hattaS
express himself. he vented MANY Of HE
sNpietives in Latin. After a few moments
ne grew more rational and began IN taiL
more to himself than to us in an unknoI,n
tongue called him to order and advised
MN mat L regarded 1t unparliamentsrv m
t, noUns great questions in a language un-
QuounS. said he, from the great tragedy
OF Eschylus. Prometheus Vinctis Yon
SNOW that Prometheus said to To- daughter
knew nothing about ii. He sbooE b,s s'i he,
pityinsly. and said: Sad. sad After a
moment spent bordering over NV Ignorance
IN which he vatnly attempted to get its metes
ara pounds, he said: II will give Won the
English and apply 1t to my own condition
verify, thou wouldst hardly bear the
asonies or me to whom 1t is not given to
die: for this would be an escape from suf
rx-ftL
emphasis, there is no limit set to nv
hardship. until Jove shall have been de-
throned from his tyranny"
Tilted by n Woman.
i asked him some things about his past
and why he chose to spend his life In a
wilderness and alone. He unused for a long
time; he had n faraway look in his eyes.
am he seemed retrospecting the past. II
have lived among people and found them
taise; have had friends. and they were
treacherors." He paused again and then
spoke. L thought, with some pain: IT knew
girl once that / loved: she said she would
marry me. / introduced her to a college
meta young man with whom graduated
On the day she was to have become nv
wife she became his. 1 knew nothing Of
ii till l reached her home. where We were
TO nave been married They had gone
have never seen her but once since that
time. that was in the court room where
"siS DS4iS urea lOr my life. About wear
after they had married ] met my former
ceEeSs mate: We quarreled and he was
gathered to his fathers. / was tried and
acquitted or the ground of insanity. After
that i came here, where | have since lived
with the one desire that be let Alone
He WIS thoughtful for awhile and then
broke the silence by saying: II have lived
here and tried to do no harm: had 1 lived
sn1 Juveaal truly says Memo malus fe,,x
H'ihlIle corruptor. Bethinking himself
that | knew nothing of what Juvenal had
said. he added: That is. No wicked man
can be happy, least OF all, one who cor
rupts others"
Quoting Poetry and Latin,
T asked hirs, if ne was not afraid Of dying
there by himself He said he could die lust
as well there as anywhere and added, II
feel that my sun has long since passed
the meridian. and that I am now in life's
late eventtce." Here he changed the simile
1T was Whittier VINO said:
II know the solemn monotone
OF waters calling unto me:
L Know froEl whence the airs have blown
That whisper of the eternal sea-"
He paused again as If in deep Thought
AMI then said: "It is strange that Whit
tier and Tennyson should each compare
his death I" a summons to set sail on the
sea OF eternity. Tennyson says:
" Twilight and evening bell
And after that-the dark
Arl may there De no sadness of farewell
When I embark;
For tho from out our bourne of time and
place
The floods may bear me far,
l hope to see my pilot face to face
When | have crossed the bar"
Again he began to quote Latin. and again
l protested. Il was just quoting what
Cicero said of death" he said "he rPyerses
the smile used by Whittier and Tennvson.
or. more properly speaking they reverse the
sirlile used by Cicero. He compared his
approaching death to the coming into port
AFTER long voyage. He smiled YEARLY
and continued. II reckon I shall soon say
with DIDO, Wiki. ct peregi cursum'" I
again requested that he would confine his
remarks to English. He said Virgil makes
Difo say. 1 have lived. and have finished
the co"rse which fortune has given me;
and now my great shade shall go under the
earth Again he began to quote Latin
am Greek alternately. He said he was
quoting from Plato and Cicero on the i'm
mortality Of the soul; ne did not translate
hence do not Know what ne said. I askel
him what he thought of death.
His View of Death
He drew himself up much like a sopho-
more about to begin his grafton, and in a
very solemn, though oratorical manner
said: "Of the past We know nothing: of
the present. we know only the bare fact
OF existence, and that we are standing on
this Isle of Time. while around us roar the