The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-03-25

| walking in the M M III SSUNMW
CENTER Of ancient w G~C6x mi
| Rome There was N.Y.
the ca pitol, with a
flock of geese SUD- The LlCToR ARRESTS
ming themselves ALEXANDER.
upon the rock. There was the Coliseum:
There were Caesar and Mark Antonv wall
| ing arm in arm There we've Hora t;us
| Coolies. fresh from his gallant defense of tbe
bridge. and Virgil standing aft the CORNER
reciting the " Eneid,' to a small crowd
I But he had NO time for further refIec-
| tion. A large crowd had gathered aronnd
| him. wondering whether he was a harba-
rian or a god A lictor came up to inouire.
and at once placed Smith under arrest a.
| q suspicious person. The cold&sweat stood
| on Alexander's brow. AS the lictor smoke
there was heard the roar of the hungry
lion from within the Coliseum. As h.
marched along to the cells he instinctively
nut his hand in his pocket. There was his
new revolver. His spirits rose. but only to
sink again when he found that ali the
cartridges had been fired but one and he
had no others with him.
He was taken before tbe manager and
ALLOTTED pert in the "prand finale !, wbe
20 wild beasts were Toasted on 90 Chris.
tians. Even At this terrible mo,nent tb,.
thought of one man one lion, brought a
smile to his pale lips. Let him tackle his
lion alone! After considerable parley his
request was granted.
At last his turn came.
With loud roar, large but consurnp.
tive looking lion came trottipe toward
him. Alexander Crashed his pistol firmly.
A veil from the audience a darkening ot
the air, and the lion was upon him. He
pulled his trigger and fell beneath the
beast. When Alexander came to himself,
the whole assembly was ringing with an.
plause The lion. shot through the brain.
lay dead at his feet.
Alexander Vns taken before the empero1
and congratulated warmly on his victory.
On the following day he must have a turn
with the gladiators. Having no more
cartridges, Alexander declined the honor.
But the emperor was obdurate. just then
the poet Horace came up and asked him
the secret Of his wonderful smoke killer.
Alexander only smiled, and murmured
something about 'sinteger VITAE sceler
isque purus," and SO pleased was the poet
at hearing himself quoted that he suggest.
ed that the barbarian should be exempt
from further performance if be would ex.
plain how to make those wonderful smoke
killers.
Alexander said not only would he do
that, but that he would show them many
another triumph of science-the electric
light, or how to make midnight suns with
in their houses, how to talk to men in dis.
tant lands across the seas in an Instant,
and an engine which would draw chariots
60 miles an hour.
So it was arranged that on the ides O,
March the barbarian should explain hi
wonderful discoveries. Meantime he was
assigned as many workmen as he chose fol
the manufacture Of his implements. The
days few madly by.
AT the appointed hour Alexander faced
his audience and began in his best Latin:
friends, Romans and Emperor-Lend
me your ears. I will lay before you the
triumphs of inventive genius. First, thu
electric light, bright as the sun, and you
can have lamps Of it III your houses or in
the street. A child can light whole city