The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-07-31
Stories of an Inland State.

I EOEQOO0 ana lutO the CITY MUCH as N-s
mind had been racked by suspicious fear:
at the outset. the great city in swallowing
him up and seemed TO erase the last trace
| of his former trepidauon.
As fearful child feels protection in com
pany, John Wright felt secure in the OBJ
scuration Of individuality, which. of all the
powers Of concentrated population, Is the
most marked.
| Outwardly he was not the same John
| Wright. The bleach of metropolitan life
had crept into his cheeks but had not ef-
faced the wrinkles which gave him the ap-
pearance of illness, enhancing the bright
ness Of his eyes and giving him that alb
normally of intensified countenance often
seen in religious fanatics, indicating quick
ness Of thought and nervous alacrity OF
! action. But every movement of his body
| contradicted his face. His body he had
clothed neatly and comfortably, in the lat
est style. Affecting the most modern of
hats, and cutting all his beard away except
| small brush on the chin, he appeared to
be a man of leisure living on an increasing
| income and at peace with the world. He
| walked slowly and when occasion demand
ed spoke slowly. He loafed about the
parks and the little stores which cluster
about these in the city and listened always
without a smile. without even a gr;mace OF
protesting contradiction.
He was selling the jewels left him by the
| thief-selling them slowly but without
| noticeable or even self-known caution, hig-
| Cling at great length with the pawn-brok-
ers and exer:ing an unguarded obstinacy in
| securing the best of the bargain, which a
| common thief would have had neither the
| time nor the courage TO display. He de-
posted the money in the bank which the
| thief, Dick Thomas. had designated. Weeks
| passed and the checks he had drawn in
| favor of the mythical Henry NJ. Terrill.
| that night on his farm, were not presented
| for payment.
| The possibility that these checks would
never be presented and he would be allowed
| to retain the entire amount OF the proceeds
| from the sale of the booty did not appeal
| to him.
money accumulated and he read the as-
gregate amount in his bank book, John
Wright was conscious of profound alb
sorbing contempt for money. Out there
on his farm, with the wind and dust and
the torturing sun about him, his convic
ton had been that his cry against society
had sprung from its discrimination against
him.
He had longed then for wealth and the
ease which goes with It, Now he had Sc
cured money but he did not value it IN any
degree whatever. He did not fear to lose
il; he did net wish to have it increase. The
sales he drove We're made because of a GER
tain, stout demand from his own mind or
rather a demand from commercial instinct,
not to be cheated. The accumulation Of
money was peculiarly secondary 10 this
practice Of hggiing over mere items
Time and time again he had taken up
coin and meditated over il.
"a piece of COIN he had said turning II
over and over again. with an image i'm
pressed upon II and the word of the gov
eminent that it is good. A gew-gaw for
the baby with value In not having il. Tin.
Tin, The cheapest tin set out OF reach 10
be cried for within reach undesired.''
His nature seemed 20 revolt against the
coin and against those who made it, even
against those who accepted il.
THE fools" he cried berating society at
large Mature made iron and gold and
silver. In each her effort was not more or
less, but the fools thrust plenty away and
scream for scarcity
Then he paused and with a softened voice
as father in gentle, loving reprimand to
his children, he pursued:
"Ah. But they do not know. Poor fools,
They do not know
Perhaps he meant that they should know.
Perhaps he meant that he should tell them
Perhaps there was weltering in his breast
the awful storm Of individual rebellion,
refined now, but to break forth at last with
the might Of madness.
''They are chained he said again And
this is link There is the link of gov
eminent, the link of custom, the link of
fear, the link of cowardice, and one Is
weaker than the rest-and one is weaker
than the rest
His eyes had Frightened until his whole
face was illumined with a look of fanatical
ferocity rendered terrible by the smile that
seemed TO crack his pale cheeks where they
wrinkied. Then ne said:
Yes, one is weaker than the rest-cow-
ard:ce
The memory of the day in the field when
he had resolved to go to Washington TO re-
Duke the government came TO him with in
tense v.vidness. and with self-rebuke that
he had surrendered his idea.
But 1 was bound down then" he said In
explanation. Now they have let me out
among them, and my arms are free. and i
am free
His chest swelled with the thought-to
him of exaltation-and he cried now audi |
bly,:
Yes. I am free"
The details OF his threatened action, he |
did not know. HIS mind he did not |
know But the terrible passion of his being |
he did know-and it was urging him on to |
a certain goal He was travelling slowly. |
but surely slowly from a certain peculiar |
faith that his occasion was TO be made for |
him and could not be FASTENED. surely with |
the knowledge that his passion was too |
great 10 suppress.
There is no apology for John Wright He |
gave none for himself. Apology was mex
tr!cably tangled in custom and custom was |
a link that held together the fabric which |
he believed damnable. and which he meant |
to break. To him apology was pretext, |
cowardice masauerading. And cowardice |
ne did not have Why then apology
But even then this thought came to him
that the conduct of his mind was unusual
and he cried:
Usual. Custom, The strongest Ink OF /
all Custom: And they murder and call Il |
war, They steal and call IL diplomacy, |
They lie and call il government, The balm /
10 a Napoleon's soul among his myriad |
dead-that men had warred before, Gus
tom, The sacred idol OF the baby people
for pastme by every ruler. Be |
dumb in custom. oh you fools, Be dumb
In custom. callous your slavish minds .n /
the habit Of slavery. blind your eyes in The
"a bit OF other mems laws. wailow in Gus
tom, you fools, Follow the thorny path
because a traveller is before you. and be-
ware the great smooth road deserted"
He paused again and in the same gentle
voice said lcwly again.
All, But they do not know Poor fools.
They do no. know.