Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1897-04-24
TOO MUCH FRUIT.

hal never seen one before 1t was ex-
tremely decorative, and / admired it very
much. Its colors were those of the robes
of Blum's little samsen player on the wall
"Why don't you eat it," asked Polly.
The idea of internally absorbing the
beautiful had a strange charm. 1t was u
very large persimmon, but ate it all, and
then went to bed
From ceiling that crawled and crinkled
watched cherry colored mandarin swing
slowly down on to my bed. From the spot
from which he dropped came another and
another, all no longer than a pea pod and
as dry. Solemnly they squatted on my
chest and lifted their hairy arms, in which
were twisted rods with carven, grinning
faces.
Crashl They broke into a shrill, discord-
ant song, beating, beating, beating on my
ribs. One, near the apex Of my heart, would
not keep time, and that was worse than all.
How the blows hurt, and how their curled
up knees sank deep into my flesh! The
words Of the song seemed to leap forth
like little cubes and hop over my skin,
burning as they rolled. The pain was un-
endurable. drew great gasp of agony
and was free. They were gone.
A long vista of grayness resolved itself
into strange perspective. was seated
in fragile jinrikisha, but instead Of the
lusty runner, blue skirted and handy legged,
between the shafts was monstrous horse,
tall to heaven, with stridings that deyour-
ed the road. A voice, warning, portentous,
sounded in my ears:
"Be thou careful, 0 careless one, for
thou hast that in charge that is precious "
looked down, and beside me crouched
a bit of a brown baby, naked and unafraid,
whose knob of hair, tied in tiny brush,
/ painted hieroglyphics in the air with every
leap of the lurohing vehicle.
BY some swift intuition knew that
this prancing, gigantic horse was the pride
of the mikado's stables and the brown
baby the hope of the empire, and that ac-
cident to either meant a punishment to fit
the crime. I looked ahead. The white
slopes of Fusiyama, the sacred mountain,
lay before us, up which none may pass
alive.
On either side our way ilnpenetrable
pines, in whose dark branches goblins sat
and grimaced horribly OH we rushed
The great fore feet of the horse struck the
slope of the forbidden hill. A sudden shock
ran through all his body. 1 stood alone
In the road On the side, his blood dyeing
the scanty sod, lay the horse, a deep hole
in his quivering side, while in my arms
the child lay leaden, gasping.
Crowds of other people gathered about
us and looked upon me ominously, silently.
''IIill this wretched creature In mercy,
begged They stood unmoyed, silent
still, while the horse gazed at me in more
than human anguish. Clasping the child
hurried away, falling, stumbling, crying
aloud for help in vain.
Suddenly / stood in "a vast room All
about it's sides were ladders Of bamboo,
fragile and hung by slender threads. In
the corners, overhead and swinging corpse
like, were bundles, shapeless, unspeakable.
The air was filled with sickcning odor
as of mingled decay and strange spices
pungent and sweet Slowly the swinging
bundles took form, and beneath appeared
the outline of body in a dim and bewil
dering individuality, ludicrous and horri
BILE.
Again voice cried-a voice of authority
not to be gainsaid-"S Search" Again
knew that somewhere in this formless i'm
mensity the little brown baby was hid
still alive, and could but find him ere
too late might save our souls alive from
I knew not what. Instantly he was M
longer the heir of the house OF San, bu
mine, my own, that had lived and lovet
and lain ON my breast, and whose life
would die million deaths to save whose
agony l would brave the gods to assuage
How I tossed the dreadful bundles
about How tore them open ruthlessly
only to see sunken eye Or gaping mouth
How chung to the spiderlike ladders and
leaped across chasmlike spaces. At last
among heap of squalid rags, in corner
where snakes writhcd and ran, a little
foot peeped out. 1t moved. 1t was warm.
I tore away the clothes as a dog tears at
the earth that covers his quarry and snatch
ed the child to my heart. On his bare
breast gaped wide wound, it's edges al
ready purple and receding, and as looked
/ saw the fatal flush spread up and up.
Water! Oh, II there were only water!
saw dull pool at my feet, and, STOPPING,
dashed the icy drops upon the wound. In
vain. One chance remained-to call back
the fleeing soul by name in desperate en-
treaty Surely my baby would listen.
The word died on my lips, for the child
on my heart changed again as l would
have spoken, and what knew I Of the name
of the mikado's heir? Let me think.
must think. Did not some one of that
cruel crowd that stared and grnncd speak
it? l strive; groan; cry aloud The
heavy air sends back my cries hollowly
and as choke into silence see the lids
f1utter and fall. The hope Of the empire
has gone all too soon to the sacred shades
Of Fusiyama, and I, alone, must answer
Alone in the silence and darkness of 9
cell. I could put out my hand and fee
that the wall was made of some rough
woven grass, about which clung pene
trating odor. In this grass I could heal
the movement Of millions OF minute In
sects, knew not of what detcsted shape
and kind. I began to pass my hands oyel
these walls in know not what barren
hope of escape. Carefully l crept on ant
on, measuring, comparing, testing. Ther
I went back and began again. My hands
kept slipping off strangely into space. Th'
O0Al littu IIo eudpc-SiIhply uiihohsAol'
Alas! I was no simple onlookcr at some
splendid revel of primeyal nature. AL
that was in this stupendous scheme wa
me, sentient, suffering soul.
The helpless, tortured ego was part O
the whole. 1t frozo on those cold, piercing
peaks, baked on those plains Of arid snnd
was tossed in that human sea, was blown
on those tempestuous Winds All this
was, all this inflicted, all this l bore TO
| forever.
Then the end came. About me, in me
Of me, there was only light, light tina
grew and blazed and turned white an,
grew again till the eyes Of both body an,
spirit sank in it and were submerged. Ou
Of the light in its very glowing hear
showed point more intolerably light
Nearer and nearer 1t came, in shape nov
like live flame, darting forward snake
| like. Each instant It threatened to toucl