The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-12-01

.'Grah got pipe-blow away-blow away
to Annie-pretty soon.''
Yes. Crab, there's chance enough that
you'll blow away to Annie pretty soon,
remarked the other.
.'Grah have white eagle-fiy, fly on the
wtnd-Oh. Oh, bubble bubble!' and he
sent flrny globes floating from the pipe
that a camp of river drivers nad gwen
the half-breed winters before.
Pierre stood and looked at the WANDER
ings of an immense and confused inteli-
gence; a life that fell deformed before
the weight of too much brain, so thaI All
tottered from the womb into the cutters
of foolishness. and the tongue mumbled
of chaos when it should have told mar
vicious things And the half-preed' tne
thought of this coming upon MIN. SAID.
well think the matters of hell have
fallen across the things Of heaven, ana
could think clear, it would be great.''
He, bethought him of certain chant
hood. which, sung to the waving of a
torch in a place Of darkness, caused evl
good spirits to reign in their stead. And
he raised the Idiot to his feet, and brought
light was. He kneeled before him with a
lighted torch of bears fat and the teH-
and fro, sang the ancient rune, until the
eye of the Idiot, following the loren at a
fixed upon the flame. when 1t ceased to
move. And the words of the chant ran
through Grains ears. and pierced to the
remote parts of his being; ana a sleken-
ing trouble came upon his face, and the
lips. ceased to drip, and We're caught up
rolled on: Go forth, go forth upon them.
thou, the Scarlet Hunteri Drive them
forthl Enter in, entersin, and lie upon
the couch of peace, the couch of peace
Behold, call to thee!''
And Pierre, looking upon the Idiot, saw
his face glow, and his eye stream ste d.
lily to the light. and he said: What is it
that you see, Crab ?-speak!.
An PitifuIness and struggle. had gone
fell upon 1T, and the voice of a man that
God had created spoke slowly: There is
an end of bloom. The great chief Yellow
Arm is fallen. He goeth to the plains
where his wife will mourn upon his knees.
and his children cry, because he that
gathered food is gone, and the pots are
empty. on the fire. And they who low
him shall fight no more. Two shall live
through bitter days, and when the leaves
shall shine In the sun again. there shall
a long Journey with the singing birds in
the path of the white eagle. He shah
place where fools, and children, and they
into whom a devil entered through the
them. But the other goeth at a differ mt
time At this point the light in Pretty
through the darkness came a voice. the
voice of an idiot that whimpered: Crab
want pipe-Annie, Annie dead
The angel of wisdom was gone, and
chaos Spluttered on the lOlling lips again;
had dropped
And never again through the days that
came and went could Pierre. by any con-
lurlng or any swaying torch make the
fool into man again. The devils of con-
fusion were returned forever. But there
had been one glimpse of the god. And it
was as the Idiot had said when he saw
with the eyes of that god; no more blood
was shed The garrison of this fort held
it unmolested. The besiegers knew not
that two men only stayed with the walls,
and because the chief begged to be taken
south to die, they left the place surround
ed by its meats of ice and its trenches of
famine, and they came not back
a. n
CRY heather came. and they were called
eth the body and the other the BRAIN But
Crab was not lonely, nor did he hunger.
wind Whereon a useless thing-a film of
water. a butterfly, or a fooI-might ride
beyond the reach of spirit, or man or
heathen His flesh remained the same
and grew not less, but that of Pierre
wasted, and his eye gre w darker wi h s f
fering. For man IS only man, and hun
ger is a cruel thing TO give ones food
to feed a fool. and to search the silent
plains in vain for any living thing to kill,
and not mere morta1s. But this man had
a strength of his own like to his code of
others. And at last, when spring leaped
gayly forth from the gray cloak of win
ter, and men of the II. B. c. came to re-
lieVe Fort o. God and entered at its gates
a gaunt man. leaning on his rifle greeted
them standing like a warrior, though his
body was like that of one who had lain
of Pierre without pride. but like a man
and not a sick woman. And huddIed
on the floor beside him was an IDIOT fon-
ding a pipe, with shred OF pemmican at
his lips
AS if in irony of mans sacrifice. the All
Hail and the Master of Things Derrnitted
the fool to fulfill his own prophecy. and
die of sudden sickness in the camng-on
of summer. But he of Gods Garrison that
remained repented not of his deed. Such
men have no repentance. neither of good
nor evil