The Jersey City news., 1901-09-14

keep nlovils X, inecssantly in that great
/ heat. But John Kubython was not con-
scieus Of it, The sun was only great
light pointing him to fresh finds. At sun
down on that day he gave up work and
collapsed little in the tent and fell
asleep while he was watching the litter
of stuff that now almost hid the floor of
the tent. The air was burning hot. and
John Rubython began to dream uneasily.
1t must hare been delrium into which
he passed, for through his multifarious
imaginings ran the same thread of vague
terror that holds delirious men. Always
he was alone and impotent; always the
world circled about him with desolating
regularity. No bodily i'll. it seemed, be-
fell him, but only foreknowledge Of in
tolerable things. Horrors Of yellow COM
passed him.
He was fly imprisoned in amber for
billion years. Through it, as through a
easement, he looked without needing upon
a yellow earth. The glutinous stuff deaf
ened him, froze the warm blood of his
veins, hardened about his lips, SO that his
throat was full of choking. Only in the
vacant chambers Of his brain, which never
stopped thinking, thinking, thinking, he
knew that escape was possible. For
other flies were bound with him, the unre-
garding companions of his fate, insentient
sleeping things, who, il he could but
make them hear, would by force of their
beating wings effect deliverance. He
could net speak or turn. Once he half
moved his neck and the gum refroZe about
him. In that moment as he foresaw the
agony of an eternal cramp, without warn
ing the amber broke. Splinters Of it few
like yellow diamonds through the sun
light, and those others, the drowscd, who
had known nothing of his pain,s spread
joyful wings and flew away into the sum
mer.
But he-the sickness not yet dried
from his body--fell fluttering into the in
Vulnerable meshes of spiders web.
Between tall sunhowers that stared open
eyed at the sun the web was stretched.
Butterflies from their shells, bronze and
gold, like coins from the minting, shot
into currency. And then in that fair
place be became aware of the spider, a
barrel of yellow fat rolling toward him.
1t would stab him, it would draw his
blood with the lances Of its hairy legs, its
bloated body would expand with his life.
In the keenness of his fear he burst its
web, which fell, delicately dislocated, and
swung to and fro by single thread. The
gross beast itself, its eyes bulging indig-
nation, was running madly down the cor
ridors it had devised, spinning fresh mazes
as it ran.
John Rubython dreamed, and it was
autumn. He dropped from tree. leaf
among other leaves, all yellow and shriv-
eled, for they had forgot the spring and
the glory of being green. Westward, low
on the horizon, the sun set in sickly
orange and he knew in his heart that
when it was gone a little wind would
come up out of the east and beat him
down on the moldering earth. Already
other leaves were falling YEARLY and
swine nosed among them. But he feared
too much to fall What resurrection
would there be or what new holdings
and whisperings in the springtime when
the warm winds should blow again to
quicken the forests? Out of the marshes
a dun fog crept, like an invader, silently.
Now the delrium drove him, human in
body as in soul once more, over great
tracks of earth in the very strangest conf
pany of men made of wax with whom, by
reason Of their peculiar substance OF be-
cause they were enveloped in great vol
umes of smoke, he could not become Ia
.niliar. They wandered together and not
together, and at last they stood all massed
in great desert OF yellow sand, and
storm rose. The sand was churned up
like foam on a shallow sea, billows of it
rolled against them pits yawned in front
and behind. In that terror he could not
address these men of wax, for somehow
he knew that if he called to them they
would melt away, and be would be alone
in body as he was alone in spirit. Yet be
called out.
John Rubython woke to consciousness to
find the companions who had ridden Off
and left him back in the tent They were
real. not made of wax, and there were
others, too, who were also real.
What's up?" he asked in voice that
he could scarcely hear. The American,
who sat smoking near him, bent forward.
"Sit quiet" he said soothingly. "Too
much sun on an empty stomach that's
fattened you some
But argued John Rubython.
The other went on talking to keep him
STILL He and Saaui. it seemed, had fallen
in with some other prospectors who were
well stocked with provisions and had
agreed to show them the road.
Suddenly Rubython recollected himself.
"But found the gold" he said. "You
Know tlatf IL s uttered ABOUT. lac
tried to sit up and look. but his strength
failed. One or two of the other men had
come forward at hearing of gold.
What is it?' asked one. a- r.
"All about, said the American.
AN what's the muck on the foor|
That's it, guess" said the American.
''He got sun touched and went round
picking up most anything he could lay
hands on. Comes of thinking and empty
stomach. Knew another man like that
John Rubython lifted up his head again.
''It's all there, isn't it p
"Every dollar" said his friend assur
ingly.
Because If don't get better ia like a
check sent to an address. You'll find it.
You chaps can share. But I'd like her
to know--not waster-I said it--you can
force Iuck-they said / was"
He began to wander again, fulfilling his
purposes in his delirium. Awake. he had
not found it SO easy to force fortune. But
there are many ways of doing it. Here,
for instance, in one corner of the tent lay
SaI sick man, and on the foor Of it much
dust and rubble turned into gold by his
sickness. Black and White.
~sr1