The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-25

called the guard twice. No answer fol-
lowed. Evidently the guard had gone
to sleep in the kitchen.
IF L have courage enough to carry
out my Intentions thought the ola
man, then the suspicion would first
of all fall on the guard"
He grouped his way to the staircase
and to the door, and entering the hall
way leading to the cell, he lit a match.
Not soul was there. The seals on the
door of the cell were unbroken.
A candle was burning dimly in the pris-
oners room. The prisoner himself was
seated by the table Only his back, his
hair and his hands could be seen from thte
window Open books lay scattered on the
Five minutes went by and the prisoner did
not stir. The banker tapped on the win
NAMED motioniess.. Then the banker eau
tioLsly removed the seals from the door
and placed the key inro the lxeyhole. The
door soon opened with creak The old
man expected to hear cry Of surprise,
but some three minutes passed and ali was
as silent as before. Then he resolved to
enter the cell.
BY the table sat the turist-a skeleton.
with long locks and a long beard. The
were sunken, and the hand which support
ed his shaggy head was so thin that it
was terrible to look at His hair al
ready besprinkled with gray, and looking
at his emaciated face no one would believe
that the man was but 40 years old, He
table lay sheet of paper
Poor man.. thought the banker. HE
sleeps, probably dreaming of millions. 1t
man on the bed and to choke him slightly
with q. pillow, and the greatest experts
could rot find any signs Of an unnatural
he has written here
The banker took the sheet of paper from
the table and read the following
Tomorrow at u o'clock 1 regain my
see the sun / consider il necessary to saw
q words RPfOrp God
clear conscience l declare hereby that
despise liberty, life and health-everything
that is called in your books the bliss of
For fifteen years I have carefully
studied earthly life True, I have seen
neither the earth nor the people, but in
your books 1 drank fragrant wine 1 went
deer hunting in the forests, I sang songs.
created by the magic of your great poets,
visited me by night and told me wonder
full stories which intoxicated me and made
my head reel. In your books climbed the
peaks of the .allast mountains and from
there saw the sun rise in tho morning ard
r ein P9inr a ne dSIe ever ceean and
there how lightnings flashed, rendering the
fields, rivers. ponds, cities; 1 heard the
songs of the sirens and The sounds of the
the beautiful spirits who came to i9e to
converse about God In your
books I flung myself into bottomless
people, set cities on FIRE preached new
RELIGIONS. conquered kingdoms
Your books have given me wisdom All
that tireless human thought has created
during so many centuries is compressed
within my skull
And / despise your books. desire all
the blessings of the world. and l despise
wisdom, Al is perishabIe. frail. Elusive
and delusive. like mirage. No matter
how proud, how wise. how beautiful you
may be, death will wipe you off the face
of the earth together with the lowest of
animals and your posterity. your history.
the immortality OF your geniuses viii
freeze or burn together with the globe of