Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-08-03
A Death Bed Repentance.

The cliffs were crowned with vineyards
and ohveyaTds. An indolent blue sea
crept up the reddish sand. III an hour
the tide would turn.
In his cave dwelling in the cliffs, with
MS ewes on the beautiful scene before
him. an aged philosopher lay dying.
Farther back in the cave stood his dis
eiples; ready at a word or sign to minis
=. to him.
He had hen man of great sanctity
and an ascetic life. All had been given
to the service Of his gods and of his fcl-
lows. He had passed from youth with
ont pleasure to an old age without re-
gret. For all the years that he had
lived in the world, and in spite of all the
work he had done for the world. he had
never been of it. On summer nights as
he crouched in his cave and listened to
the seas unendmg elegy visions mad
come to him that are rot given to the
youths or to the aged that belong wholly
to the world These visions he had
recorded, and on them he had based his
teaching; and his repute was SO great
that young men came long journeys to
see him and to learn from him.
He beckoned with one hand, and his
disciples came forward.
Seat yourselves near to my bed" he
said My voice already grows weak,
and | think that / speak TO you for the
last time And, firstly, do YOU" he said,
turning to the youngest there, "tell me
how men speak of me up in the town
where all my long life 1 have been
known"
They say" said the youth in a clear
voice, that you have never been as
Others but always above them and that
with YOU the body has ever been the
slave of the spirit that you have never
known the love of women, that you
drink 10 wine, that you fast often. They
say that an the night watches you have
| spoken with the gods themselves, and
that your wisdom Is more than mortal,
and that your teaching is as pure gold.
So too. say We all
For the most part" said the old man,
| dreanlilv- TT Is true But OF the wis
dom and of the sanctity of my life ] now
doubt, for / pass from it, and | know
hot whittier / am going And | feel as
/ one who has left "a banquet-tasted and
may not return to it again. Everywhere
there is beauty-in the young tendrils Of
/ the vine ard in the WFenched and twisted
4 trunks of the olive trees; wherever there
4 IS sunlight and wherever there is wate:; ;
1 IN the scent of the violGts and in the
| scent of the newly turned earth; and in
starry nights; and in women that are
meet to be loved. OF my own will [ have
1 put the love of women from me, hoping
4 fer other and higher rewards. And now
at the end of my life these rewards grow
| pale and faint, and there is no SAVIOR in
them. And that which have missed IS
vivid and warm and near"
He paused and closed his eyes so that
for moment his disciples thought that
he had fallen asleep, and then he went
ON in weak and drowsy voice, Il won
der where she is now. Such eyes. They
burned one; they would not let one
sleep. And it might have been. That
one evening when we two together
! :nountain5 ] knew that it might have
been
His disciples looked at him in silent
wonder, for it. YVES not after this manner
that he had been accustomed to teach
! them.
-'fEor me- he went ON. ''the vines have
been laden in vain and women have been
fair in vain; and now must ] come before
the gods rs "a sur!y fellow, very churl,
,one that refuses their gifts. Be warned
by me- ne said, opening his eyes and
fiMing them on his disciples. LET the
words that II speak dying blot out from
your memory the teaching of my life
time. Who .am / that / should say what
rs high and what is low1y? Have not the
same hands that gave the one given the
other? L repent most bitterly. If it
wepe TO be done again 1T should be done
differently. Be warned by me-
And now he closed his ewes and lay
qrlite still, and as the disciples gazed at
one another the eldest of them, a singu
karly austcre young man, tapped his fore
head significantly. Undoubtedly their
reverend teacher no longer knew what
/ ne was saying. tt was inexpressibly sad,
4 hat IT should be forgotten. Other dis
riplcs nodded assent, but rot the young
/ est He made no sign whatever, but
stepping gently to the bedside saw that
| the old man was now dead. And every
where there was great fermentation.
| Up in the town they said that there
WAS none to come after him except it
! might be the eldest of asis diciples. And
they buried him With great honor in :,
! marble tomb on the cliffs above his
cavern home.
And che starry night the youngest CT
his disciples went out on to the noun
tains TO find stray sheep. And there
Vert with him % brown-skinned maiden.
Barry Pain in the Sphere.