The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1905-12-08

consequently no more executions.
The man answered: What do yoi
expect me to do? was taught no othel
trade than the cutting off of heads"
To which the magistrate answered;
1--WE are really sorry, good friend, bu
there will be no more heads for yol
to cut"
In the same manner the jailers an6
turkeys were dismissed as useless
since the jails were empty. There wa:
only one prisoner in the world and thai
was Master Werner's trunk, which DON
Aloysius sprinkled regularly with holy
water as good housewife sprinkles hel
lettuce.
Judges who had nothing to dc
rubbed their hands in glee, seeing
which the citizens said: "As there are
no guilty ones to judge, why should we
pay judges?" Presidents, counselors
provosts, bailiffs, lawyers and all con-
nected with chicanery and litigation
were dying in inanition. The physi-
clans saw the practice dwindle, and
| could foresee it's total extinction, for
diseases are, in most cases, the sor-
| rowful consequences of our excesses.
Armies were disbanded, as no more
war were possible, since princes had
ceased to envy each others possessions.
The beautiful Imperia, who had seen
dukes and margraves at her feet, was
begging for food in the streets, as well
as many others of her kind.
l fha 10 icic 4
may use the modern term-coincided a
curious change in consciences. The
world had fallen into strange inertia,
a sort of moral laziness that had never
existed before; no more envy, but also
no more ambition to do good Without
heinous passions, but without those
feats of devotion which had been the
honor and redemption of preceding
ages. 1t would have been impossible to
repeat the crusades. Converts were
being vacated as the jails had been.
No more chaste and pious maidens were
heard of fortifying themselves in their
cells and offering themselves in sacri-
flee to redeem mankind from impunity
and crime.
Nothing looked more like anticipat-
ing death than this soft and cowardly
egotism into which mankind had fallen
since Satan was prisoner.
. 1t is now time to return to Master
Werner and learn what was going on
there. At first the locksmith was
pulled up with pride by the congratula-
tions and compliments heaped upon
him. Curious crowds came to Winter
berg to see the trunk in which the
poor devil was confined, and they nat
urally benefited the little town, for
the pilgrims were both hungry and
thirsty and much money was made in
supplying their wants. But this Curl
osity soon waned and the good lock-
smith came to feel, like others Of his
trade, the effects of the crisis men
toned above All day long Mahant
kept lecturing him on the subject.
"a fine idea, that of yours. to i'm
prison the devil, who was, after all,
your best customer. You have had to
dismiss your apprentices, and before
long you will not have enough to do to
Gretchen she was constantly bemoan-
ing the unfortunate prisoners fate, and
she visited him when the workshop was
vacant. She had tried to entice Wolf
gang, her fathers apprentice, to aid
her in freeing the prisoner. To her
great establishment the devil had re-
fused to consent to the project. For
the love of God" said he, "do nothing
of the kind"
1t was now a year since Satan was
in captivity, when Werner, stimulated
by the reproaches of his wife and an
noyed by the lamentations of his
daughter, went to Dom Aloysius.
Father" said he, 81 cannot stand it
any longer. l am a ruined man if this
continues. No matter what happens,
am going to open the trunk"
"My friend" said the good priest, 81
was just about to ask you to do so.
also am ruined. No more masses for
the souls in purgatory; no more offer
ings; no more candle-nothing. 1t is in
tolerable. All those people have the pre-
tension to do without us and go to
Heaven on their own hook. In that they
are mistaken, for not being tempted
there is no merit in not violating the
law. If there is no more hell, there is
no more Heaven. Do give that poor
fellow his liberty. After all we should
not forget that he was an archangel
before his fall and he should not be
treated as the first conner. I will own
that have been sparing him for some
time and sprinkled him only with pure
water. Go, my friend, open the trunk
and be very polite
This Werner did.
"My lord" said he, in lifting the lid,
"be good enough tor get out"
The devil got on his feet and shook
himself as one does who has travelled
all night on the railroad. Otherwise he
appeared frisky and good-natured and
resumed the conversation where he had
left it a, year ago.
"You are right. A fellow can be
very comfortable in your trunk
81 hope your lordship has not been
inconvenient in my house. / regret
exceedingly"
ooh, don't excuse yourself, dear fell
low. You know very well that could
have got out long ago if it had pleased
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