The Washington times., 1906-06-17

so II was natural enough that this
Western Lake city or prominence
should have such harmless appen-
dage. For more than thirty years
John Niyens had been the city fool
but mark you not the city's; not
its ward; SIS dependent IN any way.
He was no vagrant; his home was a
desirable, even a handsome resi-
dence; still the community feeling
seemed strong, for II every man. wo-
man and child knew and gave friend
ly hail to John Nivens. he as surely
knew every street, avenue, and al
ley OF the city-not only by name
or number, but by mishap. tragedy
or disaster; for there was the ex-
preston OF his mentas malady.
Through all the long years he had
plOdded unweariedly IN the footsteps
OF Death-the attraction Of the hearse
was as irresistible 10 him as was the
band-wagon irresistible 10 the other
boys; for look you, this man, with
hair silvering at the temples, was
mentally DuI boy or ten.
Always neatly clothed N black,
with white tie and closely shaven
face, he Just failed OF dignity through
lack OF self-assurance, but wore IN
stead a look or rather insecure SOL
emnity- The external world looked
to lie only like lead upon HIS weary
eye; and not very observant
strangers had been known 70 hail
John Nivens and speak him fair. be-
fore the looseness OF his tremuIous
lower lip, and the vague uncertain
~ Of his gaze had called attention to
the turgid mind, the brain with one
part awake and feebly working, an
other part asleep, bit for all we
knew a-dreaming-always a-dream-
Ing. like Jogging horse and shadow.
Think Of the struggle 70 separate the
real from the dreamed Perhaps the
effort had made Of John Nivens the
city fool.
This ordinary solemnity OF manner
was now and again exchanged for a
furried excitement, an air Of vast
importance and poorly suppressed
triumph, not unlike the manner Of
fashionable undertaken with orders
crowding him, and this furry and
importance was invariably caused by
epidemic or disaster, which present
ed TO poor John Nivens the difficult
task Of so multiplying his powers
as to spare himself the misery of
missing even one Of that splendid lot
of 'fOOnerals," as he called them; for
there were several words he could
only pronounce after a child's fash
ion, so the funeral became "fooner-
al" and procession "percession." But
be II understood that in the pleasant
excitement he experienced over
Deaths full harvest, there was no
satisfied cruelty; no famished crav-
ing OF Illicit curiosity; no degener-
ate hunger for biOod-only a very
anxious questioning always Of the
probable time and place of the "foon-
eral," and when receiving patient an
swer. he would wipe his forehead,
and say: Thank you-thank you
must remember-must go fOOneral."
No, there was nothing Of the ghOUi
IN John Nivens, else every house in
the city had not been open 10 bin
and every woman ready TO cast him
a casual. kindly wOrd-for he enter
ed houses with the absolute freedom
of sun or air: never knocking if a
door was unlocked a floating scarf
OF crepe was to him as a pressing in
vitstion. written in the first person.
that simply had to be accepted for
friendships sake. Yet if far from
home and overcome by fatigue or
heat or cold he entered n house that
wore no black badge Of recent loss
merely to rest He made himself
solid, as II were, by inquiring at once.
Anybody dead-any recent fOoner-
als7' For many long years il was
the general belief that crazy John
Nlvens," as the school children call
ed him, believed himself to be pay
ing a respectful compliment TO the
dead in following them 20 their
graves but he time came whe.. cir
cumstances led me to believe in tho
existence Of motive: too vague. too
uncertain ever TO be caught by MIN
and put into words, and yet persist
ert enough TO drive him on and
on in his strange pursuit of Death
Aside from his grim passion. John
had one other uDconquerabIe weak
ness. Whether at home or abroad.
in parlor. or porch. or in front of a
great store. the lure Of the rocking
chair was irresistible. and down he
pumped and rocked and rocked: and
30 well was this Peculiarity known
that in summer. if people did not
care TO be bothered with HIM. the
word would be raised swiftly from
house 10 house: Take in your rock
erS-fOr here comes John NjyaDcf"