Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-03-21
DAILY. STORY
THE YELLED FUTURE.
IOriginal.l

was Chlacas. He had been born a
peasant, but from the day of his birth
had manifested wonderful precocity.
He walked with Il sturdy step before
he was a year old and was possessed
of mans vocabulary before he was
two. His bent was in two directions,
study and activity. He was sent to
school, where he soon surpassed his
masters, while in athletic sports and
feats of daring no one could cope
with him.
When Chlacas was seventeen years
old a neighboring king invaded the
dominions of his sovereign, and the
boy enlisted in the army. At the first
battle he rallied his legion Tor regi
ment, as we call it now, it having
been driven back and its commander
killed. This made him prominent He
rose rapidly in the military service
and eventually as general of the army
| drove back the invader He was ac-
| corded triumph, receiving the thanks
OF his sovereign and his countrymen.
Unrest seemed to drive him on
| ward, and he begged permission to
march against one of the neighboring
| states with a view to its conquest.
| He was given 4 reluctant consent and,
leading forth an army, within sixty
| days had annexed the territory to his
| own country. From this starting point
| he proceeded with other conquests till
he had Subjugated every land of the
| continent on which he lived, and to-
| gether they formed an empire.
When there We're no more conquests
for Chlacas he was made prime min
lister and as lawgiver proved himself
as great as a soldier. His king died
childless, and, the legal heir to the
throne being weakling, the people
demanded that ChlacaS assume the
crown. He deferred to the unanimous
| call, and the government was made
perpetual in him and his family.
| Up to that time Chlacas was the
greatest man that had ever lived. He
was initiated later by Caesar, who was
both general and lawgiver. and in the
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries
A. d. by Napoleon Bonaparte. But,
| unlike either OF these men, he was not
ambitious for himself. He loved his
people, and his only wish was to make
| them great and prosperous. This he
achieved. From a petty kingdom with
no markets for their products except
within their own borders he made them
an empire, with the neighboring ma
| tjnnS. tpi 10 w. 70
chasers of what they produced All
he desired from them was their graft
tude. which they lavished upon him to
his hearts content
When Chlacas had mounted to the
pinnacle of fame and could climb no
higher, SoOthsayer came to his domin-
ions and foretold many wonderful
things. King Chlacas was seized with
desire to know what would be his
end. He sent for the soothsayer and
asked him to give him picture of
himself in his last days.
. 80 king" said the prophet, you ask
what is not for your good, the good of
your people or of the world Heaven
has wisely concealed our future, the
hour of death. Were these revealed
the affairs of the people of the earth
could not so on. Do not ask me tC
reveal what is in store for you"
Il" replied the king, IAN superior
} to the detriment such revelation would
occasion in another. Show me myseli
as will appear at my final day"
Then the SoOthsayer touched the king
who straightway fell into deep slum
Der. And he dreamed dream. II
4 desolate place he saw n hut, and il
the hut on a rude cot, covered witt
: ragged bedclothing, lay an old mar
S dying. There was no one to miniSte!
= to him. no one to hear the groan ht
D gave when his spirit left his body.
/ The soothsayer touched the king, an(
|, he awoke.
s Interpret the dream | have dream
: ed he said to the soothsayer.
80 king, know that the old man i
f yourself. Your subjects shall rebe
> against you, and foreign ruler shall
Y dispOssess you of your dominions. Vol
! shall die in exile, with no one to SCUM,
your praises or to give you even
crust of bread"
S changed. The ingratitude of his sui
y jects ranked in his breast From
= loving them he grew to hate them. II
L stead of redresslng their wrongs, h
d took no interest in them. From the
l. he began to Cypress them. Gradual
e that love they had borne him abate
+, and at last turned to animosity Thi
If antagonism between the sovereign an
II his people led to many troubles 70
f both. Taking advantage of the or
i portunity, one of the strongest of til
lie subject nations rebelled, and, Chlaca:
} having to oppose it with an army VIII
o disliked him, could not fight them wit
sr the same effect as formerly. The rebel
If were successful and achieved their il
IS dependence. This rebellion was 70
d. lowed by others till every subject prov
g ince had become free.
Then a neighboring king who ha
- been growing strong while Chlacas ha