Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1909-05-20
A KNIGHT OF
THE BEARD
1t Was to Be as His Dear Wife Wished

"Augustus l think that boards are
SO Observation-Disclosures you-u-u-u-u-u?"
And her voice so trembled in it's
pleading and, when | looked at my be-
loved, her lip so quivered and her eyes
so filled with the tears of her longing
that | groaned in my spirit, for knew
that my fate was near at hand and
that If should deny my hearts desire
she would peak and pine and fade
away until her tender heart would
break at last and my love would be no
more.
Augustus" she whispered
To which l bravely made reply:
My love?"
Augustus, wish that you, my
sweet, would grow beard."
And pressing my darling boldly to
my heart raised my hand and SOL
EMMY swore that never more should
razor touch my face till | was bearded
like the pard and that l would ever
emulate the pirate in his business till
men should tremble at the mention of
my name; whereat my darling kissed
me with the kiss of pride and joy, and
thus the pact was made.
And in fear and in trembling l Jared
forth into the world the following day,
for never before had | faced my fellow
men in the morning until had passed
the cleaning steel over my lathered
countenance. And my fears were all
too justified and my trembling was not
in vain for as | walked along the thor
oughfare it was as though | had
walked along through a gauntlet of
! eyes; large, rounded eyes, insistently
staring, bold eyes and prominent eyes
that never winked or wavered; eyes to
| the right of me, eyes to the left of me,
eyes all around me-and every eye
| upon my unshaved beard
My glance fell in shame and con-
| fusion and | slinked along the pave.
"Augustus,"
| To which | made my sorrowful, fond
reply:
My love?"
Augustus! How slowly it grows!"
pressed my darling sadly to my
heart and soothed her, for | saw that
she had expected my beard to flower
|
hand of the conjurer and that in a few
| short hours she wished to see it toss
ing in the breeze, triumphant, fiery and
untamed. And sadly then l pointed out
to her that the grand, imperial city
was not built in 6 day and that only
| perseverance brought success in that
field of endeavor where we had thrown
our die and cast our unshaved lot
And when the morning broke | Jared
| out into the world again unshaved, un-
| shorn, and seeking the solitary places
| of seclusion; but all the friends that |
| had ever made and all the chance ac-
| quaintances that had ever met; all,
all We're there to greet me and to look
with pity and with wonder at my woe.
The policeman gave me the second
look OF sharpness, and when l passed
the parlors of the tonsors they pressed
their faces to the window, melancholy,
mournful and full of deep reproach.
On the cars my neighbors sat away
from me, and all day long when rising
in the elevators was always carried
past my stated floor.
"Augustus."
To Which l made my fond, despair
ing cry:
| My love?"
Augustus, Can't you hurry ito"
But in sadness and in sorrow | ex-
planned to her, my love- that the exc
cution of our plan must take its own
appointed time and that, come heat or
cold. rain or snow, day or night, fire or
sword, there was nothing that could
hasten the even tenor of its way, and
nothing, nothing. nothing that could
soften now the blow.
And the third day came, and the
third day Jared l forth. looking no man
in the eye except with a fierce def.
ance. AT the restaurant no man would
come and sit at the table where l was
and on the streets the youth of the
land made capricornian cries, exclaim
ing also "Z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z! and "Whish
sh-sh-sh-sh!"
, "Augustus!"
To which made my fond, lamentine
: cry:
My love?'
Augustus! How much bearded is
the pard?"
81 do not know I stammered forth
a great and sudden JOY infusing me
Il do not know, my love!" l STAN
mered forth
: "A strange and fearful name,' ther
mused my Josephine, and l am sure
! that he was bearded so. The pirate
too, it was agreed that we should emu
late, so that all men then should trem
bic at the mention of thy name And
do they tremble yet, dear hearth"
They tremble eyceedingly," Their
cried | in my eagerness. The BARRIERS
! scarcely can restrain themselves, anG
when my friends must come and tall
to me they tremble for fear they viii
be seen with me. My enemies tremble
with happiness, and never an A. d. t
but trembles with that fierce joy thai
the eagle feels when it sees its help
less prey
Enough. enough she unused. BE
sides"
/