The Cairo bulletin., 1911-06-20

This cholera business is merely a
scare. said one. Besides. why fear
deatha We must all die some lime.
.'Ihat for death" said Young Thorn.
ton. swapping his Iiugers I'm going
to live 10 be a hundred"
A singular looking fellow came into
the restaurant and Sat down at an ad
joiniug table | could not make out
that he WAS Of any especia age: be
might have been thirty or fifty or q
hundred and tifty. Yet there was
something about him that made ltiIl
look prematurey aged His eyes were
set very deep in bis head and giistpned
like those of Il wild animal in tie dark
He was so thin that one could almost
see the functions of The bones of his
face, and his clothes hung about him
In huge folds. He had evidently heard
Thornton's boast, for he fixed his eyes
on him in way that made my blood
run cold Other of the younger mem
bers of the party who sat with their
backs to the newcomer perpeirated
jokes about death Every word on
that subject seemed to excite the Stran-
gers ire until he was dashed into a
fury.
MY friends" he said presently,
''you who condemn death do not real
ize what you are talking about. You
shoulc have seen such sights as | have
seen. Were any of you in Il batlle?''
We all stared at the stranger tongue
tied. No one of US claimed to have
seen anything of war.
II was at the battle of Gravelotte,"
he said, "and advanced with an at
tacking party of Prussians. If you
had seen that white pail that | threw
over the faces of those who were
struck you would not laugh at death. :"
You threw over their faces?' | ask
ed. puzzled
Then at New Orleans" Tho man
went on without noticing my remark
you should nave seen HE l!ritiSh com
ing up in perfect formation against
the Kentucky hunters, Here, there
everywhere the redcoats sank down
in their tracks,
"Do you refer to the battle of New
Orleans, sir:' interrupted one Of our
party
Yes sir | do But battles are moth
ing Take the great plague that swept
London Two men were walking be.
fore me on Cheapsidc, | touched one
by way OF attracting his attention. He
paied and sank down In his tracks 4
party were drinking in 20 ae house
without he town limits AS .o0kal
at one Of fhem lie threw 0D bis bauds
with a eroau ! went out mo Jha
street and saw the people burning bar.
rels Of tar laughed at them
DO you mean. sir asked, that
vou were in London at that time?"
My friend, where have | not been
when men and women and children
were struck down by his somethBg
you call 0eatd2 In the days Of ancient
Rome whole communities az Gauls wbo
rebelca agalnst the Roman authority
were butChered They 1ad been they
were not.
1t was evident to most Of us That fhc
man was unatic But we ald Dat
communicate the thought to one anoth
er Each of us was speilbound no
less by his strange talk than his weird
personality.
iot- ~, tFi.,
so far as numbers ara concerned were
bus few So comparison With jho*
this thing you sometimes ralI ltc
reaper buS cut down No one ll,Ue
There haze been p2uions of 'hr ogrta
that baye sunk into Jhc~ SwaiIoWila
up hundred times the numbcr of tAc
greatest butcucrt
"Whcn 2" asked
when! What knowledge have you
Of the little planet on which you live
beyond few thousand years? The
time of which speak was forgotten
10000 years ago"
TELL us" | asked, your nationality.
You speak English as if You are Anglo,
Saxon
/ English. [ speak every living and
every dead language. am citizen
Of the world | am always busy. At
this moment I am resting preparatory
to great work"
when did you come to Naples"
yesterday at noon.'
We an shuddered AT IL O'Clock the
day before the first cholera patient had
died
"Will you remain long|
"Mv stays no human being knows.
I 20 into 4 place, DO what wort, tind
for me to do there and 80 elsewhere
Then stop ofreu ty tho waysda
During my journey here stopped I'll
n cottage There was one less iu tbe
f0muy when / left On entering this
city made several calls before res tiha
from my journey. But must be go.
ing | am pleased to have met you
gentlemen"
He rose and ms he dill SO | thought
/ heard grating, rafting sound uu
der his long cloak. Paying no further
attention to any of us except Thorn
ton. whose remark he had heard on en-
tering and which had started him on
his grewsome talk. the stranger as he
passed him stopped and offered his