The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1911-06-30
By F. A. Mitchell

scare. SAID one. beSlueS. Wuy iedf
death? We must all die some time"
THAT for DEATH" said young Thorn
ton. swapping his fingers. I'm going
to live to be a hundred"
singular looking fellow came into
the restaurant and sal down al an ad
joining table could not make out
that be was Of any especial age; he
might have been thirty or fifty or
hundred and dfty. Yet there was
something about him that made him
look prematureIy aged. His eyes were
set very deep in his head and glistened
like those Of wild animal In the dark.
He was SO thin that one could almost
see the functions Of the bones Of his
face aud his clothes hung about him
10 huge folds. He had evidently heard
Thornton's boast. for he dxed 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 10 the newcomer perpetraied
Jokes about death Every word Oh
that subject seemed to excite the stran-
gers ire until he was lashed into a
fury.
My friends" be said presently.
you who condemn death do not real
ize what you are talking about You
should have seen such sights as have
seen. We're any OF you in battle|
We all stared at the stranger, tongue
tied. No one OF us claimed to have |
seen anything Of war.
Z was at the battle of Gravelotte." |
he said. 'and advanced with an at
tncking party OF Prussians. II you
had seen that white pail that threw
over the faces Of those who were
struck you would not laugh at death"
"YoH threw over their faces" | ask
ed, puzzled
Then at New Orleans" the man
went on without noticing my remark.
'you should have seen the British com
ing up in perfect formation against A
the Kentucky hunters. Here. there. (
everywhere the redcoats sank down
In their tracks,
''Do you refer to the battle Of New
Orleans. sir?r 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 Cheapside. | touched one
by way Of attracting his attention. He
paled and sank down IN his tracks. A
party were drinking in an ale house
without the town limits. AS ! looked
at one OF them he threw up his hands.
with a groan. went out info the
street and saw the people burning bar
rels Of tar ! laughed at them.
DO you mean. SIR | asked that
you were ln London at that timer
My friend. where have | nor been
when men and women and children
were struck down by this something
you call death: In the days Of ancient
Rome whole communities Of Gauls who
rebelled against the Roman authority
were butchered. They had been; they
we're not"
1t was evident to most of us that the
man was a IunatIc. But we did not
the thought to one anoth-
er Each Of US was spellbound no
less by his strange talk than his weird
But even these stricken barbarians.
so far as numbers are concerned, were
but few in comparison with those
this thing you sometimes call the
reaper has cut down at one time
There have been portions of the earth
that have sunk into the sea swallowing
up hundred times the number Of the
greatest butchery."
"WheDT' l asked
When? What knowledge have you
of the little planet on which you live
beyond a few thousand years. The
lime Of which | speak was forgotten
10000 years ago"
Tell US. asked. ''ycur nationality
Fou speak English as If you are Anglo
Saxon"
English. speak eyery living and
Every dead language lam citizen
If the world. | am always busy At
his moment am resting preparatory
o great work
When did you come to Naples?"
Yesterday at noon"
We all shuddered At ~ o'clock the
lay before the first cholera patient had
lied
"Will you remain longT
My stays no human being knows.
go into a place. do what work lind
or me to do there and 20 elsewhere.
Then stop often by the waysice.
During my journey here stopped at
i cottage There was one less 10 the
amily when | left On entering ihls
ity made several calls before resting
rom my journey Hut l must be go.
ng. I am pleased 10 have met you
He rose. and as he did so thought
heard grating. rafting sound I'M
lei his long cloak Paying no further
ttention 70 any OF Us except Thorn
on. whose remark be had heard on en
ering and which had started him on
us grewsome talk. the stranger as he
lassed him stopped and offered his
land. Thornton looked up nt him 10