The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1913-12-18

and then followed dull short low blows-he heard
how the sharp nail was entering the soft
wood
Ono hand It was not too late yet
Tho other hand It was still not too late yet
One foot. the other foot-is 1t possible that all
was ended! He opened his eyes irresolutely and
saw how the cross was lifted and placed in .
hole. He how how the hands of Jesus contracted
convusively. and how they relaxed painfully, and
how the wounds were growing larger. F.. . i.
The hands were stretching. stretching. they be-
came thin white, dislocated at the shoulders, and
the wounds under the nails turned redder-it
seemed as though the hands would tear soon. . E.
But everything stopped. Only ribs were NOV.
ing. lifted by quick. deep breathing.
On the top Of the earth stood the cross and
upon 1t Jesus, crucifed
Tho horror and the dreams of Iscariot had been
realixed-he rose and looked about him with
cold glance And suddenly Iscariot saw a. clearly
~ his terrible victory, also its ominous uncer.
tainty What If the people should suddenly un.
derstand? It was not too late as yet. Jesus was
still alive. There he was calling with his sor.
rowful eyes.
obstructing the eyes Of the people from bursting!
And suddenly they would understand. Suddenly
they would all move forward, in a stern mass Of
men. women and chdren-silently, without any
outcries, and they would wipe out the soldiers,
sink them in their own blood. tear of the earth
Saooo
would remain among the living would lift high
the crown Of the earth the free Jesus! Ho.
sannah! Hosannah!
Hosannah? No. Judas would rather lie down
on the ground and gnashng his teeth like a dog
he would watch and wait until the people would
rise. But what has happened with Time? Now
it almost stopped, SO that he felt like pushing it
with his hands striking it with his feet as lazy
ass; now 1t rushed madly as though from a noun
tain taking his breath away and his hands
sought some support in vain. There Mary of
Magdala was crying. There the mother of Jesus
crying Let her cry. What mattered her
tears now, the tears of all mothers of all women
on earth!
Jesus was dying. Is it possible? Yes Jesus
dying His pale hands were motionless but
quick convulsions ran his face, his chest
and his feet. Yes, he was dying. His breathing
grew fainter. Then 1t stopped. No. there came
another sgh-Jesus was still on earth. And then
another one? No. No. No. Jesus died.
1t was all over. Hosannah Hosannah! .
Judas stopped and surveyed with cold eyes the
new, small earth. It had become small and he
felt thought it all under his feet he looked
at the small mountains, quietly reddening in the
last rays of the sun, and he felt the mountains
were under his feet; he looked at the sky which
opened its blue mouth wide he looked at the
round little sum- which was vainly trying to scorch
and to blind-and he felt the sky end the sun un.
der his feet.
=. Judas had long se~-'-' place where
he would kill himself after the death Of Jesus II
was ON y mountain, high above Jerusalem and
there stood only one tree, bent, half decayed and
tossed by the wind which tore it on all Sides
One of its crooked branches was outstretched to-
ward Jerusalem, as II blessing or threatening it,
and Judas chose that branch for fastening, the
moose upon it. Within two days Jesus Of
Nazareth and Judas Iscariot the Traitor, left the
earth.
.
All night Judas was dangling upon the tree like
some monstrous fruit over jerusalem; and the
wind turned his face now toward the city, now to.
ward the desert, as though it wanted to show
Judas both to the city and to the desert