Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-07-19
81 Counting Death 81

7 asst week I dined with Lord
Evendale, the we'll known Eng
fish mulu-millionaire, and
Chamus, former chief of detectives. at
the house of a mutual friend. Our
host had imagined that these two
men, the Englishman. with his blase
paradoxes and strange whims. and
the F'renchman, with his memories of
life rich in daring deeds, might
amuse or at least interest us. Long
mishes between these two highly con-
trasting characters had begun and
their conversation was exceedingly
interesting to follow.
You do your fellow men a mighty
poor service" said Lord Evendale, in
a tone of contempt, when you use
your intelligence and energy to pro-
tect their lives. Life. indeed, is worth
next to nothing
Still, life is the only blessing we
really possess" Chamus replied firm
ly looking straight into the English
mans eyes. the only one we really
control. ! consider it our duty to live
the time allotted us and to make it as
useful as possible to ourselves and
others"
"Oh, nonsense" exclaimed Lord
Evendale. AT any other time per-
haps life was worth living. but
nowadays it is not. The progress of
civilization makes it easy for us to
enjoy all the joys Of existence, Ieav-
ing absolutely no room for. further
wishes. As for myself all the
wishes, that / could get fulfilled
without any eNertiOn whatever, were
so disgusting to me already at the
/ age of 25 that l turned away from
them and longed only for one thing
death. l resolved to die"
Various Ways.
There are different ways Of COM
hitting suicide" remarked Chamus.
whom this confession, with it's inn
mense egotism, annoyed. The only
difficulty is the choice, from poison
/ to hempen rope"
/ 81 was religious" the Englishman
went on unaffected. and, besides, my
mother suspected the spleen which
/ poisoned my life, and made me take
an oath never to commit suicide.
made this oath willingly because I
/ imagined it would be easy to find
a way of being killed without doing
/ it yourself, but / have found that to
man in my position it is the most
/ difficult thing in the world They
/ had barely begun TO suspect my fatal
intentions before a host of friends
and relatives began to watch me-"
You will pardon me if I refuse
/ to believe you,' said Chamus, even
a lord and a millionaire can man
age as easily as anything to get
/ killed if he really does want to get
rid of his life. There are a thou
I sand chances every day
single lion, crocodile nor even a snake.
/ At lake i'm the heart of the Sou
dan | met a tribe of real savage ma
/ tiyes, only to have them nurse me
back when I got the fever. l went
/ to the Transvaal and arrived there
/ just as the peace had been signed
And now I have returned as safe and
/ sound as ever but full Of despair. be-
/ cause l can not find death"
He Did Wrong.
You need not despair" said Cha
mus cOntemptuously. but if you
really did want to die you did wrong
/ I'm leaving the big cities. where the
struggle for existence has made men
/ ten times more dangerous than all
/ the wild beasts i'm the world That at
1 least is the experience 1 have had
/ while hunting human beasts of prey
/ for more than twenty years"
| The two men had arisen and stood
1 looking straight into one auothers
/ eyes.
! Chamus continued: IF you are
/ absolutely determined to die without
/ committing suicide ] am able to give
/ YOU a prescription. At the utmost il
will cost you no more than a couple
/ of sous"
will you be kind enough to give it
/ to me today"
with pleasure. What time is it?"
/ "Half-past ten
Then you have plenty of time