The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1913-12-19


not penetrate into the bottomless depth. Judas
Is It with q kiss you betray the Son of MAN."
And he saw how that monstrous chaos trembled
and stirred. SPECIFICS and stern, like death In
its naughty majesty, stood Judas lscarot, and
within him thousand impetuous and fiery voices
groaned and roared.
Yes We betray thee with the kiss Of love!
With the kiss OF love betray thee to outrage.
to torture, TO DEATH With the voice of love we
call together the hangmen from their dark holes,
and we place cross-and high over the top OF
the earth we lift lover, crusifod by love upon
cross"
Thus stood Judas, silent and cold, like DEATH
and the shouting and the noise about Jesus an
swered the cry OF his soul With the rude ir-
resouteness of armed force, with the awkward
ness OF n vaguely understood purpose, the soldiers
seized him and dragged him somewhere-their
rresoluteness they mstook for resistance, their
fear they mistook for 6erison and mockery over
them. Like n herd of frightened lambs the dis
ciples stood huddled together not interfering with
anything, yet disturbing everybody and even
themselves. Only few Of them resolved TO walk
and act separately. Jostled from all sides, Peter
drew out the sword from its sheath with difficulty,
though he had lost his strength, and family
lowered IL upon the head OF one of the priests
without causing him any harm. Jesus. who no
ticed It, ordered him to throw down the unneces-
sary sword. and clankng family, the sword fell
to the ground
Thus 1t remained there until many days later
children at play found it and made toy of It,
When Jesus was led away Peter, who
had hidden himself behind the trees came out and
followed his Master In tho distance. Noticing an
other man in front OF him, who walked silently,
he thought that 1t John. and he called him
softly:
John, is that your"
"And is that you Peter" answered the other
pausing and by the voice Peter recognized the
Traitor. Peter. why did you not run away to-
gether with the others"
Peter stopped and said with contempt:
Leave me, Satan!"
Judas began to laugh, and paying no further at
tention to Peter he went farther, there where the
torches were flashing dmly and where the clank
ing OF tho weapons mingled with the footsteps.
Peter followed him cautiously and thus they en-
tered the court of the high priest almost stimuli
taneously and mingled In the crowd Of the priests
who were warming themselves at the bonfires.
Judas warmed his bony hands morosely at the
bonfire and heard how Peter said loudly some
where behind him.
NO do not know him."
But It was evident that they insisting
there that he was one OF the disciples of Jesus.
for Peter repeated still louder, but do not I'M
dorstand what you are saying"
Without turning around, and smiling invoun-
tarly Judas shook his head afIrmatiyely and
muttered
That's right Peter! Do not give up your place
near Jesus TO anybody"
And he did not see how the frightened Peter
walksd away from the courtyard. And from that
night until the very death of Jesus Judas did not
see a single ono of the disciples OF Jesus near
him, and amid all that multitude there only
two inseparabe until DEATH strangely bound to-
gether by sufferings-he who had been betrayed
to abuse and torture and he who had betrayed
him. Like brother. they both, the betrayed and
the traitor drank out of the cup of suffer
ings and the fiery liquid burnt equally the pure
and the impure lips
He saw how the soldiers led Jesus away. Night
was passing. the bonfres dying out and were
becoming covered with ashes, and from the sentry
house came dull cries. laughter and abuses. They
we're beating Jesus. AS though lost. Iscarot was
running around the deserted yard, now stopping
lifting his head and then starting to run again
stumbling upon the bonfres and the walls, Thcr
he chung to the wall OF the sentry house, and
stretching himself chung to the windows, to tn,
creyices in the doors. and looked greedily to SEQ
what was going on within. He saw narrow
sitting ROOM like all the sentry houses in th'
world. with filthy floors and walls. And he saw
a man being beaten. They beat him on the face
on the head. they hurled him like soft bale from