The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-02

u lazy one, i said to the
punkah coole. But I am
tired" said the cooiie.
'-Then go to Jehannum and get an
other man to pull" I replied, which
was rude. and when you come to think
OF it. unnecessary.
Happy thought-go TO Jehannum!"
said a voice at my elbow. / turned
and saw seated on the edge of my bed
a large and luminous Devil. I'm not
afraid" ] said. You're an illusion
bred by too much tobacco and not
enough sleep. II look at you steadily
for a minute you will disappear. You
are an ignls fatuus."
"Fatuous yourself" answered the
Devil blandly. "Do you mean 20 say
you don't know me?" He snivelled
up to the size OF blob OF sediment on
the end OF a pen and / recognized my
old friend the Devil Of Discomfort. who
lived in the bottom of the ink pot bu;
emerges half a day after each story
has been printed with host OF useless
suggestions for its betterment.
'Oh. it's you, is it?" / said. You're
not due till next week. Get back to
your ink pot"
Hush" said the Devil. Il have an
idea"
TOO late. as usual. know your
ways"
mo. It's a perfectly practicable
one. Your swearing at the cooie sug-
gested 1t. Did you ever hear OF a
man called Dante-charmin' fellow.
friend o mine?"
"'Dante once prepared to paint a
picture" quoted.
'Yes. l inspired that notion-but
never mind Are you willing to play
Dante to my Virgil? l can't guaran-
tee a nine circle inferno, any more
than you can turn out a cantoed epic.
but there's absolutely mo- risk. and
II will run to three columns at least"
But what sort of He'll do you own"
said. II fancied your operations were
mostly above ground. You have no
jurisdiction over the dead"
"Sainted Leopardi!" raped the
Devil. resumng natural size. is that
all you know? I'm proprietor Of one
Of the largest hells in existence-the
Limbo OF Lost Endeavor. where the
souls OF all the characters GO"
Characters? What characters?"
"All the characters that are drawn
in books, painted in novels, sketched
in magazine articles. Illuminated in
feuilletons or in any way created by
anybody and everybody who has had
the fortune or misfortune to put his
or her writings into print
THAT sounds like quotation from
a prospectus. What do you herd char
acters for? Aren't there enough souls
in the universe?"
"Who possess souls and who do not ?
For aught you can prove, man may be
soulless and the creatures he writes
about immortal. Anyhow. about q
hundred years after printing became
an established nuisance the loose
characters used to blow about inter
planetary space in legions which in.
terfepd with traffic. So they were
collected and their charge became
mine by right. Would you care tC
see them. Your own are there"
THAT decides me. But is it hotter
than northern India?"
"On my Devlldom. no. Put YOU
arms round my neck and sit tight. In
going to dive
He plunged from the bed headfirs
into the floor, There was a smell o
Jail durrie and damp earth; and thel
fell the black darkness Of night.
We stood before "A door in top
less wall, from the further side o
which came family the roar OF in
fernal fires,
"But you said there was no danger!
cried in an extremity OF terror.
mo more there is" said the Devil
That's only the furnace OF first edi
ton. VIII you go on? No othe
human being has set foot here in tn
flesh. Let me bring the door to you
notice. Pretty design. isn't it? A jok
of the masters"