Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1915-01-27

laughing face to Rachel and Edith,
while we have been theorizing about
men and women, here is science getting
the power for us to end that old dis,
pute forever. If woman is too much
for us Wen reduce her to minority,
and If We do not like any type Of men
and women We'll have no more of it.
These old bodies. these old animal linn.
itations, all this earthly Inheritance of
gross inevitabilities, falls from the
spirit Of man like the shriveled cocoon
from an image. And for my own part,
when l hear Of these things feel like
that-like wet. crawling, new moth
that still fears to spread its wings, be-
cause where do these things take us?''
Beyond humanity" said Kahn.
NO." said Karenin. I'VE can still
keep our feet upon the earth that made
us. But the air no longer imprisons
us. This round planet is no longer
chained to us like the ball Of galley
slave. In little while men who will
know how to bear the strange gravita-
tons, the altered pressures, the atten-
uated, unfamiliar gases and all the
fearful strangenesses of space, will be
venturing from this earth. This ball
will be no longer enough for us: our
spirit will reach out Cannot you see
how that little argosy will 60 glitter
ing up into the sky, twinkling and gilt
tering smaller and smaller, until the
blue swallows it up They may sue
coed out there; they may perish, but
other men will follow them.
1T is as If a great window opened"
said Karenin.
AS the evening drew on, Karenin and
those who were about him went up
upon the roof of the buildings so that
they might the better watch the sunset
and the flushing of the mountains and
the coming Of the afterglow. They
were joined by two of the surgeons
from the laboratories below, and pres
emily by nurse, who brought Karenin
refreshment in a thin glass cup. 1t
was cloudless, MINDLESS evening un-
der the deep blue sky, and far away
to the north glittered two biplanes on
the way to the observatories on Ever
est, 200 miles distant over the preci'
pices to the east The little group Of
people watched them pass over the
mountains and vanish into the blue,
and then for a time they talked Of the
work that the observatory was doing.
From that they passed to the whole
process of research about the world,
and so Karenin's thoughts returned
again to the mind of the world and the
great future that was opening upon
mans Imagination. He asked the sur
geons many questions upon the detail.
ed possibilities of their science, and he
was keenly interested and excited by
the things they told him.
And as they talked the sun touched
the mountains and became very swift
~ blazing and indented hemisphere
of liquid fame and sank.
Karenin looked blinking at the last
Quivering rim Of incandescence and
shaded his eyes and became silent.
Presently he gave little start
"What?" asked Rachel Borken.
II had forgotten" he said.
"What had you forgotten"
II had forgotten about the operation
tomorrow. have been so interested
as man today that have nearly for
gotten Marcus Karenin. Marcus
Karenin must go under your knife to-
morrow, Fowler. and very probably
Marcus Karenin will die" He raised
his slightly shriveled hand. 1T does
not matter, Fowler. 1t scarcely mat
tiers, even to me. For, indeed, is II
Karenin who has been sitting here and
talking? Is it not rather common
mind, Fowler, that has played abou,
between us? You and l and all of us
have added thought to thought, but
the thread is neither you nor me
What is true we all have. When the
individual has brought himself alto
gether to the test and winnowing Of
expression then the individual is done
| feel as though l had already beer
emptied out Of that little vessel, Mar
Gus Karenin, that once in my you'll
held me so tightly and completely
Your beauty, dear Edith, and your
broad brow, dear Rachel, and you
Fowler, with your firm and skillfu
hands, are now almost as much me as
this hand that beats the arm Of my
chair. And as little me. And the
| spirit that desires to know, the spirit
that resolves to do, that spirit that
lives and has talked in us today, lived
in Athens, lived in Florence, lives on
I know, forever.
And you. old sun, you sword OF
fame, soaring these poor old eyes Of
| Marcus for the last time Of all, be
ware of me! You think die. and. in
deed, l am only taking off one more
coat to get at you. l have threatened
you for 10000 years. and soon l war;
you shall be coming. when l am al
together stripped and my disguisei
thrown away. Very soon now. ole
sun, l shall launch myself at you, and
| shall reach you, and l shall put my
foot on your spotted face and tug yor
about by your fiery locks. One step
shall take to the moon, and then shall
leap at you. I've talked to you before
old sun. I've talked to you million
times, and now am beginning to re
member. Yes; long ago, long ago, be
fore had stripped of few thousand
generations, dust now and forgotten
was hairy savage, and pointed
my hand at you. and-clearly l remem
Der i'll saw you in a net. Have yor
forgotten that, old sun?