Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1915-12-21

This time, however, their coming
was characterized by q more crafty.
ing element OF respect. They swarmed
out Of the bush not in paltry dozens
nor scores, but in their panoplied hum
dreds. Gorgeously decked chiefs AM.
the club-bearing warriors smeared
with indigo halted in the open, leay-
ing a satisfying interval between their
| position and mine.
| With great and conspicuous show Of
| peace, the warriors discarded their
spears and shields and raised their
wpaponless hands 70. me to behold
as l looked down from my high place.
Their white haired king broke a
spear, gazing up at me the while, then
dropping the pieces, knels and bowed
his slanting forehead to the sands.
At his back bent the priests, trail
ing their bright feathers in the dust.
1 No one could misunde their
pantomime. Men Of their tribe had
offended Sthe deities. A nation had
come in humility and suprlication for
forgiveness.
4 While they made obeisance in re-
Hays, a group of young men approach.
ed the priests, bearing arlrifuls Of Or
chids. The king aud priests and Or
child bearers moved forward for a few
stops and halted, gazing up iuquiring-
| ~ at me. This performance va: ;cv-
cal times repeated before under
stood that they were seeking my con.
sent to approach nearer.
/ Then I bowed and pointed Inward
A rigorous order Of precedence was
| obseryed, the aged king keeping his
pace at thir head and h., followers
t;,eir positions Of relative rank.
The weight of his. years made the
royal steps SO slow that the colo1fu]
| pageant crept like an army Of scails.
EOften it halted and fel. to its knees,
awaiting my renewed permission to
| advance.
Meantime, from the throats of the
masses rose a weird and cultural
| chant.
Suddenly it dawned upon me that
/ If were to be a god receiving a del
i egation of .mortals should receive it
| in some suitable degree OF state. They
were sending to me the mightiest men
! Of their village The k:nky head of
their king was abased. Aged Merlins
were coming on their marrow bones,
resplendently trailing their feathered
1 fnery along the white and flaring
sands.
ia I stood awaiting, them at the ravel-
1 ed, mud-sne:srei :atters Of what had
/ once been a suit of most unostenss-
tious pajamas. The thing seemed un.
! At.
Evidently these folk inclined to the
splendor of pomp. Jeffersonian SIM
/ plicity would be lost on them. Their
! pageant should be met with pageant
! ry.i There had been some who had
doubted and denied me. OF a sure
| ty, If were TO play this nabob from
the skies, if were to turn the averted
tragedy into a screaming farce. it was
| my duty to dress the part.
! With signal of raised hands / sig
niiied that they were to await my re-
appearance. Then / bowed with pro-
found dignity. and, stepping from
their view, disappeared. A few min
utes later 1 emerged from my cave a
transformed being.
was no longer the derelict OF rags
and tatters. Mine was the opulei.t
splendor of a high mandarin of China
About my fever-wasted frame fell and
tapped the gorgeous folds Of the EN-.
broidered kimono. In my hands ] car.
ried violin and bow.
/ It was true was unshaven, anf:
through holes in my canvas shoes
protruded eight or ten toes; but what
i mortal can assume to criticise such
eccentricities as may be- the part OF
godhood?
4 When took my stand once more
on my pedestal Of mountain ] found
them still patiently awaiting my nod
The sun fell resplendently on my sill.
lver storks and gold dragons and silk
peoples. The lessening land breeze
fiuttered the embroidery crusted folds
and set up a thousand reflections.
listened with satisfaction to 'the in
coherent sound that went UP from
many throats--a chorused gasp OF
profound awe and admiration and
wonderment.
| signaled my immortal readiness to
receive them.
| AS the righteousness Of the farce
broke over me / had to bite back un.
solumn roars of laughter. A spirit OF
deviltryl and vaudeville possessed me
AS their high priests in deadly earn
est marched on all fours with faces
as rapt and fanatically sober as those
of Mecca pilgrims, drew the boz
across the catgut and, . lifting my
voice, proclaimed myself in ragtime
| 1 informed them in words which
were new only to them and solemn
only to them that I had rings on my
fingers and bells on my toes, and as
sung they became hushed with awe
and approached with a deeply moved
sense OF their great honor and re
sponsibility.
| xr,,,an +ha,, xuaro op1v little way