Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1916-02-08

Then To what end?' he demanded.
If am immortaI-why?"
| faltered. How could explain my
idealism to this man? How could
put into speech a something felt. a
something like the strains of music
heard in sleep. a something that con-
WINGED yet transcribed utterance?
What dc you believe, them" /
countered.
l believe that life is a mess" he
answered promptly. 1T is like yeast.
a ferment, a thing that moves and
may move for a minute, an hour. a
year, or hundred years, but that in
the end will cease to move. The big
eat the little that they may continue
to move, the strong eat the weak that
they may retain their strength. The
lucky eat the most and move the
longest, that is all. What do you make
Of those things?"
He swept his arm in an impatient
gesture toward a number of the sail
ors who were working on some kind
of rope stuff amidships.
my AOfCs 81 0OC5 the .El4y ISA
move. They move in order to eat in
order that they may keep moving
There you have it. They live for
their belly's sake, and the belly is for
their sake. It's a circle; you get no
where. Neither do they. In the end
they come to standstill. They move
no more. They are dead"
They have Dreams" I interrupted,
radiant, flashing dreams"
"Of grub" he concluded senten-
tiously.
And of more"
Grub. OF a larger appetite and
more luck in satisfying it." His voice
sounded harsh. There was no levity
in it. You and I are just like them.
There is no difference, except that we
have eaten more and better. l am
eating them now. and you, too. But
in the past you have eaten more than
| have. You wear the warm clothes.
They made the clothes, but they SILVER
in rags and ask you, the lawyer, or
the business agent who handles your
money. for a job
But that is beside the matter"
cried.
Not at ALL" He was speaking rap
idly, now, and his eyes were flashing
1T is piggishness, and it is life. OF
what use or sense is an immortality
of piggishness? What is the end?
What is it all about? To be piggish
as you and 1 have been all our lives
does not seem to be just the thing for
immortals to be doing. Again. what's
it all about? Why have l kept you
| here?-"
Because you are stronger" | man
aged to blurt out.
But why stronger?' he went on at
once with his perpetual queries. Be
cause l am bigger bit of the ferment
than you? Don't you see? Don't you
seer"
But the hopelessness Of it." pro-
| tested.
Il agree with you" he answered.
/ Then why move at all. since moving
is living? Without moving and being
part of the yeast there would be no
| hopelessness. But-and here it is
we want to live and move. though we
have no reason to, because it happens
| that it is the nature of life to live and
move, to want to live and move. If it
were not for this, life would be dead
! It is because of this life that is in you
that you dream Of your immortality.
/ The life that is in you is alive and
wants to go on being alive forever.
Bah! An eternity of piggishness!"
/ He abruptly turned on his heel and
| started forward. He stopped at the
break of the poop and called me to
! him.
BY the way, how much was 1t that
Cooky got away within" he asked.
One hundred and eighty five dol
| lars, sir" / answered.
! He nodded his head. A moment
later. as started down the companion
stairs to lay the table for dinner,
heard him loudly cursing some men
/ amidships.