South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-02-20

kers to his face. And see EN-
throw turnips at the Emperor VS.
pacian in Africa. All over the world
I have tramped sir. without the body
OF me findin' any rest. Twas 50 COM
handed. / saw Jerusalem destroyed,
and POrpii go up in the fireworks;
and Ponlpeii go up In the fireworks;
Charlemagne and the lynchin' Of
Joan OF Arc. And everywhere / go
there comes storms and revolutions
and plaques and fires. Twas so COM
manded. Ye have heard OF the Wan
dering Jew. It's all 50, except that
divil a DIT am I Jew. But history
lies, as ! have told ye Are ye quite
sure, sir. that we haven't a drop Of
whiskey convenient? Ye well know
that I have many miles OF walking
before me-"
Il have none" said I, and. II you
please. ] am about TO leave for my
supper"
1 pushed my chair back creaking-
~. This ancient landlubber was be-
coming as great an affliction as any
cross-bowed mariner. he shook a
musty effluvium from his piebald
clothes. overturned my inkstand, and
went on with his insufierable none
sense.
Il wouldn't mind it so much" he
complained, IF IL wasn't for the
work must do on Good Fridays. Ye
know about Pontius PLATE, sir, Of
course. His body. whin he killed
himself. was pitched into a lake on
the Alps mountains Now. listen 20
the job that tbs mine TO perform on
the night of livery Good Friday. The
old divil goes down in the pool and
drags up Pontius, and the water Is
bilin' and spewin' like a wash pot
And the ould divil sets the body on
top Of a throne on the rocks, and
thin comes me share of the job. oh,
sir, We would pity me thin-ye would
pray for the poor Wandering Jew
that niver was Jew II ye could see
the horror of the thing that I must
do. It's 1 thar must fetch bowl Of
water and kneel down before II till
1t washes il hands. 1 declare to ye
that Pontius PLATE. a man dead 200
years, dragged up with the lake
slime coverin' him and fishes wrig-
Gin inside Of him without eyes, and
in the decomposition of the body.
sits there, sir. and washes his hands
in the bowl hold for him on Good
Fridays. Twas so commanded"
Clearly. the matter had progressed
far beyond the scope OF the Bugle's
local column. There might have been
employment here for the alienist or
for those who circulate the pledge;
but 1 had had enough of It. I got
up, and repeated that I must so.
At this he seized my coat, grow
elled at my desk, and burst again
into distressful weeping. Whatever
it was about, I said to myself that
his grief was genuine.
Come, now Mr.. Alder" I said
soothingly; what is the matter?"
The answer came broke y
through his racking sobs: Be
cause I would not let the poor
Christ rest = upon the
step"
His hsllucination seemed beyond
all reasonable answer, yet the effect
of it upon him scarcely merited dis
respect. But I knew nothing that
might assuage It; and I told him
once more that both of us should be
leaving the office at once.
Obedient at last, he raised himself
from my dislevelled desk, and per-
mitted me TO half lift him to the
floor. The gale Of his grief had
blown away his words; his freshet
OF tears had soaked away the crust
OF this grief. "Reminiscences died in
him--at least, the coherent part Of
IL.
Twas me that did it." he mutter-
ed, as I led him toward the door
me. the shoemaker Of Jerusalem"
got him TO the sidewalk, and in
the augmented like / saw that his
face was scared and lined and warp