South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-02-20
THE DOOR OF UNREST-ByO Henry

7 sat an hour BY sun. in the edi-
tors room IN the Montopolis Weekly
Bugle. I was the editor.
The saffron rays Of the declining
sunlight filtered through the corn
stalks in Micajah Widdup's garden
patch. and cast an amber glory upon
my paste-poL sat at the editorial
desk in my nOn-rotary revolving
chair. and prepared my editorial
against the oligarchies. The room.
with It's one window. was already a
prey 20 the twilight one BY one.
with my trenchant sentences. lOp-
ped of the heads OF the political
hydra. while listened. full OF kind
Is peace. % the homecoming cow
bells and wondered what Mrs. Elan
agan was going 10 have for supper.
Then tn from the dusky, quiet
street there drifted and perched
himself on my desk old Father
Times younger brother. HIS face
was beardiess and as gHarled as an
English walnut / had never saw
clothes such az ne wore. They
would have reduced Joseph's coat To
~
were not the dyer's. Stains and
patches and the work Of sun and
rust were responsible for the divers
ity on his course shoes was the
dust. conceivably. OF thousand
leagues. L can describe him no fur
ther, except to say that he was little
and weird and old-old 1 began 70
estimate IN centuries when I saw
him Yes and remembers that
there was an odOr. a faint odor like
aloes, or possibly like myrrh or lea
ther; and I thought OF museums.
And then / reached for a pad and
pencil. for business IS business. and
visits OF the oldest inhabitants are
sacred and honorable. requiring TO
be chronicled.
Il am glad you called. Mr.. Ader."
would offer you a chair. but-you
see. sir" I went on, Il have lived in
Montopolis only three weeks, and I
have not met many Of our citizens"
/ turned a doubtful eye upon his
dust-stained shoes. and concluded
with a newspaper phrase, "I sup
pose that you reside In our midst p"
Ny visitor fumbled in his raiment.
drew for a soiied card. and handed
Il to me. Upon IL was written. IN
plain but unsteadily formed char
aoters. the name "Michob Alder"
II am glead you called. Mr.. Alder"
said. "As one OF older citizens,
you must view with pride the re-
cent growth ana enterprise OF Mon
topolis. Among other improvements,
think can promise that the town
viii now be provided with a live, en-
terprising newspa-"
do ye know the name on that
card7" asked my caller, interrupt
ms.
ut is not a familiar one to me-" I
said.
Again he visited the depths Of his
ancient vestments. This time he
book or journal. brown and nimsy
with age. The heading of the page
was the Turkish Spy in old-style
type; the printing upon II was this.
There Is a man come to Paris in
this year 1913 who pretends TO have
lived these 1000 years. He says OF
himself that ne was a shoemaker in
Jerusalem at the time Of the cruel
flxion: that his name is Michob
Alder: and that when Jesus, the
Christian Messias. was condemned
py POntius Plate, the Roman presi-
dent, he paused TO rest while bear
ing mis- cross TO the place of crucifix-
ion before the door OF MichOb Alder
The shoemaker struck Jesus with his
fist, saying: Go; why tarriest thou?
The Messias answered him: 7 In
deed am going; but thou shalt tarry
until I come; thereby cOndemning
him TO live until the day OF judy
ment He lives forever. but at the