The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-01-31

arouse the parish priest. Father
I Kristoffslxy The priest, after one
| look at the redo glow. which was
increasing in extent and intensity.
| agreed that the Last Day was certainly
arriving. Crossing himself devoutly,
/ he put on his vestments and hurried
into the church, after telling the
Waterman to arouse the whole popula-
| ton and summon all to suitable devo-
lions in the sanctuary, preparatory to
-, the dreadful scenes they were fated
| to witness.
Frantic Crowds III Church.
Soon the church was crowded with
trembling and sobbing concourse of
sinners. The frightened walls of chill
dren mingled with the groans of men
and the screams of women as the
rudy glow grew ruddier and darted
with the arrows of more vivid light.
while above il rolled a horrid cloud
that looked as if it had climbed out of
the bottomless pit
Father Kristoffsky performed the
sacred offices of his church in very
special manner, prayed with intense
fervor for divine mercy toward his
SHINING flock and preached a rousing
sermon in which he exhorted them to
! repentance. now or never. Women
tainted. Frantic men pleaded for an
opportunity to confess long hidden
sins Some, despairing of getting to
| the priest III LIIlts SIiOulSO Jul t44CAA
confessions in open church. whereby
more than one mystery of crime was
| revealed.
The village miser ran to his home
and came back with bags of gold
which he cast upon the altar, then
Frustrated himself with broken con-
fession of covetousness and hardness
of heart. All present partook of holy
communion with unparalleled fervency,
and the priest pronounced blessing
/ that seemed to pour from the troubled
depths of his soul. And then
Last Act Delayed.
Well, there seemed to be nothing
more to be done-nothing but to wait.
For what? For the last judgment to
fall upon them. How long? Father
Kristoffsky said it might be expected
to begin at daylight, which was still
some hours distant. Some thought the
rudy glow in the sky was increasing.
Some thought it had diminished
slightly. A few found themselves get
ting used to it and began to feel a lit
tie impatient for the next act of the
stupendous drama.
All had very devoutly separated
themselves in spirit from earth de-
sires and appetites-that is. they had
tried to-but now they began to won
der if a bite of breakfast wouldn't be
pardonab1e means of fortifying
themselves Tor the tremendous OFOedi
ahead of them. Soon the odor of
| cooking floated thru the village and
voices took on a slightly more cheerful
ring.
When Morning Damned.
1t occurred to many bright minds
that as this was the last earthly meal
they would ever enjoy it would be just
as well to make the most of it. Why
let good food go to waste? Why not
cook up all the stores in larder and
cellar and make feast of it, with all
the wine and beer that would other
wise be sinfully wasted when the Judg-
ment Day fire began?
Why not, indeed? The logic of the
question commended itself to nine
tenths OF the population, and soon
there was a great feast in progress
in the square in front of the church.
Fires were lighted. All the food stores
in the village were dragged out and set
a-cooking. Wine and beer flowed like
water.
Despite the protests of the priest and
the few faithful onesS who, like him.
preferred to prepare themselves with
prayer, the feast became a drunken
debauch, frantic orgy wherein the
basest impulses of human nature
found free and cynical expression until
the desperate wantonness died out in
exhaustion and the bloated jewellers
sprawled asleep upon the ground be-
meath the ruddy glow in the sky.
But the rudy glow died away and
when the debauched village awoke in |
broad daylight it was to find that the
glow had been caused by the burning
of a neighboring village and that all |
! I,od me- n