Central High School - Mirror Yearbook (Birmingham, AL)

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stone, and couched upon pillows and draperies of magnificent beauty, lay a figure. It was covered by a large cloth. Tremblingly the Persian seized the edge, and cautiously drew it from the body. I observed that he was very careful not to touch the figure. I advanced, prepared to look upon the face of a mummy blackened with r.gc. and creased and drawn from the ineffaceable marks of time. But what I saw was the fairest vision that mortal imagination could portray! Oh, the beauty of that face, perfect in every detail! And the slender figure, exquisite creation of the gods! A Venus, an Aphrodite! ‘Where is the stuff concealed?' 1 asked the man. He told me. It was in a little locket on her breast. For him to have touched it would have meant instant death. With careful fingers 1 secured the locket. Upon opening it. I found a small vial, in which there was a pink liquid. I glanced at the Persian. His face was working convulsively, and his fingers twitched as if in pain. ‘Give trie haW.’ lie said. I did so. and forced the remainder between the pearly teeth of the vision on the couch. I turned to leave the room, but as I left. I heard the voice of the Persian. ‘Awake! awake! oh. my darling, awake and come to me!' And as 1 gently turned to close' the door, I saw the beauty rise, and heard in soft, tender accents the voice of the queen upon the couch. ‘I wake, oh my Esculapius. I wake!' ” Orville Coston. 13 IDEALS To those fair dreams that stir thy depths. O soul, be true. Nor let the shadows of a sordid world disturb Thy peace. But with a firm and steadfast faith in God And man. uplift thine eyes unto the skies' clear blue; Then shall the wondrous works of Nature soothe thv heart And weary mind. And when again thou goest forth I nto thy daily toil, the heavy burden will No longer drag thy spirit into depths of dark Despair; but with a calm and peaceful joy thou shalt Approach thy task. Sustained and calm, thy soul will long For nobler things, nor with its humble lot will be Content. A pure desire for all that noblest is Shall fill thy heart: with strong and fearless aim shalt thou Aspire to lofty heights: and once the mountain top Attained, thou must not rest beside the stony path: A glimpse of heaven's glory greets thy longing eye. And when the journey’s end is near. thy weary feet Shall stumble on. till Heav‘11 itself be found and won. (irace Geohegan. 11. 11

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it but find it I cannot. Still all these years I have had an awtul suspicion. Could it be on her body? It was contrary to our religion to conceal anything on the body of the dead. et as the years pass and my search grows more and more hopeless, I am almost convinced that it is on her body. I have adopted every means possible to free me from my spell. I have taken every chemical known to modern science. but in opposition to a power that seems omnipotent, it has been power-dess. I have endeavored to starve myself. but I find that I can exist as well without food as with it. I have attempted to drive myself to death by the pangs of thirst, but that all-powerful fluid keeps my body so that I know no thirst. I have attempted to exhaust the power of the liquid by never sleeping, but the result is nothing- Eor instance. I have not slept for sixty years! In that time men have been born, have matured, aged, and passed away. Oh! good people, pity me! A man who should have died and been forgotten four thousand years ago—but who lives; a man who has observed the rise and fall of nations: who has seen the Roman empire rise, flourish anti pass away, headed by the city designated as “Eternal ; and lias seen before it historic Athens. Sparta. Macedonia and Thebes, perish into the dust. A man-only a man—one of millions, yea of billions. who though nations have died, has lived on, and on, and on! But I must cease, and continue my efforts to secure the precious fluid of death. How strange must mv search for death seem to you of modern times! T will search though I fear it is in vain. I will search, if necessary, till the world dies, and until it is broken into innumerable fragments. And when I think of that inevitable end that must come to the world, frequcntlv in mv tortured brain rises the question. Will I still live on? September ?8. 1901. Eureka ! I have it at l st! It is concealed upon her body. ;V vision lias come to me and disclosed tile whereabouts of the precious fluid. Xo one can share with me the joy that more than four thousand years of awful waiting lias finally realized. No one can comprehend to what heights my happiness extends. I'our thousand years of endeavor, four thousand years of gloom, four thousand years of sorrow, of miserv. of unspeakable anguish, will be ended tomorrow. And I have found a friend, a professor from a great American college, who will assist me, and secure for me the precious fluid. Tomorrow, for me. the sun will rise again. Tomorrow my love and I. will be reunited after centuries of awful separation yet awful companionship. Once more 1 will fold her in my arms. Oh, fair vision ! ( li! heavenly reward. Oh, glorious recompense for ages of pain! Oh. rapturous vision of a glorious tomorrow, that will have 110 end! For twenty-four hours T will enjoy the sweet bliss of her company here on earth, and then we will depart to take our places in that Heaven, where there is no separation. The following is the professor’s narrative of the wonderful happenings and event lie experienced while in company with the Persian. The story is signed by the professor, and is certified to he an actual account of his experiences. 1. lames Eudwell, do hereby testify that the narrative which follows is an actual account of experiences, undergone bv me while in company with the Persian, Esculapius Egyptus: We rose early on the morning of September 29. 1901. and departed for the cave, in which the Persian said the body was concealed. I confess, that from the beginning I was skeptical, concerning the truth of his story. I suspected that the old man was insane, and only agreed to accompany him to satisfy a whim. I expected, however, that I would find a mummy, or an image of a human body to which the poor man offered the obeisance and worship of a perverted brain. And it was in hopes that whatever discovery I should make would he beneficial to science, that I allowed myself to go. After a short journey we entered a cavern. It was dimly lighted and adorned with a few Persian ornaments. In the center, upon a large, natural table of 10

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The Call to the Open It was a spirit of adventure, perhaps the “Wanderlust. that urged me to get up so early and take a walk in the gray morning. I dressrd quickly, all the while a gay little tune sounding in mv ear and echoing in my heart. When I was readv to go. I called my dog. Wolf, for it is comforting to have a companion when the world is so mysterious and gray. 1 walked briskly up the hill and Wolf trotted ahead, or dragged behind as it pleased his canine fancy. Occasionally lit- would stop and stare in alarm at a dry. brown leaf, trailing noisily along the pavement. When I called he would give one short parting bark at the leaf, and then run obediently to me. When we finally reached the top of the hill where the street ends. I paused breathing heavily. Before me the ground sloped gently from all sides, forming a cup-shaped hollow, thickly grown with blackberry bushes, bearing a few discolored leaves. Although it was quite light everywhere, this hollow seemed to have drawn all of the grayness of the morning into its embrace. But Nature always has some means of alleviating her sternness; simetimes it is one bright dower on a rocky hillside ; here it was the wonderful color of tlie leaves. The hickory trees were bright yellow against the sombre background : the oaks added glistening golden-brown. and near the path was a sweet-gum tree dressed in brilliant red- The only sound to break the complete stillness. was the harsh voice of a cat - a bird who quarreled fiercely, when Wolf came too near. I'or a few moments I stood motionless, breathing deeplj of the leaf-scented air, and watching the leaves noiselessly detach themselves, and slowly float downward. There was a beautiful grace and serenity in their movements that fascinated me. Finally I called Wolf and we set out again, walking East. It was nearly six o'clock, and we met some laborers on their way to work. Some of them were old men with stony faces and rounded shoulders; others were middle-aged. prosperous-looking and carried bright dinner pails: and many were young men. ()ne 1 remember had a remarkably pleasing open countenance that held a suggestion of great power behind it. I've seen him often since, coming from work, his face grimed with toil, yet still having that expression of latent power. From the next corner there was a good view of town and I paused again. The sun had just pushed himself through the dark clouds and was smiling with quite an air of triumph. Far away the rounded hills appeared dark gray, and against them the town was just one shade lighter. The outlines of the buildings were vague and indistinct. Here and there a church steeple stood out sharply from the other works of man. I gazed at the scene a few minutes, then started homeward, the “W anderlust for the time, quite satisfied. Sara S. Sewelovitz, ’n. I 2