Medina High School - Mirror Yearbook (Medina, NY)

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28 THE MIRROR seen great men revolutionize the world time and again, I have seen them die and fade back to tl1e dust. I have seen battles, earthquakes, volcanoes and everything that mortal man has done in his struggle for supremacy over the beasts. But to what purpose have they struggled I? Unly to die and decay, finding blessed relief in that way from their paltry fifty, sixty or seventy years of toil. All but me! I have sickened of eternal life. The time was that I feared death as a pesti- lence, now I would welcome it with open arms. There is only one thing that I can do to escape my immor- tal fateg that is, to find tl1e antidote, which I had so carelessly left in the lost cave. Until that is done, gentlemen, my soul knows no rest. Until that little bottle is found I must travel from one mountainous district to the other o'er all the world to find my salvation. You may not believe my strange story, you may even doubt my sanity, but before the very God whom I have to eliminate from my life, my story is as true as I have told it. Gentlemen, I am done. With a dreary sigh, he shook his shaggy head, wiped his tear- dimmed eyes and with a staff in his hand, he started forward once again on his weary and endless road-a broken man tired of everlasting life. Since then I have grown up, married, had children who are about to marry. I am old and gray and still every once in a while I hear of the Nameless Pilgrim searching, ever search- ing, for the power which would release him from earthly care. A year or so ago I saw him and again heard his strange tale. He had not changed, except that his sigh was more dreary, and he started on his journey with wearier footsteps praying with every breath to the good God to let him rest in his lost cave once more. 9' lb ' ' 0 W' w...-- - ' , 0 ' f-93 ARM.. Mk N ' ' - ?s'. B .

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THEMIRROR 27 the scars healed and behold, a young alert cat sprang forward and disappeared. Man's brain had conquered tin1e. After this final proof of his achievement, my father gazed at the place where cat l1ad stood, thinking what, I do not know. H 'Son,' he finally said, 'the world must not know of this, and further than this, he declined to explain. Later I was destined to remember this sentence and regret with every breath, that I had not heeded it in regard to myself. For the next year, my father mentioned never a word about his discovery, but f1'0111 one or two words he had spoken I divined that he was seeking an antidote for the 'Elixir of Iiifef I-Ie discovered it, after working steadily for a whole week, never stopping to eat or sleep. Strange to say he did not seem at all eager or excited about it. After he had satisfied himself as to the nature of his new compound, he calmly went to sleep. The next morning, he was still preoccupied with his thoughts, walking sadly around. In the afternoon he carefully explained to me the nature of his antidote which he said if taken i11 the same quantity as the 'Elixir of Life' would put a person back to the same age, from whence he had started taking the 'Elixir of Life,' and allow him to die after a normal span of years. The next morning he was dead, having for some reason which I have never found out taken a deadly poison. Now, this cave, wherein I had lived for fifteen or sixteen years, was in such an out-of-the-way place, that I never before had seen a human being other than my father . I knew, how- ever, all about the world through my father, who personally taught me, to the slightest detail, all about it. But which was most important of all, he neglected to tell me the country in which we lived and for that matter even the continent. The same day he died, I buried him in our mountain re- treat and taking one last look around, took a package of food, a weapon and went out after rlrrinktng of the 'Elixir of Life' Gentlemen, he cried, gazing earnestly at us, his steel gray eyes fiashing, to this moment I regret that act and with every breath curse my father for inventing that concoction of the devil. I have wandered over the world, I have seen Empires rise, fall, decay into memories and eventually forgotten. I have 1.

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THEMIRROR 29 IMITA RE QUAM INVIDERE CARRIE CHILDS O NUE upon a time there was in the land of? the good King Daniel. He was loved by all his people and he constantly thought of doing them some kindness. There also lived in -- two men, who were fond admirers of tl1e king. One was a peasant, living on one side of the palace and the other his brother, who lived on the opposite side. They used to stand by their cottage doors and look longingly at the castle, thinking of good King Daniel. VVheneVer he would come from the palace door to stroll in his gardens, they would watch him with utmost adoration. The older brother, Harvey, would place his hand on his wooden rake and strut around as the King did, for he wanted to be like him, but Joseph would simply watch with an expres- sion of envy. Things could not go on this way forever. and so, as time went on Harvey would come strutting into the market place and shake hands with some fellow peasant with an evident inimit- able manner. As for Joseph, when anyone spoke the king's name he was filled with hatred. One d-ay Harvey came up to Joseph and patting him on the back said, Well, my good man! How are you to-day? His tone was in the same pitch as the King's and his smile and pose were in an exact imitation. D-l said Joseph harshly. Speak of him to me, you fool, and I'll ring your neekf' ' Several peasants looked up. They had never heard anyone speak of the King in such a manner. The King happened to be riding past at this time and heard J oseph's remark. Immediately he knew something was under foot. He ordered the carriage stopped and descended. Joseph grew white and Harvey was stricken with fear. What is the trouble, my good men? he said, as he scanned their faces. Between the breaks and discords he managed to get a brief summary of the affair. The people waited at the end of this talk for the climax. The king stood silent. Finally he said in stern, determined tones, My people, it is better to imitate than envy.