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Show The Story of Sisyphus THERE is now and then a rich man in Salt Lake City who ought to read the story of Sisyphus at least once a year. Sisyphus was a lively youth, and early became an expert cowboy. cow-boy. Moreover, he had a rope and a branding iron, and he did well. There was not a maverick mav-erick that was safe In all that part of Greece. A good many complaints against him went up to Zeus (or Jove), but he rather admired the pluck, adroitness and audacity of the young man until one day, bending his ear toward the earth, he heard Sisyphus trying to bribe his own oracle to predict a famine, he having on hand a big band of. cattle which he was anxious to dispose of right away. Tho reason of his hurry was that his title to most of the steers would not bear close inspection. Hearing Hear-ing this Zeus sent Death to take Sisyphus In. Most people are afraid of Death. Sisyphus was not. He had just sold out his band of cattle at marvelous prices, and was feeling fine, when Death unceremoniously stalked into the room, and informing him who he was, told him that he had come for him. Most men would have been startled; star-tled; not soJSisypllus. He welcomed Death, expressed ex-pressed his joy at receiving a call from bo uis-tinguished uis-tinguished a guest, begged him to be seated for a moment, and to partake of one glass of his old Tokay wine of famous extract, before starting back, as the journey was a hard one. Death, amused at the audacity of the wretch, consented, and took seat in that chair. But that chair was a wonder. The moment Death was seated, unseen un-seen springs sprang out of it and bound Death fast. Then Sisyphus plied him with rich viands and rare wines by night and went on trading cattle cat-tle by day. The story got around. The proof of Its truth was that there were no more deaths. And then, alas! men ceased to pray. After a while Zeus bent his ear again toward earth and not a single prayer greeted him. He asked Hermes what the trouble might be, and was informed that Sisyphus had Death bound, and men no longer fearing him, had ceased to pray. In the mean time, having no exercise and being fed on the best that could be stolen, Death had grown fat and rubicund and he and Sisyphus spent whole nights in feasting, drinking and cracking ancient jokes. Zeus mused for a while, then turning to Hermes, Her-mes, he said: "It will not do, Hermes. If men had no gods, they would mak.e them. Go and release Death and tell him to resume his work and to make his execrable host his first victim." The springs in the nefarious chair Were melted and Death stood forth, "grinning horribly his hastly smile." Sisyphus saw it was an up with him, but ho did not lose his presence of mind. He managed to whisper to his wife to cover his body up warmly and keep it that way until he returned. Then his soul went with Hermes down below. When he reached the Styx he had not an obolos to pay Charon for ferring him across. tike other men in a tight place, he told Hermes that tho fault was his undutiful wife's, that if he would let him return he would chastise ner into obedience, and finally Hermes consented, and tojd him all right, that he would not go for him again until he called for him. The soul of Sisyphus returned re-turned to earth, entered again his body, next day was as well as ever, and resumed business at the old stand. He founded Corinth and made a great city of it, with a stock exchange, Commercial Club building, several ten and twelve-story buildings, build-ings, and great hotels, did the biggest business ever carried on in Greece, and naturally was the most respected citizen. But rheumatism and gout and indigestion came to him. His liver would not work regularly, and his doctor told him ho was threatened with heart disease and dia-betis, dia-betis, and his troubles increased until one night he called to Hermes to come and get him. This time he had the money for the old ferrrymon, and the judges on the other side decreed tnat he should roll a big boulder up a steep hill, tne decree de-cree adding that if he succeeded in roinng tne stone over the hill, then he should have peace and comfort forever on the capltol grounds beyond. be-yond. At last accounts he was still rolling the boulder. It was quite 3,000 years ago that he began that job. One wanderer who passed that way heard him whistling a jolly air, and put the conundrum to him what he would do If the stone never passed the crest of the hill, and as he heard it he answered: "Then I shall have everlasting hope at least." We are afraid some of our rich men will sometime some-time have to heave that same stone, but we beg of them to so live here, that down below that "everlasting hope" will not desert them. |