ter born in the short grass country to imitate Conrad, and that
he, Gud, was still lying in the pasture, and that the snow had changed
to rain and his feet were wet.

Chapter XXXIX

And old Giasticuticus
Stood on a mountain side,
His right legs shorter than his left,
And scratched his tough, thick hide.

"I live upon a bias, true,
With legs I'd like to hide,
But that arose from dwelling here
Upon the mountain side."

Chapter XL

And Gud came upon a paradise, its streets of hammered gold. Iridescent
fountains played beneath o'er-hanging palms, and gentle breezes, wafting
through the glistening latticery of ornate edifice, made music soft and
low that lulled of peace and quiet and eternal joy.

Here was a paradise prepared for most exacting saints. Gud strolled its
million leagues about and wondered why there was no sign of occupants.
These heavenly mansions were not newly built but rather spoke of use.
While all the major structures were intact, the minor furnishings gave
evidence of chaos and disorder. This paradise, it seemed to Gud, had
once o'erflown with life, but now was empty and abandoned.

All this puzzled Gud and worried him. He was familiar with the ruins of
many a paradise that had been smashed and broken by rebellion or by war,
but his mind could find no reason why a heaven so fine as this should be
deserted, and yet remain in such fair state of preservation.

The most likely theory which he could conceive, was that some pestilence
had raged and stripped the place of every living soul. Over this Gud
cogitated. Had it been a dwelling place of mortal flesh, a pestilence
would have left its tell-tale stench or whitening bones. But immortal
souls--how could pestilence have slain them? His theory thus became a
paradox or worse yet a dilemma, and either one is harrowing to the mind.
So Gud started out again in search of facts.

After much meandering he was rewarded by finding himself looking down
into a high-walled garden, most beautiful of any spot that he had yet
discovered. And better still, he noted signs of life. He hastened to
descend, that he might explore the garden. It was there beneath a bower
that he found a female soul most radiant. She was sitting on a gorgeous
purple rock, and singing, and knitting as she sang, while all about her,
tumbling on the grass in a most completely idiotic fashion, were little
souls at play.

"Good mornin