Two Days' Solitary Imprisonment

Edward Bellamy

Description

What if you were wrongfully accused of a crime, and your growing anxiety about the mix-up served only to make your accusers more certain of your guilt? That's the fate that befalls the unlucky protagonist of Edward Bellamy's Kafkaesque short story "Two Days' Solitary Imprisonment," whose recurring dreams of being unjustly persecuted finally come to pass in real life.

Informations

• Publié par: The Floating Press
• Date de parution: 01 septembre 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781776585335
• Langue: English

Extrait

TWO DAYS' SOLITARY IMPRISONMENT
* * *
EDWARD BELLAMY
 
*
Two Days' Solitary Imprisonment First published in 1898 Epub ISBN 978-1-77658-533-5 Also available: PDF ISBN 978-1-77658-534-2 © 2014 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Two Days' Solitary Imprisonment
*
Mr. Joseph Kilgore was suffering from one of those spring influenzaswhich make a man feel as if he were his own grandfather. His nose hadacquired the shape of a turnip and the complexion of a beet. All hisbones ached as if he had been soundly thrashed, and his eyes were weakand watery. Your deadly disease is oftener than not a gentleman whotakes your life without mauling you, but the minor diseases aremere bruisers who just go in for making one as uncomfortable andunpresentable as possible. Mr. Kilgore's influenza had been coming onfor several days, and when he woke up this particular morning and heardthe rain dripping on the piazza-roof just under his bedroom-window, heconcluded, like a sensible man, that he would stay at home and nursehimself over the fire that day, instead of going to the office. So heturned over and snoozed for an hour or two, luxuriating in a sense ofaches and pains just pronounced enough to make the warmth and softnessof the bed delightful.
Toward noon, the edge of this enjoyment becoming dulled, he got up,dressed, and came downstairs to the parlor, where his brother's wife (hewas a bachelor, living with a married brother) had considerately kindledup a coal-fire in the grate for his benefit.
After lying off in the rocking-chair till past dinner-time, he began tofeel better and consequently restless. Concluding that he would like toread, he went rummaging about the bookcases for a likely-looking novel.At length he found in the upper shelf of a closet a book called "Rôlesof a Detective," containing various thrilling accounts of crimes and theentanglement of criminals in the meshes of law and evidence.
One story in particular made a strong impression on his mind. It was atale of circumstantial evidence, and about how it very nearly hung aninnocent man for a murder which he had no thought of committing.It struck Joseph rather forcibly that this victim of circumstantialevidence was as respectable and inoffensive a person as himself, andprobably had never any more thought of being in danger from the law.Circumstances had set their trap for him while he was quite unconsciousof peril, and he only awoke to find himself in the toils.