Page:Frank Owen - Rare Earth, 1931.djvu/233



THER and odder men came to the garden, Kya-Jih, the desert philosopher who lived far out in the Gobi, a hermit, a thin brown wisp of a man that any chance wind might blow away. He resembled an autumn leaf. For thirty years he had lived in the solitude of the sand dunes. His creed of life was simple. To try to be utterly selfless, to banish all unnecessary things. But this system failed because all that remained was of less value than that from which he cut himself adrift Everything was spoiled because he viewed all objects in a distorted manner. Was it worth while or not? His problem was beyond the scope of man. He lived on fruits and nuts and herbs. His body was as dry as ashes, nor was