Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1869-06-25
6elerte0 Mlisrellanp.
AN OPTICAL DELUSIOK.

al TELL you what 'tis, Pen, you've jus
fallen in luck's way-that's where it il"
l had spent the evening with him W.
had supped. Penuel Crossley, my olt
school fellow, the dunderheadedest boy il
the school, without shilling'sworth O
brains, or sixpenceworth of expectations
had, somehow or other, managed to max
q good match a year ago, on the strength o
which he had just taken the Manor-hous
in our little village of Copesford, and set
tied down in digni6ed ease as countr,
esquire" with four-wheeler of his own
whilst !, who used to write half his exer
cises for him, was still working hard for
living, and trudging it on foot. / didn'
grudge him his prosperity, but wanted
him at least to admit that it came through
no effort of his own,-that it was, in fact
nothing but luck.
LUCK" cried Crossley, little con
temptuously, l thought luck do yot
say Look you here, nv good fellow
my luck is just this: it is all my eye, =
that's what my luck is"
Nonsense" retorted. "Do you mean
to tell me that you've worked for the
money you spend in paying for this place!
Do you mean to say that your gold is the
fruit of your brains or your hands9 Thatit
is good money, warm from the sweat OF
your brow, or that"
"Now, don't" he interrupted, "don't
tell you it's all my eye?"
ITS not all my eye," I continued, eff
you"
"Hushl l didn't say It was all your
eye; said it was all mtne Look at me. F."
looked at him. saw through the
wreathing clouds of smoke with which he
surrounded himself, great, tall, hand
some, hulking fellow, with close curly
hair, Like a Roman gladiator, and pair
OF very handsome eyes, little constrained
perhaps in their expression, partly, as !
judged from school antecedents, because
he hadn't much to express, and partly
from his being little far-sighted. Iknew
he could not see objects close to him with.
out peculiar spectacles.
"You don't see anything wrong about
me, then?" he asked, when I had concluded
my scrutiny.
No, didn't. He was toying with a
lead-pencil which was in his hand when
he asked the question.
Nor yet now?" and he deliberately
took the lead'pencil, and tapped it against
MS LETT eye-right on the eyeball-and
played little tattoo upon 1t, "Nor yet
now? ?" he said
"Pen, what do you mean ?" 1 cried,
aghast.
Just this l tell you it's all nv eve.
It's only glass one, but a capital bit of
window-glass it is,-as good as most win.
dow-glass you'll find in London,-too dark
to see through, but it keeps the draught
out And he turned away for minute,
whlsked his eye out, and then, covering up
MS sightless cavity, brought the eye to me
10 examine. 1t was so thin one could
blow it away with breath, and it looked
like fragile shell of porcelain.
Ihls is my luck" he said, when he had
inserted his eye again. "It is nv eve
all my eye-and nothing else. If you
want TO know how. just light up another
Manila, and listen"
But which is the artificial eye?" ]
asked, for | declare l could not tell ss |
looked at him. 'O'- -
LEFT" said Pen. tapping it affection.
ately Ut isn't bad. Ell? There are only
three people know it beside YOURSELF
namely, the optician, my father-in-lav
and my wife, so I've kept my secret pretty
well and you need not go and tell every.
body about Copseford that the new squire
has game eye! Twopenny-worth Of
gunpowder did it, at school, after you left.
SO It's no wonder you didn't know. had
loaded small brass cannon which wouldn't
fire; and looking down the muzzle to see
why 1t wouldn't go off, the charge went in,
and my eye went out | left school,
blown out of it, as it were and having re-.
covered from the accident, and had INV eve
replaced with this very artistic piece Of
china-ware, I went home to Stem.
minister, to study medicine with INV IA
ther- father, although called DR., Gross.
ley by courtesy, was not properly quail.
fled doctor OF medicine; he was, strictly
speaking, medical man but folks in
our town were never very particular abou,
what letters q professed surgeon wrot.
. after his name, so long as he could writ
enough of them.
cdr Crossley was Medical Inspector te
the Local Board of Health (unkind per
sons called him Inspector of Nuisancesl
and had little or no private practice. i
was his idea that should keep the loss O
my eye profound secret, because b
wished gradually to work me into his owl
position, for which his failing health wa
rapidly incapacitating him. He had som
notion the Board might fancy man coul
not inspect enough for the post wit
one eye. For my part 1 should hav
thought nose the most needful organ 70
an inspector of nuisances and l hav
found one eye quite enough to see throug
Board and all their wooden ways. Ate
few years, l began to relieve my fathe
of his duties, until, though he still nom
nally held the position Of inspector, tn
whole of the work was done by me. A
it was satisfactorily done. the Board mad
no difficulty about transferring the az
pointment to me on my fathers retiremen
which only shortly preceded his deatl
One member of the Board in particuls
complimented me very highly on my a
siduity in the discharge of the dl
ties of the Office. He is only