The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-04-05
His Yoke Was Not Heavy.
BY BRET HARTE.

| glance 6ChrCeIy d 6e6uy udH' luo luul-
cations of reduced circumstances in the
male of the Detter class are, l fancy, first
visible in the boots and shirt, the boots
extensively exhibiting a degree Of polish
| inconsistent with their dilapidated con-
dition, and the shirt showing an extent
| of ostentatiouS surface that is inVari-
ably fatal to the threadbare waisteoast
| that it partially covers. He was pale
man, and fancied still paler from his
black clothes.
| He handed me note.
1t was from a certain physicians; a
man of broad cultare and broader ex-
perience; man who had devoted the
greater part of his active life to the al.
deviation of sorrow and suffering; man
who had lived up to the noDle vows of O
noble professions; man who locked in
his honorable breast the secrets of o
hundred families, whose face was as
kindly, whose touch was as gentle in the
wards of the great public hospitals as 1t
| was besides the lace curtains OF the dy-
ing Narcissa; man who, through long
contact with suffering, had acquired u
universal tenderness and breadth of
kindly philosophy; man who, day and
night, was at the beck and call of An
guish; man who never asked The creed,
belief, moral or worldly standing OF the
sufferer, or even his ability TO pay the
few coins that enHvIea him { the physi-
clan 10 exist and practice his calling;
in briet, q man VINO SO nearly lived up TO
the exa;uDle OF the Greut Mast ter that it
seems s.reAse am writing o, him as a
doctor OF 1iediciue and not o. Divinity.
The note was III pencil, characteria-
ticaIly brief, &nd ran linus:
| "Here is che man 1 spoke OF. He
ought to be good material Ior you."
For moment sat, looking from the
note to the man, and sounding the dim
perilous depths" oil my memory for tue
meaning OF this mysterious communica-
ton. The ''good MATERIAL" however,
soon relieved my embarrassment by
putting his hand on his Waistcoat, COM
ing toward me, and saying, "lIs just
here; you can feel it,"
1t was not necessary for me TO do so.
In flash Remembered that my IN edical
friend had told me Of certain poor pa
tient, once soldier, who, among his
other trials and uncertainties, was al
fiicted with an aneurism caused by the
buckle Of his knapsack pressing upon
the arch Of the aorta. IL was liable to
burst at any shock or any moment. The
poor fellows yoke mad indeed been too
heavy.
In the presence Of such tremendous
possibility l think Tor an instant L felt
anxious only about myself. What
should do; how dispose Of the body !;
how explain the circumstance OF his
taking oil; how evade the ub qultous re-
porter and the COronePs inquest; how a
suspicion might arise that mad in some
way, through negIigence,or for some dark
} purpose, unknown TO The jury, precipl-
J LaGed the catastrophe, all flashed before
=
| fuggestIVe offer OF good material' ior
me-lVoked diab0lically significant
What might not an intelligent lawyer
make OF ILi
tore it up instantly, and with fever
ish courtesy begged him to be seated.
, "You don't care W leel iLr he asked
little anXi0usly.
"No."
Nor see itS"
"No."
. He sighed, a trifle sadly, as if l had
rejected the only favor ne could bestow
, L saw at once that he had been undel
frequent exhibition to the doctors, anC
thai he was, perhaps, trItle vain o
this attention. This perception was
; corroborated moment later by his pro.
ducing copy of a medical magazl ne
with the remark that on the sixth page
would tinI a full statement oil bis case
Gould serve him in any Way, asked
1t appeared that l could. Ii l could
help hlm to any light mploymont, some
thing tnat did not require any great
physical eXertion or mental excitement
he would be thankful. But he wanteC
} me to understand that he was not
! strictly speaking, poor man; that some
! years before the discovery OF his tata
i complaint he had taken out LIE in
surance policy for $4,000, and that ht
J had rakeu and scraped enough together
10 pay it up, and that he wou d not leave
his vile and four children destitute
"You see," he added, iii could tinC
, some sort Of light work to DO, and kinder
: sled along you know-until-
II He stopped, awkwardly.
. l have heard several noted actor
thrill their audiences with a singh
phrase. think l never was as honesIl,
moved by any spoken word as that Gun
il," OF the phrase that followed it. IL
: was evidently quite unconscious of it
, effect, for, as took a seat beside him OF
The sofa, and looked more closely int
:, his waXen lace, | could see that he wa
evidently embarrassed, and would hay
explained himself 1urLher i[ l had no
\ stopped him.
Possibly it was the dramatic idea, O
possibly chance, but few days alter
ward, meeting a certain kind-hearte
theatrical manager, l asked him if b
mad any light employment for a ma
who was ali invalid. "Can he walk |?
E eyes," "Stand up Tor fifteen minutes /?
= "Yes." "Then Phi take him. He'll d
for, the last scene in the Destruction Q
5 Sennacherib; its tremendous thing,yo
8 know; Well have Two thousand people O
2 the STAGE" l was trifie alarmed at th
: title and ventured to suggest without bt
traying my poor friena's secret) that b
8 could not actively engage In Ihe ODE
e struction Of SennachGrIb," and tina
!. even the spectacle of it might be to
q much TOR him. IN Need't see it at ALL" sal
7 my managerial friend, "put him in from
D nothing to do but marcn in and mare
!. out, and dodge curtain"
ll He was engaged. 1 admit Twas a
t times haunted by grave doubts as I
n whether should not have informed til
b manager OF his physical condition, an
the possibility tnat he might some eve
ming perpetrate a real tragedy on tn
. mimic stage, but ON the first perform
u ance of 1.-The Destruction of Senns
. cherib," which conscientiously attenC
:. ed, l was somewhat relieved. l ha
~ often been amused with the placid wa
. in which the chorus in the opera invar
: ably received the most astounding il
. | formation. and Witnessed the most al