The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1883-02-08
SEEKING SYMPATHY.
BY C. L. LEWIS.

For three months before Nicholas
Fainer was born, his mother thought
that his father neglected her. She
therefore yearned for sympathy, and
was very mournful. 1t must have af-
fected the young Nick's nature; for in
childhood he was of an unnaturally sad
turn of ,aind-fond of sick chambers,
and evincing strange sort of satisfac-
ton at scenes of death. His taste in
this respect excited much attention, and
some thought the child was little
daft" At the death-bed of any rela-
ton or friend of the family, Nicholas
always seemed to be more deeply re-
Elective than any older person present;
and after gazing at corpse, he would
60 and sit alone, as if the sadness of the
spectacle had made a great, yet not
wholly disagreeable, impression upon
his singular mind.
No sight to his youthful eye was so
attractive in the street as funeral pro-
cession; and often he would follow the
long trains of death, with as much in
terest as youth generally show in mill
tary or flremen's professions. The SOL
emn parade, the weeping mourners, the
sable hearse-ail had an unaccountable
charm for the boy; so that if he had
been seXton's son, and born in a
graveyard, he couldn't have felt more
at home than he was in these struggling
attendapces upon strangers to their last
mortal resting place.
Whenever he was out of the way, his
parents would say, as matter of
course: "Oh, he's only gone to some
body's funeral. He'll be back present.
ly."
This partiality for the gloomy associ-
ations of death often led him to pass
his play-hours in visiting graveyards,
to read the inscriptions on the tombs,
and lie down and sometimes 60 to sleep
among them; and no museum had such
attractions for him as the inside of a
coffin warehouse.
The sad-minded child was also noted
for h!s desire for sympathy from others,
whenever he met with an accident; and
he sometimes said to his parents, that
he would be very glad to die, if he could
only look out of his coffin and see folks
weeping for his loss, and paying respect
to his memoryi
1t was great trouble to his moth
or.
81 know that's all owing
81 know it, too" interrupted her hus-
band angrily. 'f you hadn't been so
craving of my society when"
But it's no use to cry now," contin-
ued the mother desperately. He'll be
an odd person all the days of his life, 1
feel certain. l think he feels happiest
when he is miserable if he can only at
tract attention and sympathy. Sympa-
thy is what he wants. l think he would
cut off his hand for it. That's why he
has such a reverence for the sick and
dead, they get so much of what he is
yearning for"
"Most unaccountaole childr'
"And it's all owing to you, Mr..
Fainer."
mo 'taint! It's all owing to your
In due time, Mr.. and Mrs. Fainer
died, and were shoveled out of the way.
Nicholas grew and he grew till he got
to be twenty years old, and then he fell
head over heels in love with Arethusa
Partridge.
Il would die for you," said the ar
dent Nicholas, regarding her with pale
face and languishing eyes.
''Ha! hap laughed the coquettish
Arethusa. II must sec that first"
Il adore your exclaimed he, land
am miserable without you.'
Miss Partridge had heard the same
thing from score of others-none of
whom had died yet But Nicholas was
of different stamp.
He pondered upon her words
thought her unfeeling; but loved her
the more on account of the difficulty in
getting her. He grew very thin and
miserable, and finally made secret
and desperate resolve.
One evening, he repaired to an apoth-
anum. and then paid visit to his obdu-
rate inamorata.
His unusual calmness attracted her
curious notice.
'Are you sick. Nick?"
No. am beyond the power of sick
ness now. 1t viii soon be all over with
me- L have done it at last
"Done what?n
s'And you have done itr'
"Done what?n
Murdered me! am dead man.
have taken poison. You thought that
L was not sincere-that 1 would live
without you. But life had no charms
without your love, and / shall soon be
where shall cease to regret YOU"
pooh! You can't scare me-" re-
piled she. about what time do you
intend to die?'
He made no answer. The deadly
poison appeared to be working its natu-