The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1884-10-23

useu 10 60 TO church occasional
ly,' pursued Mr.. Amber, ''but was
compelled to give it up. went ate
one Sunday, and was shown into a
front pew. The minister caught nv
eye as came up the aisle. l seemed
to fascinate him, for l had not been
seated minute when, after stumbling
in his sermon, he stopped and beckon-
ed deacon to him, and leaned down
and whispered in his ear. The deacon
came to me and asked if what had to
say to the preacher was of very great
Importance, or could wait until after
service. got up and left the church.
II was engaged to a lovely grip
here poor Mr.. Amber pulled hard at
his pipe-''and she threw me over.
She told me she would never marry a
man who was insanely suspicious.
swore frantically that doubt of her had
never entered my mind. She was weep
ing, and at my impassioned words re-
Tented; but as she raised her head to
come forward she sprang back indig-
nantly, and cried that my own face at
the instant belied my words. l came
to be spoken of everywhere as pry-
ing, meddlesome, suspicious person
whom it would be well to avoid, and l
was avoided accordingly"
How did you find out what allied
you?
''By having my photographs taken.
l was thunderstruck when I looked at
them. My face had become one inter-
rogation point. saw it all then; felt
as if the devil had taken possession of
me, and dreaded to be alone. haunt
cd the Offices of the doctors. but none
could help me. thought should 90
mad"
Filled with wonder a: t.lis strange
story, asked the miserable man how
he came to adopt the green patch. He
replied that one Tobias Trotter, cigar
dealer, had been his lifelong friend. A
year after his marriage, lie dashed one
forenoon into Mr.. Ambler's store,
shouting as he extended his hand, at S
a boy, John! Congratulate met
Mr.. Amber tried to look cong ratula-
ton.
Trotter met the fatal eye and started.
lie snatchcd his hand out of that of his
friend, and stared at him with a red
dening in his face. How dare YOU
how dare you insut me and outrag &c
the honor of my w;fe?' demanded
Trotter, husky with rage at the steady
blaze of hooking inquiry in the eye,
which he hit with his fist and then fled
from the place.
1t was to hide his blackened eve that
Mr.. Amber first wore the green patch.
10 his great joy he discovered that its
presence relieved him of the annoyan-
ces, and. indeed, dangers which embit-
tered life; and for eight years he had
never appeared among his fellow-mcn
without it.
''But a terrible tear haunts me-" he
said, as he mixed another glass of
punch. You know that there is a
close sympathy between the eyes--that
when one is effected by any disease,
the other is almost sure to be attacked
in the same manner. If my
right eye should get to be
like my left l would have to
quit business, and God only knows
what would become of me. Do you
see any sign of it coming on in the
right eye?' asked Mr.. Amber, pulling
down the lower lid little with his
forefingcr and looking into my face
with intense anxiety.
"N-no,' said, doubtfullv.
"Ah!' exclaimed the wretched man.
springing up and pacing rapidly to and
fro, wringing his hands, Il knew it, I
knew it! Your voice tells me what l
have seen in the glass for months
past, yet refused to believe. 1t is my
fate!'
Whenever we met during the next
few months Mr.. Amber would turn his
right eye upon me, and with the
deepest concern inquire if l perceived
any change in his expression. GER
tainly did, but sought, out of pity, to
deceive him by protesting did not.
His constant questioning of his eye in
the mirror, and the absorption of his
mind by the one thought, at last, us /
firmly believe, brought on the very
calamity which he would have given
all he possessed to escape. Within
year from that time his right eye was
as bad as his left. No human face
ever before bore such an expression of
consuming curiosity, of such Unsuitable
questioning, as his now did. He could
not wear two green patches, and was
forced to retire from business.
But there is no i'll. save death, which
can befall a man that has not its COM
pensations. Mr.. Amber became an
| interviewer on one of the morning
papers, and, as might be supposed, his
success was so phenomenal that the
leading journals of the country were
soon bidding for his services. At
present he is the chief ornament of the
Chicago press.
Eaten by a Weed.
Commander Alfred Carpenter, writ
ing from Suak;n, Red Sea, contributes
this instance Of carnivorous plant
prcying upon vertebrate, observed by
him in 1881, when he was surveying
at the Paraccl Islands, in the South
China Sea:
1.-The tide was low on the reef on
which was strolling and admiring the
lovely forms OF coral existence. As l
neared pool cut off by the tide from
the sea noticed among other subma-
rine vcrdure q very ordinary nesh-col-
ored weed about one foot hi 9Th and of
similar girth. My appearance alarmed
numbers OF tiny fish, which dartcd to
the cover of over-hanging lodges, but l
noticed about half a dozen apparently
seeking cover in the weed. Bending
down closer saw that they were lying
helplessly about the fronds, with very
little life left in them. Putting my
hand down to pick up one of the half
dead fish l found my fingers sucked by
the weed, the fronds of which closed
tightly on them. The fish were not
caught by the head especially, but held
anywhere round the body. The death
seemed to be slow and lingering, and
where the fish had been held its skin
was macerated. These captiyes may
have been caught some time, and were
in different stages of exhaustion. l re-
greet being unable to name the plant or
the young fish. They were from an
inch to an inch and half long. The
plant had dirty and rather Shiny look
q ho1t If ,,