The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-02-16

walk with me every day generally to the Can
dlemaker Row; but he was sombre aud mild, de
cned doing battle, though some fit cases offered,
and, indeed, submitted to sundIy lndlgnltles,
and was always very ready to turn, and came
faster back, and trotted up the stair with much
lightness, and went straight to that door
JESS the mare, had been sent with her
weatherworn cart to Howgate and had, doubt
less her own dim and placid medltat1ons and
Commissions the absence of her master and
Rab, and her unnatural freedom from the road
and her cart
For some days Allie did well. The wound
healed ''by the first intention" for as James
said, Oor Allies skin IS owre clean to bell
The students came in quiet and anxious and
surrounded her bed. She said she liked to see
their young, honest faces. The surgeon dressed
her, and spoke to her in his own short, kind
way, plying her through his eyes, Rab and
James outside the circle-Rab being now recon
cied, and even cordial having made up his mind
that as yet nobody required worrying, but as
you may suppose, semper paratus.
Sc far, well; but, four days after the operation,
my patient had a sudden and long shlverlng a
''groosin," she called it. l saw her
soon after; her eyes were too bright; her
cheek colored; she was restless, and
ashamed of being so, the balance was
lost; the mischief had begun. On looking at the
wound, blush of red told the secret; her pulse
was rapid, her breathing anxious and quick; she
wasn't herself, as she said, and was vexed at her
restlessness. We tried what we could. James
did everything was everywhere: never In the
way never out of it; Rab subsidized under the
table into a dark place. and was motionlesS, all
but his eye, which followed everyone Allie got
worse; began to wonder in her mind, gently; was
more demonstratiye in her ways to James. RAPID
| in her questions and sharp, at times He was
vexed, and said she was never that way afore;
no, never" For time she knew her head was
wrong, and was always asking our pardon-the
dear, gentle old woman; then deliIium set IN
strong, without pause. Her brain gave way and
then came that terrible spectacle
1.-THE intellectual power through words and things,
! Went sounding ON its dim and perilous way"
She sang bits OF old songs and psalms, stopping
| suddenly, minglng the Psalms of David and the
| diviner words of his Son and Lord with homely
| odds and ends and scraps Of ballads.
| Nothing more touching, or in a sense more
strangely beautiful, did | ever witness. Her
tremuloUs, rapid, atfectionate, eager Scotch
voice,-the swift, aimless, bewildered mind, the
! baffled utteranee, the bright and perlous eye;
some wild words, household cares some
thing for James, the names of the dead, Rab
called rapidly and in a fremyt" voice, and he
starting up surprised, and sinking off as if he
were to blame somehow, or had been dreaming
he heard; many eager questions and beseech-
| ings which James and | could make nothing
of, and on which she seemed to set her all,
and then sink back ununderstood. 1t was
very sad but better than many things that
| are not called sad. James lowered about put
| out and miserable but active and exact as ever;
read to her, when there was lull, short bits
from the Psalms, prose and metre, chanting the
| ing great knowledge of the fit words, and bear
ing up like a man. and doting over her as his
''ain Allie" allie, ma woman" Ma ain bon
| ME wee dawtief
The end was drawing on; the golden bowl was
breaking the silver cord was fast being loosed
| that animula blandula, vagula, hospes com
| esque was about to flee. The body and the soul
| companions for sixty years-were being sun
dered and taking leave. She walking alone
through the valley of that shadow into which
one day we must all enter-and yet she was not
alone, for we knew whose rod and staff were
comforting her
One night she had fallen quiet, and, as we
hoped, asleep; her eyes were shut. We put down
the gas, and sat watching her Suddenly she
sat up in bed, and taking bedgown which
lying on it rolled up she held it eagerly to her
breast-to the right SIDE. We could see her
eyes bright with surprising tenderness and joy,
bending over this bundle of clothes. She held it
| as woman holds her sucking child; opening out
her nightgown impatiently. and holding it close,
and brooding over it, and murmuring foolish lit
tie words, as over one whom his mother com
forteth, and who sucks and is satisfied. 1t was
pitful and strange to see her wasted dying look,
keen and yet vague-her immense love.
Preserve met groaned James giving way,
And then she rocked back and forward as if to
make it sleep, hushing it, and wasting on it her
infinite fondness. ''Waes me, Doctor; l declare
| she's thinkin' it's that BARN. 'What bairn!n
''The only BARN ever had wee Myse,
and she's in the Kingdom; forty years and mair."
It was plainly true, the pain in the breast, tell
ing its urgent story to bewildered, ruined
| brain. was miSread and mistaken: it suggested
| to her the uneasiness of a breast full Of milk,
and then the child and so again once mere tLey
were together, and she had her ain wee Mysie in
her bosom.
This was the close She sank rapidly: the de-
lirium left her, but, she whispered, she was
clean silly it was the lightning before the
final darkness. After having for some time lain
still, her eyes shut, she said: james, He came
close to her. and, lifting up her calm clear beau
tifnl she him lOOp look turned Ia
me kindly but shortly, looked for Rab, but could
not see him, then turned to her husband again,
as if she would never leave off looking, shut her
eyes and composed herself. She lay for some
time breathing quickly, and passed away so
gently that when thought she was gone
James, in his oldfashioned way. held the mirror
to her face After a long pause small
spot of dimness was breathed out it
vanished away and never returned, leaving the
blank clear darkness of the mirror without a
stain. What is our life! 1t is even a vapor,
| which appeareth for a little time and then van
isheth away"
Rab all this time had been full awake and
motionless. He came forward beside us. Allies
hand which James had held, was hanging down
| 1t was soaked with his tears. Rab licked it all
over carefully, looked at her and returned to his
place under the table.
James and l sat, | don't know how long but
for some time-saying nothing. He started up
abruptly, and with some noise went to the table,
and putting his right fore and
middle fingers each into shoe, pulled
them out and put them on, breaking one of the
leather latchets, and muttering in anger, Il
never did the like o that afore!r
believe he never did; nor after, either. 'Rab"
he said roughly, and pointing with his thumb to
the bottom of the bed Rab leapt up and set
tied himself; his head and eyes to the dead face
Master John, yen wait for me- said the car
rer and disappeared in the darkness, thunder
ing down stairs i'll his heavy shoes. | ran to a
| front window; there he was, already round the
house and out at the gate fleeing like shadow
/ was afraid about him, and yet not afraid so
/ sat down beside Rab and, being wearied, fell
asleep. awol1e from a sudden noise outside
1t was November, and there had been heavy
fall of snow. Rab was in statu quo; he heard
the noise too and plainly knew it, but never
moved. l looked out, and there at the gate, in
the dim morning-for the sun was not up-was
| jess and the cart a cloud of steam rising from