Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-08-29

hsas. "Thoss VINO i've WIN see" I rid.
'tOnly promise to ask me to your wedding,
and better still, II you live in town, ap-
point me your family doctor. It may provo
tie nucleus Of that West End practice which
+ = the dream Of every doctor to establish"
have already alluded to the strange
beauty Of arriston's dark eyes As soon
- companionship commenced between rs
those eyes became to me, from scientific
reasons, objects Of curiosity on account Of
the mysterious expression which at times I
detected in them Often and often they
wore lcok the like to which, / imagine, is
found only in the eyes Of a somnambuhst-
look which one feels certain is lntently fxsd
upon something, yet upon something beyond
the range of ones own vision. During the
FIRST two or three DAYS Of our newborn in
tlmacy found this eccentricity of Car
riston's positively startling. When now
and then turned to him and found him
staring with all his might at nothing, my
eyes were compelled to follow the direction
in which his own were bent 1t was at first
impossible to divest ones self of the belief
that something should be there to justify
% fixed a gaze However, as the rapid
growth of our friendly intercourse soon
showed me that he was a boy of most ar
dent poetic temperament-perhaps even
more a poet than an artist laid at the
door of the Muse these absent looks and re-
curing fights into vacancy.
We were at the Fairy Glen one morning.
sketching. to the best of our ability, the
swirling stream, the gray rocks AMI the
overhanging trees, the last just growing bril-
liant with autumnal tints So beautlful was
everything around that for long time
worked, idled, or dreamed in contented
isnce. Carriston had set up his easel at
some little distance from mine. At last I
turned to see how his sketch was progressing.
He had evidently fallen into one of his
brown studies, and, apparently, a harder
one than usual His brush had fallen from
his fingers his features wers immovabls,
and his strange dark eyes were absolutely
rivsted upon q large rock in front of him, at
which be gazed as intently as if his hope Of
heaven depended upon seeing through it.
He seemed for the while oblivious to things
mundane. A party of laughing, chattering,
terrible tourist girls scrambled down the
rugged steps, and one by one passed in front
of him. Neither their presence nor the in
quiGtive glances they cast on his statussque
face reused him from his fit of abstraction.
For a moment wondered if the boy took
opium or some other narcotic on the sly.
Full OF the thought, l rose, crossed over to
him, and laid my hand upon his shoulder.
As he felt my touch he came to himself, and
looked up at me in dazed, nqulring way.
Really, Carriston," l said, laughingly
''you must reserve your dreaming fits until
we are in places where tourists do not con-
gregate, or you will be thought a mailman,
or at least poet"
He made no reply. He turned away from
me impatiently, even rudely; then, picking
up his brush went on with his sketch.
After while he seemed to recover from his
pettishness, and we spent the remainder Of
the day as pleasantly as usual.
As we trudged home in the twilight he
said to me in an apologize, almost peni-
tent way:
II hope l was not rude to you just nowr'
"When do you meanT' asked, having al
most forgotten the trivial incident.
when you woke me from what you
called my dreaming"
"Oh, dear no. You were not at all rude
II you had been it was but the penalty due
to my presumption. The fights of genius
should be respected, not checked, by a ma
terial hand"
"That is nonsense; am not genius: and
you must forgive me for my rudeness," said
Carriston, simply. After walking some dis
lance in silence he spoke again:
II wish when you are with me you would
try and stop me from getting into that state
1t does me no good"
Seeing he was in earnest, promised to do
my best, and was curious enough to ask him
whittier his thoughts wandered during those
distracted moments.
II can scarcely tell you," he said Pres
entity he asked, speaking with hesitation,
81 suppose you never feel that under Ger lain
circumstances-circum which you
cannot explain-you might be able to see
things which are invisible to othersr'
''Io see thingsl What thngsf'
Things, as l said, which no one else can
see. You must know there are people who
possess this power"
81 know that certain people have asserted
they posses what they call second sight; but
the assertion is too absurd to waste time In
refuting"
Yet" said Carriston, dreamily 81 know
that if | did not strive to AVOID it, some such
power would come to me-"
"You are too ridiculous Carriston.n I
said. ''Some people see what others don't,
because they have longer sight. You may,
of course, imagine anything. But your eyes
handsome eyes they are. too-contain GER
tain properties, known as humors and lenses,
therefore in order to see"
Yes, yes," interrupted Carriston; az
know exactly all you are going to say You,
q man of science, rldicule everything which
breaks what you are pleased to call the law
Of nature. Yet take all the unaccountable
tales told. Nine hundred and ninety-nine
you expose to scorn or throw grave doubts
upon, yet the thousandth rests on evidence
which cannot be upset or disputed The
possibility of that one proves the possibility
of ALL"
Mot at all; but enough for your arpu-
ment," said, amused at the boys wild talk.
"You DOCTORS" he continued, with that
delicious air Of superiority so often assumed
by laymen when they are in good health.
put too much to the credit Of diseased i'm
agination."
'No doubt; it's q convenient shelf on
which to put difficulty But 90 on"
1.-The body is your province, yet you can't
explain why cataleptic patient should hear
a watch tick when it is placed against his
foot"
"Nor you; nor any one But perhaps it
may aid you to get rid Of your publishing
theories if l tell you that catalepsy, a. you
understand it, is disease not known to us
IN fact. it does not exist
He seemed crestfallen at hearing this.
But what do you want to proven asked.
What have you seen yourselfF'
Nothing, tell you And l pray may