The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-11-26

was rallying him one dav on his
future rank and its responsibilities.
"You will. of course, be disgustingly
rich:" I said.
Carriston sighed. eyes. if live
long enough; but don't suppose I
SHALL
"Why in the world shouldn't you?
You look pale and thin, but are in cap
ital health. Twelve long miles we
have walked to-day-you never turned
q hair"
Carr,s tOn made no reply. He seemed
in deep thought
"Your friends ous hit to look after you
and get you q wife, l said.
II have no friends" he said, sadly.
''No nearer relation than a cousin .
good deal older than am, who looks
upon me as one who WAS born to rob
him of what should be his"
.'But by the law of primogeniture. so
sacred to the upper ten thousand. no
must know You are entitled to it"
"Yes, but for years and years I was
always gong to die. My life was not
thought worth six months purchase.
All of a sudden got well. Ever since
then have seemed, even to myself, .
kind of interloper."
lit must be unpleasant to have man
longing for ones death. All the more
reason you should marry and put other
lives between him and the title"
Il fancy shall never marry" said
Carriston, looking at ME with his soft
dark eyes. "You see, boy who has
waited for years expecting to die,
doesn't grow up with exactly the same
feelings as other people. Idon't think
shall ever meet woman can care
for enough to make my wife. No; I
expect my cousin will be Sir Ralph
vet"
tried to laugh him out of his morbid
ideas. Those who live will see," l
said. ''Only promise to ask me to your
wedding. and better still, if you live in
town. appoint me your family doctor.
1t may prove the nucleus of that West
End practice which it is the dream of
every doctor to establish"
have already alluded to the strange
beauty of Carriston's dark eyes. As
soon rs companionship commenced be-
tween Us the Sc eyes became TO me, from
scientific reasons, objects of curiosity
on account of the mysterious expression
which at times l detected in them.
Often and often they wore look the
like to which. imagine, is found only
in the eyes of somnambulist-a look
which one feels certain is intently fixed
upon something, yet upon something
beyond the range of ones own vision.
| During the first two or three days of
our new born intimacy l found this &C.
centricity of Carriston'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 tent 1t was at
| first impossible to divest ones self Of
the belief that something should be
there to justify so fixed gaze. How
ever, as the rapid growth OF our friend
| ly intercourse soon showed me that he
was boy of most ardent poetic temper
ament-perhaps even more poet than
an artist laid at the door of the
Muse these absent looks and recurring
| flights into vacancy.
We were at the Fairy Glen one morn
ing. sketching, to the best of our abil-
ity, the swirlng stream. the gray rocks
and the Overhanging trees. the last just
growing brilliant with autumnal tints.
So beautiful was everything around
that for long time worked, idled or
dreamed in cOntented silence Carris-
ton had set up his easel at some
little distance from mine. At last
turned to see how his sketch was pro-
crossing. He had evidently fallen into
one of his brown studies. and. appar-
| emily. harder one than usual. His
brush had fallen from his fingers, his
features were immovable, and his
strange, dark eyes were absolutely riv-
eted upon large rock in front of him,
at which he 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.
chatleriDg. terrible tourist girls scram-
bled down the rugged steps, and one
by one passed in front of him. Neither
their presence nor the inquisitive
glances they cast on his statuesque face
reused him from his fit of abstraction.
For 3 moment l wondered if the boy
took opium CT 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, inquiring way.
REALLY, Carriston,'' l said. laugh
ingly, "you must reserve your dream
ing fits until we are in places where
tourists do not congregate, or you will
be thought a mailman, or at least a
poet"
He made no reply He turned away
from me impatiently, even rudely;
then, picking up his brush, went on
with his sketch. After awhile 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 apologetic, almost
penitent way:
II hope l was not rude to you just
now"
"When do you mean?" I asked,
having almost forgotten the trivial in
cident
when you woke me from what you
called my dreaming"
"Oh dear no. You were not at all
rude. If you had been, it was but the
penalty due to my presumption. Tho
flights of genius should be respected,
not checked. by material hand.'
"That is nonsense; I am not q
genius; and You must forgive me for
my rudeness." sad Carriston. simply.
After walking some distance in silence.
he spoke again:
II wish when YOU are with me You