San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-08-30
This story was commenced August ~
CapIiStOl'S Gift.
BY HUGH CONWAY.
PART /.
TOLD BY PHILIP BRAND, NJ D., LONDON.

: y =
going to die. My life was not thought worth
six months purshase. All of a sudden got
well. Ever since then have seemed, even
to myself, kind of nterOper."
1T must be unpleasant to have a man long
ing for ones death. All the more reason you
should marry, and put other lives between
him and the title"
II fancy shall never marry" said CARTS
ton, looking at me with his soft dark eyes.
You see, a boy who has waited for years eX-
pecting to die, doesn't grow up with exactly
the same feelings as other people. i don't
think | shall ever meet a woman can care
for enough TO make my wife. No, expect
my cousin will be Sir Ralph yet"
| tried to laugh him out of his morbid ideas.
Those who live will see," said Only
promise to ask me to your wedding, and bet
ter 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 beau
ty of CarTistOnS dark eyes. As soon as com
paniOnship commenced between us those
eyes became to me, from scientific reasons,
objects of curiosity on account of the mysteri-
GUS expression which at times | detected in
them. Often and often they wore a look the
like to which, imagine, is found only in the
eyes of a 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 newborn intimacy, found this
eccentricity of CaTistOn's positively startling.
When now and then turned to him, and
found him staring with all his might at moth
ing, my eyes were compelled to follow the
direction in which his own were bent 1t
was at first impossible to divest oneself of the
belief that something should be there 10
justify so fixed a gaze. However, as the
rapid growth of our friendly intercourse soon
showed Inc that he was boy of most ardent
poetic 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 morning,
sketching, to the best of our ability, the swirl
ing stream, the gray rocks, and the overhang-
ing trees, the last just growing brilliant with
autumnaI tints. So beautiful was everything
around that for a long time | worked, idled,
or dreamed in cOntented silence CarrstOn
had set up his easel at some little distance
from mine. At last turned to see how his
fallen into one of his brown studies, and, APP
parently, harder one than usual. His brush
had fallen from his fingers his features were
immOvable, and his strange dark eyes were
absolutely rivetcd upon large rock in front
of him, at which he gazed as intently as if
his hope of heaven depended upon seeing
through il.
He seemed for the while ObliviOus to things
A
terrible tourist girls scrambled down the rug
ged steps, and one by one passed in front of
him. Neither their presence nor the inquisi-
tive Chances they cast on his statueSque face
reused him from his fit of abstraction. For
a moment wondered if the boy took opium
or some Otncr narcotic on the sly. ruii .: me
thought 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, inquring way.
Really, CarristOn," | said, laughingIy,
you must reserve your dreaming fits until
we are i'm 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. Aft
tiShneSS and We spent the remainder of the
day as pleasantly us usual.
As we ulIdged home in the twilight, he
said to me in an Apologize, almost penitent
way.
~ hope | was not rude to you Just now"
"When do You meang' asked. having al
most forgotten the trivial incident
when you woke me from what you call
..oi, d,,r mn Won u.or, n,,t o.ou ,o
r. rom L,I hnor Il was h',t tbo ,an " i" I,'
-, ~, ,,,,,,',;a ,rL a u''o
sbomil ha rns,'ao,od mo-, ohonisaJ b'' sinus a.oH
;iIwad y NV WV nv" ~ iii''oi
''i =.
THAT is nonsense; am not genius, and
you must forgive me for my rudeneSS' SAID
Carrlston, simply.
After walking some distance Ill silence TIC
spoke again. Il wish when you are WIN me
you would try and stop me from getting INTO
that state. 1t does me no good"
Seeing he was in earnest promised 10 DO
my best and was curious enough 10 ask MN
whittier his thoughts wandered during those
distracted moments.
Il can scarcely tell yOu," he said. Present.
ly he asked, speaking with hesitation, II sup
pose you never feel that under certain cir
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES which you can
not explain-you might be able to see things
which are invisible to Othcrs?'
TO see things, What things"
Things, as said, which no one else can
see. You must know there are people who
possess this power"
II know that certain people have asserted
they possess what they call second sight; but
the assertion is too absurd to waste time IN
refuting."