The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1886-09-23
THE BASILISK.
A STORY OF TO-DAY.
CHAPTER /.
RETROSPECTIVE.

IL NuCA'I0dus hADuI0S - OHC - tn0SO
numerous institutions, half scicn tif;c,
half charitable, and wholly admirable,
which do so much to justify the nine
tecnth century In its tenure Of such an
advanced place among the ages.
Founded by private bcnevolence. the
Home gives what its name processes to
q limited number Of patients Of the
better class, whose NEAR do not allow
Of their enjoying the highest skill. ex-
cept under conditions Of painful pub
licity. and who, but for the shelter
afforded BY the Home. would have
been brought. perhaps, to beggary by
their affection. Of this refuge was !,
Frank Coplcstone, an inmate; and one
fine afternoon in September, 1888, |
was sitting in the resident surgeons
sanctum, as had for some time past
been rather an established custom.
smoking long pipe, and talking,
much like other people, over the con-
Germs Of our little world with good DIR.
Shaw.
In the pauses Of our intimate and
desultory conversation. / reflected for
the hundredth time on the marvellous
and merciful faculty men possess Of
becoming; il not reconciled, at least re-
signed, to the most dreadful conditions
of existence. Reconciled | was not.
But had l looked into . magician's
mirror four years ago, and seen myself
in the future the blind helpless being |
now was, should have deemed it 4
lying vision to have shown me capable
of living at all under such an affection.
Four years ago! What an immense
time for young man to look forward
to! What an Insignificant period to
look back upon, when the years have
hidden their chances, or quickly run
the gauntlet Of slumbering ambition.
The last four years had been to me a
dream Of horror. from which | was
only just awakening into sober dark
ness. And vet l could sit smoking
with DR.. Shaw, and talk with every
day interest over things in general. I
could not have done it had I really
shared Shaw's opinion Of my case. ]
knew he had come to consider it hope
less. The principle that made me a
tolerable companion, the principle that
kept me living or sane man, was
Hope.
The life at st. Bartimeus's, If not Of
an exhilarating character, was made
as cheerful as circumstances allowed.
We were not, even the most forlorn Of
us, left without the sense of sympathy
ana even friendliness. We had good.
/ " number of visitors who interested
themselves in our interests, and joined,
both actively and passively. in our en-
tertainments. Some were of the ma
ture of real friends, others were those
good souls. who feel that affliction
gives brother sort of claim upon
them. and generally cOntrive to let him
realize that he is . sort of poor rela.
ton of the human family. whose rights
cannot be gainsaid, but whose situation
allows Of certain goody-good dis
count upon their benevolence. Our
concerts were, in limited sense, celc.
brated, il may with propriety say SO,
as was the chief musician Of the cs.
tablishment. Plays, in which some Of
us took part, with the extraordinary
facility which seems incredible, or at
least miraculous, to those who have
not had much experience Of tho blind,
were not seldom performed in tho
large hall of the Home. These plays
afforded at least as much qualification
to outsiders as to the inmates. Fol
the hall allowed of the erection of a
good sized stage, and accommodated q
large audience. This being the case
benevOlcnce and dramatic ambition
went hand-in-hand; and many anna
teurs who cared little for amusing the
blind, were glad to exercise their talent
upon so favorable an arena, before
their kinsfolk and acquaintance. DIR,
Shaw. though not much of an actor
being, in fact, as he said, bothered BY
having lot Of other people about him
was much given to Rotations on these
festive occasions, and being some
thing of poet, often took the opportu
nifty Of letting off his own composition
which were generally Of MARTA
character. AS was always conten
to sit silently, and let my thought.
run on as they would, while the goot
doctor detained his compositions, h,
had come to regard me as critic o
no mean order, and q useful court, o
first instance.
To-day, with an apologize authority
Of tone, which had learned to inter
pref as the precursor of preliminar,
reading. DIR. Shaw, our conversation
having turned on the next projecte,
entertainment. proposed to read me
dramatic poem he had been writing TO
the occasion. l settled myself t
think. He took turn or two abou
the room, and then accompani ed m
thoughts with the not unmusical ca
dences of his partially trained voice.
And as he read let my mind 6
back to the past, / saw myself again
boy Of nineteen, imaginative, impulsive
romantic. My mother. an officer
widow of scanty means, mad manage
to send me to good school. and wa
now contriving to let me study must
in London. / had q taste, amour,
ing to passion for music
and l worked at it wit
will; being resolved not only I
make a living by it, but some time Q
other, to make o name and fame q
| we'll. How hard worked! At schoe
/ had done but moderately we'll.
had no heart in the work there; an
though as Ihave said, romantic an
. imaginative boy, l was tollerabl
robust one. and devoted myself
games with q zeal which might hav'
done no little if devoted to classics 4
mathematics. The change from th
free open air school life to that OF clos
study and mental excitement in Londo
began to tell on me before gave til
matter thought; and it was probabl
: as much of my weak state of health,
to any extraordinary amount of youth
! full susceptibility, tibet l owed m
, first great passion-sudden, oyerwheln
ing. hopeless. l was looking owe