The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1890-09-12
CarliStOl'S Gift.
pY HUGH CONWAY
PART ]
roLD BY PHILIP BRAND. NJ. ~, IoynoN

PART /.
TOLD BY PHILIP BRAND, n. d., oSbo
Yet / was not altogether amused by his
talk. His wild arguments and wilder beliefs
made me fancy there Elust be a weak spot
somewhere in his brain-even made me fear
lest his end might be madness. The thought
made me sad; for. with the exception of the
eccentricities which l have mentioned, /
reckoned CaIriston the pleasantest friend I
had ever made, His amiable nature, his
good looks, and perfect breeding had endear-
ed the young man to me; so much so that |
resolved. during the remainder of the time
we should spend together, to do all | could
toward talking the nonsense ont of him.
My efforts were unavailing. | kept a sharp
lookout upon him, and let him fall into no
more mysterious reveries; but the curious
idea that he possessed, or could possess, some
gift above human nature, was too firmly root
ed to be displaced. On all other subjects he
argued fairly and was open to reason. On
this one point he was immOvable. When l
could get him to notice my attacks at all, his
answer was:
you doctors, clever as You are with the
body, know as little OF psychology as yon did
three thousand years ago.
. When the time came for me to fold up my
easel and return to the drudgGry of life, I
parted from Carriston with much regret. One
of those solemn, but often broken, promises
to join together next year in another sketch
ing tour passed between us. Then | went
back to London, and during the subsequent
mcE!Es, although l saw nothing of him, 1
often thought of my friend of the autumn.
III.
In the spring of 1865 l went down to
Boulneniouth to see, for the last time. an old
friend who was dying of consumption. Dur
ing a great part of the journey down | had
for a travelling companion a well-dreSsed gem
t!emanly man of about forty years of age.
We were alone in the compartment, and aft
er interchanging some small civiiities, such
as the barter of newspapers, slid into con-
versatiOn. My fellow traveller seemed to he
an intellectual man, and we'll posted up in
the doings of the day. He talked f%uently
and easily on various topics, and Judging by
his talk must have moved in good society.
Although i fancied his features bore traces
of hard living and dissipation, he was not
unprepossessing i'll appearance. The great
est faults in his face We're the remarkable
thlnness of the lips, and his eyes being a
shade closer together than one cares to see.
With a casual acquaintance such peculiarities
are Of little moment, but for my part l should
not choose for a friend one who possessed
them without due trial and searching proof.
At this time the English public were much
Interested in an important will case which
was then being tried. The reversion to a
vast sum of money depended upon the tesla
tors sanity or insanity. Like most other
people we duly discussed the matter. / sup
pose, from some of my remarks, my compan-
ion understood that l was a doctor. lie ask
ed me a good many technical questions, and
i described several curious cases of mania
which had come under my notice. He seem
ed greatly interested in the subject.
"You must sometimes find it hard to say
where sanity ends and insanity begins" he
said thoughtfully.
Yes. The boundary line is in some in
stances hard to define. To give in such a
dubious case an opinion which would satisfy
myself / should %ant to have known the pa
dent at the tire he was considered quite
sane"
ITO mark the differencew
Exactly. And to know the bent of the
character. For instance, there is n friend of
mine. He was perfectly sane when last l
saw him, but for all know he may nave
made great progress the other way in the in
~teryal."
Then without mentioning names, dates. or
places, / described Carriston's peculiar dis
position to my intelligent listener. He heard
me with rapt interest.
you predict he will go mad?' he said.
Certainly not. Unless anything unfore-
seen arises he will probably live and die as
sane as you or l."
why do you fear for him, them"
For this reason. L think that any sudden
e~motion-violent grief, for instance-any I'M
expected and crushing downright at once
disturb the balance of his mind. Let his life
run on in an even groove, and all will be well
with him.
My companion was silent for a few mo-
ments.
did you mention your friends name?" he
asked.
] laughed. doctors never give names
when they quote cases."
At the next station my companion left the
train. He babe me a polite adieu, and thank
ed me for the pleasure my conversation had
given him. After wondering what station in
life he occupied I dismissed him from my
mind, as one who had crossed my path for a
short time and would probably never cross it
again.
Although I did not see Charles GARRISON |
received several letters from him during the
course of the year. He had not forgotten
our undertaking TO pass my next holiday to-
gether. Early in the autumn, just as | was
beginning to long with L passionate longing
for open air and blue skies, a letter came
from Carriston. He was now, he said, rough
ing it in the Western Highlands. He reaind-
ed me of last years promise. Could | get
away from work now Would | Join himp
f1did not care to visit Scotland, would
suggest some other place where he could Join
me? Still, the scenery by which he was now
surrounded was superb and the accommodate
ton he had secured. If not luxurious, fairly
comfortable. He thought we could not do
better. a postscript to his letter askcdme TO
address him as Cecil Carr, not Charles Carris-
ton. chad a reason for changing his name
IA foolish reason | should no doubt call it.
When we met he would let me know it.
This letter at once decided me to accent his
Invitation. In a weeks time my arrange
ments for leave of absence We're complete,
and l was speeding northward in the highest
spirits, and well equipped with everything
necessary for my favorite holiday pursuit.
looked forward with the greatest pleasure tc
again meeting Carriston. l found him Al
Calendar waiting for me. The coach did
not follow the route we We're obliged to take
in order to reach the somewhat unfrequenteC
part of the country in which our tent wa:
pitched, so my friend had secured the service.
OF n primitive vehicle and a strong shagg,
pony to bear us the remainder of the journey
80 soon as otT first hearty greetings weI,
over proceeded 10 ascertain how the las
year had treated CarTiSton. l was both de
lighted and astonished Mt the great chang,
for the better which had taken place in hi
manner no less than Lis appearance. III,
looked far more robust; he seemed happier
Observation-Disclosures more like ordinary hii
mainly: Not only had he greeted me witt
almost boisterous glce, but during Our drive
through the wonderful scenery lie was in TIL.
gayest of spirits and full of fun and anecdote
l congratulated him heartily upon the mark