The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-12-06

through the business nl0ne," he said,
tie was lying on the sofa, eating his
nustache and wondering what the
darkness Of tho night would be like,
Then came 10 his mind the memory Of a
quaint scene In the Soudan. A soldier
had been nearly hacked In two by q
broad.bladed Arab spear. For ole in
slant the man felt no pain. Looking
down, he cav that his Iife-bIood was 70.
ing from him. The stupid bewilder.
nent on his face was 80 intensely comic
that both Dick and Torpenhow, still
painting and unstrung from fight for
lie, had roared with laughter, In which
the man seemed as II no would Join,
but, as his lips parted In sheepish
grin, the agony OF death came upon him
and he pitched grunting at their feet.
Dick laughed again, remembering the
horror. 1t Beemed SO exactly like his
own case. "But have a little more
time allowed me-" he said. He paced
up and down the room, quietly at first,
but afterwards with the hurried feet OF
fear. 1t was as though black shadow
slood ut his elbow and urged him to go
forward; and there were weaving circles
and floating pn.dots before his eyes.
ave must be calm, Binkie; We must
be calm" lie talked aloud for the sake
Of distraction. "This isn't nice at ali,
What shall We do? We must do some.
thing. Our time Is short. l shouldn't
have believed that this morning; but
now things are different. Binkie, where
was Moses when the light outW
| Hfntin op,ilul fran, .nr
well bred terrier should, but made no
suggestion. 5,:
"Were there but world enough and
time, this coyness, Binkie, were no
crime. But at my back I ALWAYS
hear" He wiped his forehead,
which was unpleasantly damp. "What
can do7 What can | do? l haven't
any notions left, and l can't think con.
n, ctedly, but | must do something or !
shall 80 of my head"
The buried walk recommended. Dick
stopping every now and then to drag
forth long.neglected canvasses and old
notebooks; Tor he turned to his work
! by instict, as a thing that could not fail.
"Iou won't do, and you won't do" he
said, at each inspection. mo more sol.
diers. l couldn't paint 'em. Sudden
death comes homo too nearly, and this is
battle and murder both for lne,n
Thefday was falling, and Dick thought
for a moment that tho twilight OF the
blind had come upon him unawares.
Allah Almighty" he cried, despairing.
y, "help me through the time Of wait.
ing, and won't whine when my pun.
ishment comes. What can | DO now,
before the light goes"
There was no answer. Dick waited
till be could regain gone sort Of control
over himself. His hands were shaking,
and be prided himself on their Hteaai.
ness; he could feel that his lips we're
Quivering, and the sweat was running
down bis face. He WAS dashed by fear,
driven forward by the desire to yet to
work at once aud accomplish something,
and maddened by tho refusal Of his
brain to DO more than repeat the news
that he was about to 80 blind. tits a
humiliating exhibition" he thought,
Aand Pm glad Torp isn't here to see. |
The doctor said was to avoid mental
worry. Come here and let me pet you,
Binkie."
The little dog yelped because Dick
nearly squeezed the bark out OF him. |
Then he heard the man speaking in the |
twilight, and, dog.like, understood that
his trouble stood off from him.
"Allah is good, Binkie. Not quite so |
gentle as we could wish, but we'n dis.
cuss that later. 1 think see my way to |
it now. All those studies OF Bessie's
were nonsense, and they nearly brought
your master into a scrape. hold the |
notion now as clear as crystalline Mel
ancolla that transcends all wit There
shall be Maisie in that head, because l |
shall never get Maisie; aud Bess, OF |
course, because she knows all about
Melancolia, though she doesn't know
she knows; and there shall be some
drawing in it, and ut shall all end I'D
with a laugh. Tbat's for myself. Shall
we giegle or grin No, she shall laugh
right out OF the canvas, and every man
and woman that ever had a SORROW OF
their own shall-what is it the poem
says?-
Understand the speech and feel stir
or fellowship Ia all disastrous eight
In all disastrous fght2' That's better
than painting the thing merely 10 pique
Maisie. can do it now because have
it inside me. Binkie, Pm going to hold
you up by your tail. You're an omen.
Come here"
Binkle hung head downward for
moment without speaking.
"Rather like holding a guinea.pip:
but you're brave little dog, and YOU
don't yelp when you're maltreated, 1t
IL an omen."
Binkie went to his own chair, and as
often as he looked saw Dick walking up
and down, rubbing bis hands and chuck
ling. That night Dick wrote letter to
Maisie iull OF the tenderest regard for
her health, but saying very little about
his own, and dreamed OF the alelancolia
to be born. Not till morning did he re.
member that something might happen
to him in the future.
He fell to work, whistling softly, and
was swallowed up in the clean, clear joy
OF creation, which does not come to man
too often, lest he should consider himself
the equal Of his God and so refuse to
die at the appointed time. He forgot
Maisie, Torpenhow, and Binkie at his
feet, but remembered to stir Bessie, who
needed very little stirring, into ire.
mendous rage, that he might watch the
smouldering lights in her eyes. He
threw himself without reservation into
his work, and did not think of the
doom that was to overtake him, for he
was possessed with his notion, and the
things Of this world had no power upon
him. ~l1
"Yon're pleased today ssid Bessie.
Dick waved his mahl.stick in mystic
CIRCLES and went to the sideboard for
drink. In the evening, when the exul.
tation Of the day had died down, he
went to the sideboard aeain, and after
some visits became convinced that the
eye doctor WAS liar, since he could see
everything very clearly. He was OF the
opinion that he would even make