The morning call., 1891-12-06

to put an end to 1t had grown upon him.
De had reasoned it all out, only he wished
his death to l0ok.lik on accident so that the
idea Of suicide should not trouble his widow.
She might mourn him a little while, and
soon be consoled.
She. pressing closely against his breast.
spoke in her turn and told him everything.
lnterrupting. herself now and then to
whisper. II love you, giving him life again
out of her youth and tenderness.
Then they reviewed that morning of an
guish; his lost gifts, his frozen and para
lyzed talents. He asked her to read the
chapter he had dictated with so much
trouble. Jeanne collected the sheets
and read. Karl listened to the end. He
seemed to hear once more the death sem
tence of his hopes He took the paper out
OF his wife's hand and tore 1t to fragments
in sort of rage.
That mlneP No! Listen, this is what
want to say"-and then, with feverish
rapidity. he sketched the chapter which had
fallen SO Hat and heavy before. He sped it
forth with all the inspiration of his former
days. and all their fire. These had been the
secret of his immense success as popular
writer. He interrupted himself passion
ately.
That. all that. have yet in me. 1t is
not dead. but 1t might as well be so. How
ever, the blind have learned to write ere
this, and 1 will find way-I must find a
way1
He was quite worn out by all these excit-
ing emotions. His wife, In her capacity of
nurse, fearing return Of the fever, ordered
rest. He stretched himself on sofa, but
kept her close by him. like sick child who
must be INDUCED, and like sick child, too.
he was soon sleeping that SOFT sound sleep
which brings repose. When he woke a
scarcely audible but regular. scraping sound
struck his quick ear At first, in a hide0us
nightmare, he felt himself acting over again
the torment Of that mornings experience
the secretary writing to his dictation.
"Jeannep' he called.
She was beside him in an instant, petting
him sayly. almost materially.
What are you doing therea" he de-
handed. suspiciously.
Il was writing; there, now"
"What?"
Listen"
Jeanne had the rare gift of a marvellous
memory. 1t had often astonished Karl.
she had remembered, in the most extra0r-
binary way, the entire passage which her
husband had recast an hour ago; the very
turns oil the phrases even the small express
sl0ns peculiar to him as an author, were all
there: He listened. holding his breath.
'Well| said Jeanne, somewhat intimi-
dated by his silence
You have saved me, my darling" he
said. Twice over l owe my life to you"
From that day forward they worked
together. At first it was very trying, no
doubt; there were any quantity of pages
torn up and thrown aside. Karl had quite
an apprenticeship to serve, and he felt that
such an apprenticeship would have been
impossible for him had it been gained under
the curious gaze Of a stranger His wife's
splendid memory was his best servant, for it
was only after repeated trials that he learned
TO dictate, MS ideas came too quickly for that;
the words burst from him, and while she
listened he poured forth his story. Whatfew
notes she could snatch without observation
were all he would permit, and she wrote it out
from memory far away from earshot of her
husband. The necessary business of revis-
ion found him more tractable; he even took
pleasure IN polishing up his prose; more
than he had ever cared to do before. After
while he got accustomed to this method of
working, and succeeded finally in subduing
his artistic over-sensitiveneSs. He was
saved. He felt that he had not indeed been
mistaken in his own estimate of himself.
The terrible inertness, .he enforced idleness
were no longer his to dread. He shuddered
when he recalled the past, saying inwardly
that he had surely skirted the border-land Of
insanity. In quiet moments he rumnated
his work; he prepared chapter to follow.
Living thus in the society of his own fic-
ttlous characters. being of necessity
obliged to ponder well before his ideas
could take permanent shape. he gradually
corrected the faults of style which his
former case in writing had entailed.
lie was thus aware of slow
but beneficial change in the char
acter OF his own composition. When.
seized with remorse he asked pardon of his
wife for the burden OF labor he was forced
to lay uDOn her, or when he expressed some
of the establishment he felt at seene her,
the spoiled darling of society. settling down
into regular home bird, aud none the less
gay and lUvable for the change. her answer
WAS very simple:
4" l am very happy. and / love you"-
Translated from the French for the Strand
Magazine.