Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1892-12-23
A PRESCRIPTION.

| Arthur Brenton was young man pos
sessed of some money and good deal Of
ability. But something else in turn pos
sessed him-namely, a passion. It was not
passion that led him into any folly, I'M
less overwork be counted as dissipation.
It was not the passion that controls or
molds nine-tenths of the human race. The
object of his alteration had it's origin in
the most intense heat imaginable, but it's
radiance was cold and impersonal. He
cared more for the sharp quick, selfish
I sparkles from dynamo machine than for
| the light of wit or tenderness in woman's
eye. The passion that possessed him was
for electricity.
II can't understand this at ALL said his
friend Reed, picking up in Brenton's rooms
one day pamphlet filled with long math-
| ematical formula and strange designs of
instruments. Cant understand it any
more than I can your absorption in this
pursuit. How can you go on with such
horribly dry reading?"
Brenton replied, ''The dryness of the
reading, my boy, only increases the thirst
for knowledge"
''Of course" said Reed After an in
slant he laughed and added: ''Oh, under
stand that; it's joke But don't you ever
get tired out?''
eyes" Brenton admitted. ''The fact is
Pm tired now for almost the first time
Somehow Pm losing interest in my
studies. My head doesn't work well, and
l don't know what the trouble is"
"Better see DOCTOR" Reed advised.
And Brenton went to his physician that
very evening. A few days later Reed was
surprised to meet him at dinner party,
for his friend was a man who seldom went
out. Brenton was extremely gay and
seemed to throw his whole heart into the
affair. What he was throwing into the
conversation with his neighbor, pretty
Miss Paret, Reed could not tell, but she
was evidently pleased.
swell, old fellow" Reed said to him
when they were smoking, ''you seem in
such good trim, 1 take it you are all right"
There's nothing in the world the mat
ter with me-" Brenton answered buoyant-
~. doctor said So Let us live and be
happy!"
This rollicking manner was so unusual
was something the matter. He worried
himself about his friends brain. Reed was
never troubled about his own brain,
although he frequently rollicked and went
much into society But his concern for
Brenton deepened as he met him day after
day and night after night at receptions
dinners and even at balls The worst
shock was still to come. One remarkable
midnight he found himself sitting opposite
Brenton at select little poker party in
the house Of friend, and they parted at G
in the morning, Brenton having bet freely
and lost couple of hundred
'Look here, Arthur" said Reed, on the
doorstep, feeling it his duty to speak, this
isn't the sort of thing for you at ALL You
don't know how to play poker, and you
can't afford to pay for your ignorance"
"Steady now, Reed" answered Brenton,
| who had drunk nothing but settler during
| the night. 81 am all the richer for having
lost two hundred and odd dollars
"Well, but your work" Reed insisted
with the fatherly benevolence inspired by
his wonted drafts of champagne at the
| card table. "How can you go along in this
drive and attend to your work?"
81 don't do any," said Brenton
"But-but your electricity, I mean," said
| Reed.
| Brenton looked severe. "Don't mention
| that word to me-" said he Il know moth
ing about electricity"
| OF course after that there was but one
conclusion for Reed to draw-his friend
| was insane. 1t was perfectly natural that
| Reed should devote his time to society;
| that he should frequent clubs, duck sup
pers and poker parties; that he should
know nothing about electricity, and very
| little about anything else. All this for
him was healthy and reasonable, but for
| Brenton to be in the same condition and do
| the same things was pure insanity. Let
| us be just to Reed. He felt keen sorrow
| for the fact, but he decided that his duty
| for the present was to keep the mournful
secret to himself.
Other people did not seem to suspect it at
all. Brenton had a large circle of noncon-
Quoting or unelectrical friends, who had
long been trying to draw him into their
gayeties and were only too glad that he
had at last hearkened to their persuasions
They knew he was bright. They were re-
joiced to see him take his proper place and
| rapidly become a favorite. The Parets es-
pecially were pleased. They, as every one
knows, were immensely rich. Old Miss
Sarah Paret, who, with no need for money,
had become sort Of receiving reservoir of
the family wealth, was looked upon with
great interest by all the branches which
acted as distributing reservoirs, and old
Miss Sarah had long ago taken a great
fancy to Brenton.
/ suspect her of having for some time
| planned match between him and her
niece, Lilly Paret-the one he had sat next
to at the dinner have mentioned. Miss
Sarah was too proud. too rich and too
maidenly to divulge this amatory plan,
but suspect her all the same. 1t gave
her great delight to see the interest in the
young man which Lily showed. And, as
Brenton paid a great deal of attention to
Lily Paret, nearly every one began to
agree that he had forsaken science for So
ciety, and that instead of devoting him
self to units Of electrical measurement, he
would doubtless very soon begin an exper
| iment with two lives made unit by mar
rage.
Lily had always been Indifferent to the
admirers who had presented themselves
during the two OIL three seasons since she
had made her debut And finally her par
ents and old Miss Sarah grew anxious at
her lack of zest for the good things of the
life to which she was born. But when
Brenton appeared on the scene and gave
himself up to the pleasures of the world,
his example seemed to do her good and she
became quite herself again. Or was it
herself with a little 81 thing added9
| Certainly no one before htsu seen her eyes
sparkle so brightly or her checks blush
with so happy glow as now.
"And you really think you will give up
permanently your secluded life9" she asked
him once, when they were chatting alone
in the corner after one of old Miss Sarah's
solemnly elegant Sunday teas. you have
been SO welded to science, don't you know,
doubt whether you could ever break your
! heart into the traces"--
Without letting her finish he said, "Pos-
sibly might break my heart out of the
traces" And he looked at her in such g
way that she could hardly doubt his wish
to convey the idea that she would be the
cause of the catastrophe.
J sob, you know what ! mean," she said
quite lightly and laughing.