Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1893-02-01
NO. 81
THE POINT OF VIEW.


Caricature.
1t vas an open car and she was the
only passenger upon it There she sat,
riding in state, quite as though she
owned the whole road There was
! something awfully ludicrous in the way
she sat. too; her sharp chin high in the
air, her nose pointing straight ahead
and her wiry hair, looseued by the
wind. flying in wisps from under her
bonnet.
| l was standing on the corner when
! her car came along, and, although
/ hadn't the least excuse of an errand in
that direction, hailed the car and took
/ a seat at the side and little back of
her, to ride down few blocks that l
might jot down her profile in my sketch
book. 1t was SO irresistibly funny
| just the thing for a droll caricature
which had in mind
! caught the exact expression that 1
wished and had the outlines down in
iSjiffy; then the car began to fill with
other passengers and | slipped my
sketch book into my pocket and changed
E, To a front Seat where could study the
woman's face.
| Did you ever happen to see person
whose countenance presents from
/ front view an aspect and expression to-
tally at va lance with the impression
that is given by glance at the profile?
Such faces are rarely seen, for nature,
as rule, makes the features in keep
ing, but have sometimes come across
| them, and hers was one.
| Seen from the side and the back this
| iii; ID
from the front her face was full of dig
nifty and strangely pathetic. l almost
felt that owed her an apology for hav-
ing formed so mistaken an idea of her.
Her dark eyes were grave even to sad
ness; her chin, so comically aggressive
from the side, did not seem noticeably
prominent; the corners of her mouth
dropped a little, and the expression of
that feature was wonderfully tender
and sweet.
Even her hands, which had been hid
| den from me by her cloak, while sat
behind her, lay clasped in her lap in a
| way that somehow suggested meekness
and patience.
From over the top of my paper 1
stealthily watched her. She seemed
absorbed in her own thoughts and quite
unconscious of my gaze. Occasionally
an expression of pain crossed her face,
and once she quickly crossed her hand
! to her heart, and drew long, uneven
breath.
AS the car neared the Free Surgical
institute she signalled the conductor to
stop. and when she got off l followed
her across the street and even up the
steps and into the great gloomy build
ing. The place was familiar to me, for
l had friend who was an inferno there
and had frequently been granted ac-
cess to the clinics for the purpose of OBJ
| tanning material for my sketches
The woman went swiftly down the
hall and disappeared behind the door
of the patients waiting room, while
sought my friend.
| ''Well, old man." was his greeting,
what are you up to to-day? There's
nothing much on for this morning. An
| ordinary clinic, l believe Nothing
bloody. We're going to cut man all
to pieces this afternoon; better wait
and see that. Here's my ticket to the
lecture room if you wish it I'm due
upstairs now, ta-ta," and he was off.
| Although the scene in the clinic room
was not new to me, it was one to which
had not yet become Indifferent One
| by one the patients were led or carried
| in, and | sat back in the farthest cor
| ner, my sketch-book indistingpishable
| from the notebooks of the superintend-
ents but my knees qualing in a man.
ner which would have betrayed to even
a casual observer that was not one of
| them.
There were but few cases that day;
stolid-faced German with bad leg, a
club-footed baby, poor little lad with
crooked spine, and servant girl who
chewed gum nonchalantly while the
doctor attended to an unpleasant-look.
ing growth upon her neck.
| / began to think that had been mis-.
taken, that the woman who had inter
ested me had come there upon other
business and was not patient, when
the door opened and she entered.
Her face was deathly white and her
lips tightly compressed, but she walked
with a firm step and seated herself in
the chair placed for her.
| Her gown had been 1oosened and
when the physician drew back her
| cloak, exposing her bare breast, even
from where / sat / could see the ugly,
corroding spot, which, like some vora-
cious crimson worm, was eating its
way through her bosom to her heart.
| NY head grew dizzy and my sight
confused and there was a buzzing sound
in my ears. Then ] saw her sitting
there. white but unfiinching, while the
doctor told her it could not be long
perhaps two months at the best-before
the cancer would have done its work.
don't know just how / got out oi
the lecture room. / have dim recol-
lection of young man helping me
along while another said: you'll be
all right in minute. It's apt to make
a fellow bit sick at first, you know. "
thought that would walk home.
but after going few blocks, l decided
to ride A car was approaching. There
was but one person on board, a woman,
the very same whose attitude and pro-
file had amused me so upon the down
trip. By an odd chance she was agair
alone-the only passenger On the car
There she sat, riding in state, quite
as though she owned the whole car
Her sharp chin was elevated, her nose
pointed straight ahead and the wisp.
OF gray hair were escaping from hel
bonnet But there was nothing ludic
rous to me in her sitting there alone
1t was pitiful, desolate,
Again | took the seat at the side anc
little back of her. thought of the
worm, gnawing away at her heart, anC
shuddered- glanced from the comic
; sketch which had made of her to the
original. 1t was very like her and alb
surdly funny-the very thing for thai
, caricature which / had had in mind,
yet tore it into dozen fragments.
had changed my point of view, tha,
was alL-Marie More Marsh, in Chica
go Inter Ocean