The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1893-02-04
THE THREE CHUMS.

differed Perhaps it was the intellectual
pleasure we derived from debating
among ourselves, with an acrimony only
possible among the fastest Of friends, the
pros and cons Of every question that
came mp that was the bond Of our union.
Whatever the bond was, we were GER
tainly inseparablo, and think, ON that
last night in New Haven, when after
four years of most intimate association
we parted each To walk alone his path
through life, there were three very tear
stained pillows beneath our respective
heads before Morpheus claimed our ale
glance. l know that for one was com
PEELED 20 change mine, so saturated did
T it become with those salt evidences of a
sincere grief which were copiously shed
by my eyes that night.
The parting between Marsden and
Masterson and myself was geographical
rather than spiritual. Marsden's lines
fell in the pleasant places of Boston;
Mastersons in those Of Baltimore, and
mine in New York. Marsden studied
medicine, Masterson became professor
of psychology without chair, and /
drifted through a period Of misery as a
student Of law into literary, sharp shoot
| ing; but through it all we kept up a
| three cornered correspondence in which
| the hopes and fears of our lives were
| freely Confded, with the result, think,
/ that we all took a more cheerful view Of
existence than would otherwise have
/ been possible 1t was the perfect candor
| of our intercourse that helped us. What
| | did not like about Marsden | frankly
told him. and when / disapproved of
Masterson, Masterson was the first to
know it. and vice versa. II was helpful;
it was delightful. We lived in palace
of truth, which, alas! is no more.
Five or six years was the duration of
our post graduate alliance, which was
broken by death first, and then by that
which is worse than death-madness;
and it all came about through the too
close application Of Marsden and Master
son to their work. Marsden had always
been noted for his love of the mysterious
and morbid. In the old college days it
used to trouble Masterson and myself
not n little to find how exceedingly fond
of the depressing things of life Malsden
was-that is to say, he liked to hear and
talk about them. He liked to read sto.
ries not only bordering upon but plung-
ing into the middle of the supernatural,
and while Masterson and l were compil.
ing scrapbooks Of clippings showing how
easily Yale crews defeated Harvard
crews, and other matters Of alma mater.
nal interest, Marsden was filling envel
opes with horrors-stories of vampires
tales of hallucination and other unnat
ural things.
While Masterson and l were reading
such light and airy stories as Pelham
and "Pendennis," with Herrick as oul
ideal poet, Marsden would devote hii
hours of outside reading TO Hoffman
Poe and Monk Lewis, and any versifiel
whose sentiment smackcd of malarii
could be his poet for the time being.
think the only point on which Master
son and l ever really agreed was in re
gard to Marsden's unhealthy passion fol
the grotesque, and we were unremittinl
in our efforts to bring him down to tn,
real sunshiny things Of life, but can
not say that we were ever sanguine o
the result Of our efforts.
1t was Marsden's horrible addiction T.
such matters that led Mastcrson into tn
study of psychology and Marsden him
self into medicine, and if Marsden woul,
have gone at it in the cOldly scientifi
manner of Masterson / think he wOul,
! have been all right, although Mastersoi
,. carried his GOODNESS degree too far i
that he did not recognize the fact tina
.. minds, like machines, speedily 60 t
$ piecesi if not kept in repair II was Will
| ! trying to comprehend Marsden's min
| that Masterson became interested i
, mental science and it was Marsden'
/ passion for the insane that decided hil
q | to become n physician, 30 that he Nigh
| come into actual contact with those VIII
. suffered the things of which he read.
= Each succeeded in reaching his goa
, MastersOn at the age Of thirty foun
himself an accepted authority ON psyche
a logical matters. Marsden at twenty-nin
was actively connected with the medici
{ staff Of an asylum for the insane in Ma
sachusetts, and then the end came Ma
terson's candle had been burned at bot
ends, and he was nigh unto death. wa
the first 10 hear Of it, because my dutit
s were such that had been able to Wis
IS Masterson at tBaltimore-whichM Marsdel
= owing to his more or less confined dutie
=, could not very well do, and so was know
to Masterson' s family, who immediatei
d wired me Of the precaIious condition
u my old friend. The telegram receive
81 at 9 o'clock in the morning Of a Septen
Der day, and / Immediately repeated
: to Marsden in Boston, adding that it WI
my intention TO leave New York for Ba
timore that night
e. Two hours later received a messag
10 from Marsden saying: Wait forme. 1
must not die"
This was more or less umsettling. ]
wait for Marsden was the very thing
IL would please me most 70 do, but to ha'
n. him bring his message TO q close vii
as those four words grated ON my nerve
te They did not sound exactly right,
10 An hour later a second telegram a
{ rived from Marsden which read: "a
"a Just leaving Boston. For Gods sake wa
~ for me"
ic Aud so it went all that afternoon. !
+ every stopping place along the line fro
i. Boston 10 New York Marsden forward,
g TO mo the most nerve disturbing me
a cages the mind could well conceive c
Sc beseeching me to await his coming q
g ways, and in four separate instances @
e, suming power on my part to avert Il
expected death Of Masterson that ma,
D., me suspect that Marsden himself was
u a precarious state mentally anyhow.
n dreaded meeting him, but was neyerth
less on hand at the station on the arriv
Of his train-and what a shock it was
pg me when I caught sight of Marsde
.er His face was white as a sheet: his shoJ
ed dcrs were bent as with some load by
es too great for them to bear, and his han
trembled ms though they were palsie
When he saw me he threw his arr
ars about my neck, and burying his pail
'oa1r face on my shoulder cried like a child.
Don't take on so, Tom, ! said, giyi
re him an atfectionate tap on the arm al
100 drawing away, 1T may not be so b
as we think"
Not he lives!' hereplied, shaking
es. head sadly and looking neryously abo
sse him. But fear Jack is ON the Yer
nd of dissolution. feel so faint now II
ite ! believe-I believe il is nearly all owe
He staggered slightly as he spoke a
would have fallen if / had not cauq
for him by the arm.
i9aia "Brace up, my dear boy!7 l cri,
" Don't make a scene here. Come. {
Ita into this cab and wen ride down to ]
rooms
He was so limp by this time tina
law bundled him almost head over heels il
ipe a convenient hackney, and giving {
ap- driver directions as 10 where 10 go I
ing lowed and sat down beside him. He
I've back against the cushions, his G,
lre closed, his lips quiyering like a chill
nnlar nnnisLmant 10 nm nrainar-,. 1