The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-10-03

STlpped MN Dy the Two shoulders, loOk-
ing seriously down into Ms eyes, that
were indeed dilated and bright, but had
no wildneSs in them. only an extreme
mournfulness, and a sort OF shrinking
from me that was new, and seemed y
go through my heart as no words ever
could.
Where did you sleep. Toby?" cried
hastily.
Sleep said he. with that little ora
torfcal gesture and emphasis he was apt
10 affect. Who speaks Of sleep? Thou
hast murdered sleepl Nay" said he,
with a sudden change of aspect. give
me some breakfast, and I'll cen forgive
thee" And, with a perverse refusal 10
strip himself Of so mach as MS wet coat
he set himself down, but made a poor
figure at the meal. He was full Of talk.
and that all OF OUT school days and
boyish friendship. do you remember.
cried he, how you challenged all the
school on my behOOf, bUriy Hodge? Ay,
and the bannocks my good worthy aunt
used to send me from Edinburg? Little
Of them should l have tasted but for
your protection. Oh, there's a hundred
good Offices you did me that all rise up
before me today, and lis 10 my shame /
never gave them a thought before.
Friendship should not be all of one side;
but 1 viii try and repay II. You have
not forgot that solemn c0vCr2nt?' s3il
he. as it were suspiciOusly.
No said 1, in some wonder; and
hope you do not believe, Toby, that l
would belle it,
He caught my hand. Never cried
he. And here again l swear that your
interests shall be dearer TO me than my
own; and though TO stand aside should
cost me life itself. never viii 1 stretch
50 much as a finger to bar aught that
concerns your happinessr'
Toby" said l. thou art a good fell
low" and laid my arm about his Shout
Il a 81 ~. a
were boys together. And he, gazing a {
me for a moment in a sort Of bewildered
surprise, turned aside and fell into a
storm of weeping.
These things were the foTcruuners OF
serious illness for my dear little friend.
Twas curious and to me most moving,
that all through the rawlings Of his sick
ness he spoke continually of myself, and
his mind, running, l suppose, on our
childish pact, would have it that for my
sake he had made some great sacrifice.
but l was never to know of il. Poor
Toby 1 doubt not but he was capable
of it, had the occasion arisen. But.
since my presence seemed to diScOmpOse
him. l was not permitted TO be much
With him then, nor indeed until ne was
far on the road to health. That it was
soma great trouble Of mind that first dis
ordered him, some downfall OF nigh
hopes and bitter disappointment, and
upon That night almost OF madness and
/
could never doubt; nor yet that as in
most Of our troubles a woman was to
blame for some treachery or perhaps un-
conscious il-treatment of him. But fur
ther he has never confided in me, and
though | must own that this, coming
from him, has sometimes cut me a little
yet there is that in his condition, now
he Is recovered, that must needs redOu-
bic all our love and tenderest sOicitude.
A.as for the beautiful voice that had
tie aras .c ~ I Il,
ton to so many a heart! Toby indeed
recovered. and. though, after many
months, resumed much about his former
aspect, only oder; but our sweet singer
is become a dream Of the past, and that
voice was never heard again. or at least
as so faint a ghost Of its former self as
Is far more pathetic Ever as before ne
takes his pace in the choir. but there Is
no thrill now when Toby rises; no one
marks him. Even his past success is
forgotten, and this is as he would have
1T. He is one Of the meanest among the
chorus, turning his eyes to a new star,
sweet-tempered and whmsical-the same
Toby. He gains a sufficient livelihood
by the giving Of music lessons, for his
career Is over.
The same, said-ay, but to me there
was a difference. and a trouble between
us that time hath happily removed Who'll
~. l doubt not IL was some lingering
disorder from his late sickness made him
refuse all mention OF my marriage, and
even decline to see the lady that was to
be my wife; and this was the more
strange, since she had long known him.
and was a great admirer of his talent.
But all such pettish freaks are long since
passed away and we have now no friend
in the world more constant nor more be
loved than Toby.
Postscriptum.
Tynasa ssty>axr re.oII as-+5o,,s had 1,aap writ
ten, laid aside, and forgotten years back.
but coming upon them lately, when Gil
have faded to a dim perspective, I am
moved to add one more to their number
I remember some years after these
events a winters evening that the little
chorister was at our house. He sat at
the piano. and strains Of music oil and
new seemed to flow from his hands, now
mou1lful, then again gay and furious.
as it were at haphazard. My little girl
stood beside him with a face OF delight.
Come, dancer cried my wife as the
music waxed merrier and the child
sprang up and began a wild gipsy-step
among the CLEANS and shadows Of the
room. It was one Of those moments that,
from no actual Importance in the action,
become fixed and remain engraven as an
ineffaCeable picture on the memory The
fairy music Of the old Snuff-box Waltz
chat changed after, but scarce know
how to the stately Wedding March Of
Mendelssohn), the warm air laden with
the scent Of narcissus, the shaded yellow
light, the faint odor OF tea-any of these
things would in after years bring back
the whole scene 10 my mind, and / saw
the bright-eyed child in her white pima
fore caperIng with impish smiles Of Gee.
while the terrier pup yapped and rushed
lady laughed over her knitting at the
couple. The child ended in a Shrek Of
exhausted mirth and flung herself upon
the couch, and the music grew softer
and died away, and presently changed
into Chopin's Funeral March. Some
have no wedding march in their lives"
said he with a queer look. as he got up
from the piano, and nay little daughter
laughed gayly at his odd grimace.
1 think my children loved him, but al
ways met his sallies with laughter. as in
deed all the world did that knew nothing
Of the history Of the little -ound-faced
music master. But I ever felt that in
some unexplained way his life was
wrecked. In my house he was always
welcome and i'm playing with my inno-
cent young ones l think he found some
OF that happy home life he had 50 sadly
missed. All that winter he had been
somewhat allng. but, as 50 often happens.
II was not till spring came that he began
to look very thin and worn. Ny wife
persuaded him on a Sunday In May, for
the first time since that illness of his.