The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-07-17
His other half looked up, surprised.

lone moment>" said Will, before
we go In. You're q serious sort, you
know. and I'm one of the--the lighter
ornaments Of the college, and sit
among them. It would be awkward
breaking OF all at once. Besides"--
''I understand Continue to sit with
them for awhile and talk as much idiot
10 stuff as you please. Presently yor
will find that change of companions
and of conversation has become neces-
sary."
Nobody noticed any change The two
In one sat ut table and ate like one.
They talked like one They talked friv-
blously. telling stories like one. After
hall they went back to their chambers.
"You can leave me-, said the stu
dent II shall rest for an hour or so;
then shall 90 ON again"
This very remarkable arrangement
went ON undisturbed for some time. No
one suspected it. No one discovered it.
II became quite natural for Challice TO
70 out Of his room In the morning and
10 leave himself at work. 1t became nat
hral to go to hall at with a mingled
recollection Of work and amusements.
The approaching voice was silent, the
Animal Part was left at peace, and the
Intellectual Part went ON reading at
peace.
One evening, however, going across
Me court at midnight, Will met the tu-
tor.
"Challice," he said, 'is il wise to
burn the candle at both ends? Come,
you told me this morning that you were
working hard What do you call this?
You cannot serve two masters.
1T is quite true" said the reading
half on being questioned 81 have fore
been this difficulty for some time. /
called on the tutor this morning, and /
told him Of my intention to work He
laughed aloud insisted. Then he
pointed out the absurdity Of pretending
to work while one was idling about all
lay. This is awkward.
What do you propose then?"
II propose that you stay indoors all
he morning until o'clock, locked in. +"
"whatG And you look on while you
are mugging?"
Exactly. You may read French nov
els. You may go to sleep. You must be
quiet Only you be here all the morn
Ing. In the afternoon you may do what
you please. l may quite trust you to
avoid any effort of the brain. Ohl And
you will avoid anything stronger than
tea before hall. No more beer for lunch
It makes me heavy"
| ''No more beer? This is tyranny"
"No. 1t Is ambition. In the evening
tou may go out and play cards / shall
stay here"
They went to bed. II seemed to Will
hs If the other part of him-the Intel
bctual Part-ordered him to 60 to sleep
Without further thought.
This curious life of separation and OF
partial union continued, in frct for the
whole Of the undergraduate time. Grad
ually, however, great change came
over tho lazy half-the Animal Half.
It-he--perceived that the whole of his
reasoning powers had become absorbed
by the Intellectual Half. He became
really incapable of reasoning. he could
not follow ont q thought He had no
thoughts. This made him seem dull, be-
cause even the most indolent person
likes to think that he has some powers
| of argument This moiety Of Challice
had none. He became quiet, dull. His
old wit deserted him. He was heavy.
He drifted gradually out of the society
which he had formerly frequented He
perceived that his old friends not only
found him dull, but regarded him as a
traitor. He had become, they believed,
that contemplate person, the man who
reads. He was no longer dwellcr in
the Castle Of Incidence He had gone
! over to the other side.
Life'became very dull indeed to this
half. He got In the habit Of lying ON a
sofa, Watching the other half, who sat
at the table tearing the heart out of the
books. He admired the energy of that
half; for himself he could do nothing.
If he read at all, 1t was a novel of the
lowest kind He even bought tho penny
novelette, and read that with interest. II
he came to passage which contained a
thought or a reflection, he passed it
over. He had ceased to think. He no
longer even troubled himself about los
ing the power of thought.
Another thing came upon him-not
suddenly, but gradually, so that he was
not alarmed at IL. He began to care no
longer about the games of which he had
formerly been so fond. Billiards, rack
cts, cards, all require, you see. GER
tain amount Of reasoning, of quick in
telligence and rapid action. This unfor-
tunate yosng man bad no rapidity Of
intelligence left He was too stupid to
play games. He became too stupid even
to row.
He ceased to be o dreamer. All his
dreams were gone. He ceased TO make
music at the piano He ceased TO sing.
He could neither play nor sing--those
things gave him no pleasure. He ceased,
In short, to take interest In anything,
cared for nothing and hoped for nothing.
In hall the two In one sat now with the
reading set Their talk was all of books
and "subiecta'' and so forth The Intel