The Van Buren press., 1894-11-17
THROUGH THE WINDOW.
NJ n. Q. WELLS.

lanUUUA xAU V1NUOV'
lss NJ n. O. WELLS.
After HIS legs were set, they carried
Bailey into the study and put him on
Z couch before the open window.
There he lay, . live-even feverish
man down to the loins, and below
that : double-hsrrelledS mummy
swathed In white wrappinRk He
tried to read, even tried TO write q
little, but most Of the time he looked
ont Of the window.
He had thought the window cheer.
full to begin with, but now he thanked
God for Il many times day. Within.
the room was dim and gray. and in the
reflected light the wear Of tho furni-
ture showed plainly. His medicine
and drink stood on the little table.
with such litter - the bare branches
Of . bunch Of grapes or the ashes
Of cigar upon grecn plate, or day
old evening paper. Tho view outside
was flooded with light, and across the
corner Of II came the head Of tho
acacia, and at the foot the top Of
the balcony railing Of hammered iron.
In the foreground was the weltering
silver Of the river, never quiet and yet
never tircsome. Beyond was the
reedy bank. . broad stretch Of meadow
land, and then . dark line Of trees
ending in . group Of poplars at the
bend Of the river. and, outstanding be-
hind them, = square church tower.
Up and down the river all day long,
things were passing. Now . string
of barges drifted down to London,
piled with lime or barrels Of beer; then
. steam-launch, disengaging heavy
masses Of black smoke, and disturbing
the whole width Of the river with long
rolling waves; then IN impetuous
electric launch, and then boatload
Of pleasure seekers, solitary sculler,
or four from some rowing club. Per-
haps the river was quietest of : morn
ing or late at night. One moonlight
night some people drifted down, sing
ing very pleasantly across tho water.
and with zither playing.
In few days Bailey began TO
recognize some Of the craft; In week
he knew the intimate history Of half .
dozen. The launch Luson, from Fitx-
gibbons. two miles up, would 60
fretting by. sometimes three OF four
times . day, conspicuous with it,
coloring of Indian red and yellow,
and its two oriental attendants; and
one day, to Bailey's vast amusement,
the house bost Purple Emperor came
to stop outside, and breakfasted In
the most shameless domesticity. Then,
one afternoon, the captain of slow
moving barge began quarrel with
his wife ~ they came into sight from
the left, and had carried 1t to personal
violence before he vanished behind
the window-fr to the right Bailey
regarded al this % an entertainment
got up to while away his illness, snd
applaudcd all The more moving incl
dents. Mrs Green, coming in at In
tcrvAls with his meals, would catch
him clapping his hands or softly cry.
ing ''encorev But the river players
had other engsvements, end his encore
went unheeded.
II should never have thought could
take such an interest In things that
did not concern me-" said Bailey to
Wilderspin, who used TO come in in his
nervous friendly way and try to COM
fort the sufferer by being talked TO. II
thought this idle capacity WAS die
tinctive of little children and old
maids. But It's just circumstances. I
simply can't work, and things have
to drift; it's no good to fret and
struggle. And SO lie here and am rs
amused as baby with arattle, At this
river and it, Affairs. =
Sometimes. Of course, II Rets bit
dull, but not Often"
II would give anything, Wilderspin,
for . swamp just one swamp -once.
Heads SWIMMING and steam launch
TO the rescue, and chap or SO hauled
out with : boat hook. a. There goes
Fitxgibbon's launch! They have new
boat-hook, 1 see, and the little blackie
10 still In the dumps. don't think he's
very we'll, Wilderspin. He's been like
that for two or three days, squatting
sulky-fashion and medits tina over the
churning of the water. Unwholesome
for him to be always staring st the
frothy waters running away from the
stern"
They watched the little steamer fuss
across the parallelogram Of sunlit
river, suffer momentsry occultation
from the acacia, and glide out Of sight
behind the dark window-frsme.
''I'm getting . wonderful eye for
Details" said Bailey. n spotted that
new boAt-hook at once. The other
nigger il funny little chap. He never
used to swagger with the old boat
hook like that" ~ M
"Malays, aren't theya" said Wilder
spin.
Don't know" said Bailey. II
thought one called all that sort Of
mariner Lascar."
Then he began to tell Wilderspin
what he knew of the private affairs of
the houseboat Purple Emperor. Fun
n.y." he said, ''how these people come
from all points Of the compass-fronn
Oxford and Windsor. from Asia and
gather and pass opposite
the window just to entertain me. One
man floated out of the infinite the day
before yesterday, caught one perfect
crAb opposite. lost and recovered .