Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-08-31


was often the case-consumptive people,
he had heard, often feel very strong on the
very morning OF their death. 1t would be
80 with him
He dressed with beating heart and
shaky fingers He looked in the glass.
Heavensl Was that the face of a dying
New Zealand rose upon it, with eyes clear
and bright with cheek fulli That But
It. wust ha There wns NO bono
He sat down to breakfast. Nature,
though moribund felt supported. not OPP
pressed, with plate of ham and eggs. He
took pipe Nature, though moribund,
made no objection And walk. Again,
nature, though moribund, refused him
not. And so on through the day. Every
hour he expected the summons. Every
hour found him as strong and well to ap.
penrance as ever. Finally he went to bed
fully persuaded If words said over and
over again can persuade one. that he must
die In the night.
He lay awake, light burning, and ex.
peoted the end. do not know how long
he expected It, In the morning 1t was
past when he awoke feeling not bit
nearer to the promised dissolution.
After breakfast he held colloquy with
himself
II was assured" he said, that had
an incurahle disease, of which I must die
in three weeks at latest understood that
] should get weaker and worse every day.
l am not dead ] am not weaker / am
not worse. And feel perfectly we'll.
He went to consult q practitioner of the
town, selecting him by chance He lighted
on q young man of his own age, highly
scientific and in his own opinion quite
thrown away and wasted In u little place
like this.
The young medical man listened pa
tiently. Then he tapped, listened, ham,
mered, squeezed, felt the pulse, looked at
the tongue, handled the temples, looked In
the eyes, asked a Thousand questions.
Finally he said: Sir Christopher Fairlight
told you SO and SOP Said you were going
to be dead man in three weeksi oh, he
did, did her"
"Well2"
well, sir, all I can say is, we all make
mistakes-to err is human. Sir Chris
topher, who has n fine practice still, must
he getting on for SO-and you are at this
minute as sound as bell, without, so far
az / Gun see, the least symptom of any
kind or sort of disease upon you, and that
you nre us likely as not to reach green
old"-
Age" he would have said, but when
the doctor arrived ut these words his pa
TENTS check became suddenly white, and
he fell headlong fainting ut his feet
"Humphl" said the medical man.
"Now expect he didn't faint when he
was told that he must die. know this
Sort
With the artful aid of science the man
was presently persuaded to come out of
his swoon, and after decent interval for
the exhibition of more science he was al
lowed to walk away. Walk! He danced
away. He ran away. He would have
waltzed away but for the look Of the
thing, And those soft eyes, aglow with
love and tenderness and constancy, which
he had tried to forget, came back to his
mind. He saw them heavy and red with
weeping. He longed to dry those tears,
to sec those eyes once moro clear and lin
pid. With all the speed he could he bun
died his MSS. into his portmanteau and
hurried back to London, there to replace
hopeless grief and hopeless loss by tender
love.
Violet was alone She was - maiden of
poetic nature, which explains the rapture
with which she regarded the pile of new
things with which she was surrounded.
No mourningl 1t was noble of Gilbert to
give her all his money, and so nicely and
quietly, but to insist upon no mourning
to think quite kindly of him-and rs the
SEASON of May and June was approaching
Violet was carrying out her dead, or dy-
Ing, lovers wishes to the letter She
looked at the delightful pile before her,
and she felt benevolcntly disposed toward
him.
Now, while she stood bathed in the aft
ernOOn sunshine, lovely to look upon,
sweet in her youth and her happiness, sho
heard knock at her dUor-an impatient,
loud knocking which somehow reminded
her-Of what? Then there was step in
the hall, and voice-a voice at tho
sound Of which she turned palo and sick
and faint. And then the door flew open,
and there rushed in eager, cxpectant, his
face glowing, his eyes aname, his lips
parted
"GilbertW she cried, putting up her
hands before her. Gilbert, you are
dead"
NO. no, no, Violet, am not deadl
Oh, my poor dear-my poor love- you have
suffered so much! 1 have thought of you
oil the time" But she kept her arms out
before her and backed as he approached,
so that he should not touch her. ''Violet,
am l a ghostY"
You are dead, Gilbert-you are deadP'
she replied, with white lips.
mo, no. l tell you. 1t was q mistake.
/ am alive and well. Violet, my dear
my dear child. have taken you too sud-
denly"
"Gilbert'-she spoke with hard voice
and hard eyes, but she was girl of great
resource-''you are dead"
He recoilcd. ''Violet!n he cried again.
He could say nothing more. He knew tho
truth. you are dead. You sent me word
you were dead. You said I was to forget
you and be happy. You transferred all
that money to me. You can't take it back
again. You are dead. Go, dead man."
"Violetr'
81 say"-she cleared her throat and
spoke more plainly-''you are dead.
have your money, and mean to keep 1t.
Go away, dead man"
"Violetp' 1t was all he could say.
you think loved you. Dead man, you
were a fool. hated you. / was made to