Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1894-11-23
THROUGH THE WINDOW
by II. G. WELLS.


After his legs were set, they carried
Bailey into the study and put him on
a couch before the open window.
There he lay, live-even feverish
man down to the loins, and below
that a double barrelled mummy
swathed in white wrappings He
tried to read, even tried to write a
little, but most of the time he looked
out of the window.
He had thought the window cheer
full to begin with, but now he thanked
God for it many times day. Within,
the room was dim and gray, and in the
reflected light the wear of the furni-
ture showed plainly. His medicine
and drink stood on the little table,
with such litter as the bare branches
of bunch of grapes or the ashes
OF cigar upon green plate, or day
old evening paper. The view outside
was flooded with light, and across the
corner of it came the head of the
acacia, ard 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 tiresome Beyond was the
reedy bank, a 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, a 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
a steam-launch, disengaging heavy
masses of black smoke, and disturbing
the whole width of the river with long
rolling waves; then an impetuous
electric launch, and then boatload
of pleasure seekers, solitary sculler,
or four from some rowing club. Per-
haps the river was quietest of naern-
ing or late at night. One moonlight
night some people drifted down, sing
ing very pleasantly across the water,
and with either playing.
In few days Bailey began to
recognize some of the craft; in week
he knew the intimate history of half a
dozen. The launch Luzon, from Fitz-
gibbons, two miles up, would go
fretting by, sometimes three or four
times a day, conspicuous with it's
coloring of Indian red and yellow,
and its two oriental attendants; and
one day, to Bailey's vast amusement,
the house boat 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 as they came into sight from
the left, and had carried it to personal
violence before he vanished behind
the window-frame to the right. Bailey
regarded all this as an entertainment
got up to while away his illness, and
applauded all the more moving incl
dents. Mrs. Green, coming in at In
tervals with his meals, would catch
him clapping his hands or softly cry
ing "encorep But the river players
had other engagements, and his encore
went UNDECIDED.
81 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. 81
thought this idle capacity was dis
tinctive of little children and old
maids. BUTT just circumstances. l
simply can't work, and things have
to drift; it's no good to fret and
struggle. And so lie here and am as
amused MS a baby with arattle, at this
river and its affairs"
Sometimes, of course, it gets bit
dull, but not often"
81 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. =. . There goes
Fitzgibbon's launchl They have a new
boat-hook, l see, and the little blackie
is still in the dumps. don't think he's
very well, Wilderspin. He's been like
that for two or three days, squatting
sulky-fashion and meditating over the
churning of the water. Unwholesome
for him to be always staring at the
frothy waters running away from the
stern"
They watched the little steamer fuss
across the parallelogram of suulit
river, suffer momentary occultation
from the acacia, and glide ont of sight
behind the dark windowframe.
"rm getting a wonderful eye for
Details" said Bailey. II spotted that
new boat-hook at once. The other
niger is funny little chap, He never
used to swagger with the old boat.
hook like that.
"Malays, aren't they?" said Wilder,
spin.
Don't know said Bailey. 81
thought one called all that sort OF
mariner Lascar."
Then he began to tell Wilderspir
what he knew of the private affairs OF
the houseboat Purple Emperor. Fun
n.y." he said, chow these people come
from all points of the compass-fron
Oxford and Windsor, from Asia and
Africa--and gather and pass opposite
the window just TO entertain me. One
man fioated out of the ipfirite the day
befors yesterday, caught une perfect
crab opposite, lost and recovered =