The Opelousas courier., 1894-12-15
THROUGH THE WINDOW.
BY H. G. WELLS.

BY H.. G. WELLS.
After his legs were set, they carried
Bailey into the study and put him or
a couch before the open window
There he lay, a live-even q feverisf
man down to the loins, and below
that a double-barrelled mummy
swathed in white wrappings. lie
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 a day. Within,
the was dim and gray, aud 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 a bunch of grapes or the ashes
of a cigar upon a green plate, or a 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 a dark line of trees
ending in a 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 a 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 a boatfoad
Of pleasure seekers, a solitary s~culler,
or a four from some rowing club. Per-
haps the river was quietest of a morn-
ing or late at night. One moonlight
night some people drifted down, sing
ing very pleasantly across the water,
and with a either playing.
In a few days Bailey began to
recognize some of the craft; in a week
he knew the intimate history Of halt d
dozen. The launch Luzon, from Fitz-
gibbons, two miles up. would go
fretting by, sometimes three or four
times a day, conspicuous with its
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
- = %o- 1-slo .-l -
the most shameless domesticity. Then,
one afternoon, the captain of a slow
moving barge began a 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 mp to while away his illness, and
all the more moving Incl
dents. Mrs. Green, coming in at in
with his meals, would catch
clapping his hands or softly cry
ing .~'encore!" But the river players
had other engagements, and his encore
went ~unheeded.
II should never have thought / could
SuSH 0A AVCICo th GuiuSc b1ldGI
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
this idle capacity was dis
of little children and old
maids. BUTT just circumstances. /
can't work, and things have
~ drsff. rAtc " ~ pnr1 ~ f.af nrI |
struggle. And so ! lie here and am as
amused as a baby with arattle, at this
liver and It's affairs"
Sometimes, of course, it gets a bit
iull, but not Often"
Il would give anything, Wilderspin,
a swamp-just swamp-once.
Heads swimming and a steam launch
% the rescue, and a chap OF so hauled
Tut with a boat hook. There goes
launch! They have a new
! see, and the little blackie
S still in the dumps. / don't think he's
,ery well, Wilderspin. He's been like
hat for two Or three days. squatting
ulky-fashion and meditating over the
burning of the water. Unwholesome
or him to be always staring at the
rothy waters running away from the
They watched the little steamer fuss
cross the parallelogram OF sunlit
liver, suffer momentary occultation.
rom the acacia, and glide out of sight
the dark window-frame.
I'm getting . wonderful v for
said Bailey. II spotted that !.
lew boat-hook at once. The other /
bigger Is Il funny little chap. He never
lsed to swagger with the old boat !
look like that
..Malays, aren't they?" said Wilder
pin.
Don't know. said Bailey. II
hought one called all that sort of 1
mariner Lascar. i
Then he began to tell Widerspin ]
he knew Of the private affairs of /
he houscboat Purple Emperor. Fun
" he said, "how these people come
all points of the compass-from
and Windsor, from Asia and !,
Ifrica-and gather and pass opposite !,
he window inst to entertain me. One /
aan foated ont of the infinite the day i
'efore yesterday. caught one perfect
rab opposite, lost and recovered q