Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-12-17
A MAN OF GENIUS.
And a Preference for the Common
place.

ed note that sent old memories surging
thickly through his brain and dimmed
for an instant the CLEAN of his fearless
blue eyes, and caused his strong teeth
10 close more fiercely on the stem of
his briarwOOd pipe. Seven long years
had gone by since last he looked upon
the writing seven long years wherein
he had stubbornly fought down-alike
in the glare OF the barrack square, and
in the fierce din and strife of Afghan
skirmishes-the bright memory of a
wOman's face, the vanished touch of a
wOman's white hand. Now the writ
ing was with him again, to take up the
old lost thread, and teach him how
vain a thing had been his dream that
he could ever let it drop from out the
tangle of his life. He read the letter
softly TO himself as he sat there:
My Dear Old Jack:-The thought
has come upon me-nOw, as | lie here,
with the night swiftly coming on-that
l must write to you-that l must see
you. If you will come to me-if you
will look with those dear, honest eyes
into mine-if you will hold my hand
and tell me that you have learned 10
forget and forgive all the muddle-all
the dreams; if you will whisper that
you have learned 10 pity the dreamer,
l think l can be happy even now. But
you must not think that l love him
the less; it is never that. l want you
both TO be friends; and / want TO talk
to YOU, for the last time. 1t cannot
matter now, dear Jack, am dying,
Will you come?-Eva."
Capt John Walker crushed the note
in his hand and sprang up with a sob
smOthered in his throat.
"Dying-Eya DYING my little Eva!
And she wants TO see me. ! wonder
where that mooney idiot Of husband
is: writing more of those eternal lyrics
that will never be published, save by
the medium of obscure subscription. It's
q lucky thing the fellow had money Of
his own, or they would have starved
long since. And she's dying! It's too
awful-it's- Here, Childers, get my
things together; I'm going TO town.
And look out the next train-and ask
Lieut. North to see to me at once-and
hurry up
The man of war had taken up the
lost and broken thread of seven years
back. merely TO find that it rayeled cut
of his fingers after all, and left his
eager hands empty For he had come
TO the woman as her tired eyes were
closing on the great mystery men cab
life-the mystery that she was but dim
~ and grOpingly beginning TO under
stand. as something whose drift she
had not seen before. He had stood,
silent. and baffied, and helpless, beside
the one woman who had ever brought
any softer rays Of beauty into his stern
life-had stood there, in awe and de-
spair Of that relentless, unseen power
which was slowly creeping in to snatch
her from him. And, when the end h2G
came. and he had lOosened her fingers
from his own. and had kissed the calm
, Inns that never more should breathe
his name. and had staggard from the
room. Capt. John Walker treasured in
his heart the remembrance OF a pair OF
/ wistful dying eyes-the touch OF nut
tering. weak handsome half dozen
broken sentences and added them TO
the memories Of seven long years be-
fore. and was grateful.
But now he stood in another room,
looking out mOOdily through the long
French windows. at an old world again
thinking. perchance. of how often
that dainty figure, now still in the
darkened upper room, had fitted
through it during the seven years that
were gone. The afternoon sunlight
streamed in full upon him as he stood
there. while on the further side of the
room. in the shadow, there paced rest
lessly to and fro, with hands clasped
behind back, and head bent, the figure
of the Observation-Disclosures Kearsley A
tall. thin man, with STOPPING shOul-
ders, and long hair falling untidily upon
the collar Of his velvet coat; man
who had doubtless at one time been
handsome. Even now, his features
were fine and regular; but their ex-
preston was married by look of peev-
ish in humor that had furrOwed the
high forehead and left deep indenta-
tons about the rather large mouth
When he spoke-as he did now. without
stopping in mis- restless movement to
and frO-his voice was high and rasp-
ing. with a peculiarly irritating drawl
in its tones.
cone can scarcely grasp the true and
inner meaning of it all he said slow
". without looking at the upright fig
ure by the window. II am not cruel; 7
am only just. when I say that there was
little in-in common between us. She
was gOOd-and-and gentle-as the trite
saving goes; II am sorry; II had not
known that she was i'll. He stopped
in his restless walk, and looking half
induiriugly at the other, whose back
was turned toward him. "Perchance.
the world. in its blindness, might dub
me selfish"
And she was young-young in all
things. It seemed 50 short a time since
she came into my life. l can't remem-
Der time-time is nothing to me. 1t is
a plebeian method # marking ones life;
one should rather determine the flight
Of ages by the cycles of ones emotions
and ones sensations.
But / thought YOU had no emo
tons. broke in the captain. brusque,y,
without turning his head.
Mundane emOtions-none, replied
the other. stopping again and looking at
the soldier. such things. that make
M the pathos and tragedy of other
lives. touch me not: I live only in a
world Of my own-lose myself in
world of fanciful dreaming, peopled
with my own creations, you know; Gen
ius is ever erratic. the sport Of the er-
rant Muses.: it is seldom appreciated or
understood by the ordinary man; II Is
scarcely desirable that 1t should De-iV
would then cease to be attractive TO the
cultured mind
The captain turned his head slowly,
With raised eyebrows. and looked at the
W. 80 -, o,d fro. NOT with