New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-12-01
A MAN OF GENIUS.
AND A PREFERENCE FOR THE COMMON
PLACE.


Cap,ain John Walker sat alone in his quarters
reading trembingy scrawled note that sent
old memories surgng thicl<ly through his brain
and dimmed for an instant the CLEAN OF MS rear
loss blue ewes. and caused his strong teeth to
close more fercely the stem Of his bfiar"ooo
pipe Seven long years had gone by since last
ne looked upon that writing-seven long years
wherein he had stubbornly fought down-alike IN
,he glare of tie barrack square, and in the nerce
din and strife Of Afghan skrmishes-the pnsht
memory Of a woman's face the Vanlsheu 'ouc"
OF woman's white hand Now the writing
was with him again. to take up the ola iost
thread and teach him how vain thing hao
bsen his dream that he could ever let 1t 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 must see YOU If you will come TO me-if
Won will look with those dear. honest eyes into
,n,neAif YOU will hold my hand and tell me
that YOU have learned to forget and forgive all
the muddle-all the dreams II you will whisper
that you have learned to pity the dreamer
think can be happy even now But you must
not think that love him the less; 1t is never
that want you botn TO be friends and
uant 70 talk 10 you for the last time. 1t cannot
matter now. dear Jack. l am dying. Will you
come?-Eva.'
CAPTAIN John Walker crushed the note In his
hand and sprang up with sob smotnerea IN
his throat
"pving.-Eva dying! my little Eva, And she
wants TO see me. / wonder where that mooney
,d,ot Of husband is; writing more of those
eternal lyrics. that will be published, save
nv the medium Of obscure subscription. It's a
lucky thing the fellow had money of his own,
or they would have starved long since. And she's
diving. It's too awful-it's- Here. Cniiders-
get my things together; I'm going to town Ana
look ont the next train-and ask Lieutenant
North to see me al once-and hurry up ...-.
The man of war had taken up the lost and
broken thread IL seven years back. merely TO ma
that II travelled out in his fingers after ALL ana
left his eager hands empty. For ne mad come 10
the woman as her tired eyes closing on the
great mystery men call Life-the mystery she
was but dimly and gropingly beginning to under
stand as something whose drift she had not seen
before He had stood. silent and baftied and
belnless beside the one woman who had ever
brought any softer rays Of beauty into his stern
life-had stood there. in awe and despair OF that
relentless unseen power which was slowly creep
ing in to snatch her from him. Ano' VINE" TIC
end had come, and he had loosened her myers
from his own. and had kissed the calm lps 'ha'
nevermore should breathe his name, ana hao
staggered from the room, Captain John Walker
treasured i'm his heart the remembrance OF a
pair of wistful. dying eyes-the touch of nut
tering. weak handsome half-dozen broken sen.
tences-and added them 10 the memories Oh
seven long years before. and was grateful.
But now he stood in another room. looking out
,noodily through the long French WINDOWS, az an
old-word garden-thinking. perchance. or now
often that dainty figure. now so still In the
darkened upper ROOM had fitted through II our
ing the seven yeara that were gone. Inc al'er
noon sunlight streamed In full upon him as he
stood there. while. on the further SIDE OF the
ROOM in the shadow. there paced restlessly TO
and fro, with hands clasped behind back; ana
head hent the figure of the Observation-Disclosures
Kearsley. tall. thin man. with stopping shoui-
ders and long hair falling untidily upon the col
lar Of his velvet coat: man who had doubtless
al one time been handsome Even now, his Feat
ures were fine and regular. but their expression
was marred by q look Of peeVish il-hunor that
had furrOwed the high forehead, ana left deep
lamentations about the rather large mouth. Nnen
he spoke-as he did now. without stopping in ms
restless movement 10 and fro-his voice was mig
and rasping, with peculiarly irritating ora"l III
its tones.
one can scarcely grasp the true and inner
meaning Of II ALL" he said. slowly, without look
ing al the upright figure oy the window. i
am not cruel only just, when | say that
there was little in--in common between us. She
was good-and-and gentle-as the trite saying
goes: II am sorry II had not known that
She was so ill., He stopped in his restless walk
and looked half .nqurinely at the other, whose
back was turned toward him "Perchance. the
world in It's blindness. might dub me selfish -
II fear So" muttered Walker.
But IT, one who works for posteriy, the ills
that flesh is heir to Of but little account;
am just nov engaged on my life-work-the finish
Of 1.-THE great epic poem-"The Seven Wonders
Of Earth.
,nuttered the Captain, in his teeth.
'An this went the other indefinitely. wav-
Eng his long hands, has come upon me like a
shock II liked to her about the place, even
though she did not understand me-. There Is "a
a gap in the picture, "a void which breaks up
Eor nf ny-QlxT
Death-death." he muttered. resumng his walk,
"a something black and dsagreeable, some
thing indeinable an oblivion, or silence or a
drifting away-which?'
The Captain made a half-impatient gesture.
hut kept his place at the window and said
rothing.
And she was young-young in all things. 1t
seems so short time since she came into my
life. ] can't remember time-time Is nothing 10
ne II is plebeian method of marking ones
life: one should rather determine the flight Of
ages by the cycle Of ones emotions and of ones
sensations
Blu, I thought you had no emotions broke
in the Captain. brusquely. without turning his
head.
Mundane emotions-none" replied the other
stopping again and looking a, the soldier such
things. that make UP the pathos and tragedy Of
other lives. touch me not; l live only in world
OF my own-lose myself in world Of fanciful
dreaming. peopied with my own creations, you
know. Genius is ever erratic, the sport Of the
errant Muses. II is seldom appreciated or under
stood by the ordinary man; 1t is scarcely de-
srable that II should belt would then cease
10 be attractive 10 the cultured mind - ..' -. 80
The Captain turned his head slowly, with
raised eyebrows. and looked the tall figure
pacing 10 and fro; not without contemptu-
Gus wondernent. He had turned his head again
end was looking modify out Of the window when
the door was suddenly thrust open and child
ISM voice broke the silence Of the room.
Il will know will know" cried the voice
passionately. NO one will tell me- they only
shake their heads and cry and turn away And
her door is locked and they will not let me in
and she does not hear when | call to her
Father. what have they done with her?'
The Captain turned and saw a sturdy. velvet
clad boy--a mere child OF some six years-stand-
ing !n the middle Of the room There was des-
perate earnestness about the little figure. and
yet withal a sense OF timd reluctance. as though
he stood IN some place to which he was denied.
that touched the stern OF There was
that tnllched him and start ed