Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1896-02-14

|
Paradise. Deep in his dream he
heard the music OF woman's voice,
and he saw the radiant beauty Of n
woman's face; and then--and then
still in his dream-some envious fiend
seized his wrist in the grasp of red
hot hand, and he awoke in agony.
A roar OF anguish burst from Dumb
Dick as he leaped to his feet, holding
his wrist, and stamping madly about
in the bracken.
Frank pulled in his bay.
| "Hallo. Dick !" he cried. '1'm
afraid you are hurt. Did the wheel
go over your wrist? How could you
be such on ass as to stick your hand
out?"
In his momentary excitement Frank
poured out questions upon one who
had no power to answer them. AS
for Dumb Dick, he turned upon his
questioner with eyes which blazed
with fury, and for moment he
looked ready to drag him from the
cart and tear him to pieces. But he
caught sight of Daisy's pitying glance,
and instantly the fire died out of his
eyes.
Daisy sprang to the ground, and,
timidly approaching the spot where
Dumb Dick stood. she laid her hand
upon his wounded wrist. 1t was as
cool and white as snowflake upon
the hot, hairy hand and he at once
surrendered to her will. Showing no
sign of fear or disgust, but with only
tender pity in her glance, Daisy exam
ined the great hand, knotted and
clawed like the paw of wild beast.
She saw that, light though the wheel
of the dogcart was, its iron tire had
cut the flesh nearly to the bone, and,
taking the white silk scarf from her
neck, she deftly bound it round the
wounded wrist and stopped the bleed
ing.
By this time Frank was standing by
her side.
'TThis isn't work for you, my dar-
ling" he said; 'let him go to the
nearest doctor. Here, Dick, he added,
'.see how soon this will heal your cut. +"
As he spoke he tossed half a sovereign
on the ground at Dumb Dicks feet,
slipped his hand through Daisy's arm
and dexterously lifted her back into
her seat. In another moment the cart
had been driven away.
Dumb Dick watched it until it was
hidden from view, and then he stopped
and picked up Franks half sovereign.
There was sudden fash of light
and tiny disc of gold went singing
through the air in the direction of the
wood.
| Dumb Dicks next act was to tear
Daisy's white scarf from his wrist, and
then he walked away, along the road,
marking his track with blood.
The fiery finger marks of autumn
no longer lit up the faded foliage of
the little wood; only few brown
leaves clung to the skeleton branches
of the tree, the rest lay in rotting
heaps around the roots, fitting grave
clothes for the dying ferns, till the
chills blasts should arise again and
scatter them abroad.
Approaching the same spot along
| widely diverging paths came two
figures. the one tripping lightly and
the other sloughing along with slow,
limping strides. Though the method
| Of their advance was SO different, the
rate of their progress was about equal,
and they met just at the point where
the two paths formed junction with
the main road.
Daisy, who had all along had her
eyes fixed upon the last visible point
of the steeply sloping main road,
looked up when she heard the ,shuffling
footsteps, and, with start, recognized
Dumb Dick.
Dumb Dick, who had seen and
known the first futter of Daisy's dress
in the distance, now halted; and his
red eyes peered out strangely from
the tangled masses of hair which hung
over his face.
Daisy knew that Dumb Dick was
feared and stunned by everybody,
and she was not little startled at
finding herself alone with him. She
wished he would pass her; but ne
stood quite still, and seemed waiting
for her to speak.
"Is your hand better, Dick?" she
asked, touching her own wrist"
He seemed to understand, for he
thrust his hand clumsily forward. An
ugly, deformed and much knotted
hand it was, but, to her surprise,
Daisy noticed that it was now quite
clean, and its great clawlike nails had
been closely cut. Dumb Dick pointed
to purple scar on his wrist with the
finger OF his other hand, and Daisy
saw that this other finger was both
dirty and clawed.
She looked back at Dumb Dicks
blinking red eyes and smiled. Asingle
glance at that one clean hand, mis-
shapen and ugly though it was, had
driven all fear from her heart. It was
as if the wing OF Ariel had suddenly
sprouted from the shoulder of Caliban,
and Miranda felt strange throb of
Joy, for her woman's instinct told her
that she had some mysterious part in
bringing the first sign OF order into
this human chaos.
But bark the sound of wildly gal
Looping horse and the swift roll of
wheels
Daisy looked up the steep incline of
the road, aud saw that Frank and his
dogcart were in sight. But no smile
of joyful welcome appeared on her
face; she turned as pale as death,
clasped her hands in an involuntary
attitude OF prayer, and cried ont
al, + IL.