The St. Johns herald., 1896-12-12

His own trem6led violently. but that of
 the sick man was quiet.
 Poor boy" said Allan. as though
 not he but David were the one upon whom misfortune had fallen. He
 stroked his brothers arm gently for a
 moment, and then whispered: You
 need not tell me, David. I know all. I
 listened when you and the doctor talk 1 ed about me-"
 David spoke also in a whisper: Il could not bear to think of it-and so l
 could not speak to you
 Poor, dear brother" said Allan, but
 with perfect calmness. They sat in
 silence for a few moments, and then
 Allan said: 'Now, David, we have looked the worst of it ill the face; let
 us examine some of the smaller trou-
 bles. What about money matters?"
 'Oh. Allan," cried the other, ''don't ask about that yet
 Yes" said the elder brother firmly; ''yOu must tell me all Be frank and fair, as 1 would be with you"
 So David told. The money in the bank was all gone, of course, and there were debts-to the doctor, the chem ist, and the landlady. Having explained thus far, David hung back, and it took determined questioning on the part of Allan to bring out the rest of the story. Their friends at the club, Knowing the trouble of the brothers, had raised 6n1. for their benefit.
 Ut just paid the nurse," said David.
 The proud lines in the others face deepened to harshness. After a mo- mentary struggle he managed to say aloud: Tt was very kind of them"
 But to himself into his pillow he nut tered: My God! This is the beginning"
 'I am afraid" said David, ''that it will be some time before we can pay up these debts. Everyone seems to be good about it. The doctor says he will wait years If need be-"
 ''Yes," replied Allan absently.
 'Of course, you know what my pay is," continued the younger brother, "and you also know what our expenses are. Well, they don't fit. I've been thinking about It. We must move into one room and must economiZe in vari- Ous other ways"
 'Yes," said Allan.
 ''The worst of it is," David went on, without looking at his brother, "that we cannot get the things you ought to ie,c hon nd tn hn oil alone here"
 ''Never mind about that, Davy," said Allan quickly; what we must think about is how to clear up those debts and how to live on your pay"
 After this the old confidence seemed to be restored between the brothers. What small part of the day David was not at work he spent with Allan, and they talked of their affairs just as they had done before the misfortune came. Yet there was one thing David failed to understand. although he studied over 1t a great deal. Why was Allan so calm and undistressed? It was not like him.
 'Can it be that he does not really ap- preciate what it means to be blind and helpless?" thought the younger broth CT; ''he was always so proud, ambitious and full of hope. And he is sensitive thought he would suffer."
 The sick mans strength gradually re- turned. Presently he was able to move about the room, and then, accompanied by the landlady'S little daughter, he managed to make short excursions into the street. He wore dark shade over his eyes and walked on crutches.
 The various economies which the brothers had talked over were prac- ticed, and yet every day they ran more into debt. David's pay was very small it was not enough to keep two people in comfOrt-one of them an invalid needing medicines and physicians l care. Yet Allan remained apparently uncOncerned. At last David found 1 work to do in the evening" He now earned enough to cover their necessi- 1 ties, but Allan was left alone most of | the time.
 One evening David had an unexpect- | ed vacation. An accident caused the | establishment where he worked to close | early, and he hurried to the room, eager for the pleasure of few hours with | his brother When he came to the street | door he said to himself: ''I will go up | quietly and surprise him."
 He ascended the stairs with a quiet | tread. The door to the room was open, and he saw Allan seated at the table, | moving a pencil slowly over a large | sheet of paper. 'The poor fellow is trying to write," said David. Then he | noticed that the edges of the sheet | were notched at intervals, and that it | had not been folded jn creases. As the l blind man wrote, he felt for these notch es, and then ran his finger along the | crease in advance of the pencil.
 Full of tender sorrow and pity David | crept up behind. that he might put his hand on Allan's shoulder and thus make his presence known, but happen ing to glance down upon the paper he saw the words, My dear brother," and | he knew that the writing was for him to read. He did not give himself time to wonder that Allan should be writing to him, but began instantly to decipher the misshapen characters on the paper. In a few moments he had overtaken the pencil.
 This is what he read:
 ''My Dear Brother-Ycu will find this note fastened on the outside of the door. Please read it through to the end be- fore you enter. Perhaps you will then think it best not to enter alone.
 David, my brother, these words come to you from the dead. I have de- strOyed the pitiful fragment Of life