Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1896-03-27

! dcfinable, an oblivion, or a silence, or Il
drifting away--which?
The captain made half-impatlent
gesture, but kept his place at the Win
dow, and said nothing.
| ''And she was young-young III all
things. 1t seems so short a time since
she came into my life. can't remem-
Der timc--time is nothing to me. 1t is
a plebcian method of marking ones
| life; one should rather determine the
flight Of the ages by the cycle Of ones
emotions, and of ones sensations.'
'But thought you had no emotions,'
broke in the captain, brusquely. with
out turning his head.
Mundane emotions-none," replied
the other, stopping again and looking
at the soldier. ''Such things shat make
up the pathos and tragedy Of other lives
touch me not; 1 live only in Il world OF
my own--lose myself IN a world ftanci-
full dreaming, pecpled with my own
creations, you know. Genius is ever
cratic, the sport of the Grant MUSES.;
it is seldom appreciated or understood
by the ordinary man: it is scarcely de-
sirable that il should bet would then
cease to attractive to the cultured
mind"
The captain turned his head slowly,
with raised eyebrows, and looked at
the tall figure pacing to ami fro: not
without some contemptuous WONDER
ment. He had turned his head again,
and was looking mood,ly out Of the win
dow when the door was suddcnly thrust
open and childish 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; ard she does
not hear me when call to h@r. Father
what have they done with her?:'
The captain turned and saw sturdy,
velvet-clad boy-a mere child of some
six years--standing in the middle of the
room. There was Il desperate earnest
ness about the little figure, and yet,
withal, a sense of timid reluctance, as
though he stood in some place to which
he was denied, that touched the stern
man of war. There was something else,
even more than that; it was in the child
ism face-hushed and tear-stained and
eager; it was SO like The other
face that the unseen power had
touched, and Gained, and >tilled for
ever-so like, and yet so unlike. The
fair hair was massed about The face in
the same picturesque confusion; the
same dark eyes were here. Only this
face was young, and fresh ana hopeful:
the other as the captain had seen it last
might have been all these in some far
Off time, but had been then but a
slladowy picture, fast dimning. Prob
ably the captain remcmbere:! only the
far-o1f time. Maitland Kearsley stopped
in his walk and faced the boy petu!ant-
ly. stamping his foot like al irritated
child.
"You little barbarian" he burst out
chow dare you come in here! Go away
at once, sir. I'll have you sent away
to school. Where all should be quiet
graceful and palpitating with restfu1
thought, this boy blunders in, and
brings one back to the harsh and sordid
realities of everyday, hideous, common
place life. Go away at once. There is
nothing reposeful about you
II won't go away" said the child
"In stop here until you tell me where
= l ~, Il
when was away from her. They sent
me away this morning; it was trick
[ know it was. I won't go until you tel
me-"
The captain was about to speak
when kearsley, with harsh cry, caught
: up stick that stood in corner, an6
rushed at the child The little fellow
id not move, but the captain sprang
forward and caught the fathers up
raised arm and twisted the stick from
his grasp, and sent the poet rceline
backward some PAGES.
. what are you doing, nlan?'' he CRIED
hotly, f1inging the stick from him
Would you beat child like that?"
'Yes-I would almost snarled the
other. II have told him, thousand
times over, not to enter this room.
will not be disturbed, at any time. My
Work-my arts my life; all else is
insignificant and sinks into nothing
less beside it. I discarded and disre
garded all else" Which he thereupo1
did, by flinging out his hands suddenly
and turning his back upon the boy, ant
walking to the other end of the room
"You discard all cise-even you1
dead wife's boy? said the captain slow
ly. "And behave like a wild beast te
him when he comes to you in his lone
illness and misery
''What of that?" exclaimed the other
pacing the room. ~ tell you, sir thai
[ owe duty to posterity-my art, my
poetry"
'You owe q duty to her child, man.
cried the captain, angrily. "Youl
poetry! Good God man-have YOU
lived with the Muses. SO long, and never
learnt the sanctity, the beauty, the
poesy of the soul Of a little child? In
no poet~-the powers forbid; scarcely
read a line of it in my lifc-but to me
| Won are like a man patc,iDtr nj .>-;41,