The Winslow mail., 1897-01-09
THE MORTAL COIL.

piothCio uo, lHey lONcu OHe dAOlhCl'
While they were mere boys they had
been left orphans, friendless, alone
with the world and with necessity.
They were industrious and frugal, their
purse was common, and working thus
together they managed to keep off star
vation and debt.
They were now in the period of early
manhood. Allan, the elder, was % years
of age, and David 20. They occupied
two pleasant rooms in a respectable
lodging-house, lived well, and had some
money saved in the bank. sat first /
used to be afraid that we could not
make it," Allan would say to his broth
er, when they talked in the evening of
their life and their affairs; sit was such
q hard struggle But there is no longer
any doubt that we are going to succeed
in the world
To this prophecy, which Allan rejoic-
ed to speak, David would always as
sent, with an enthusiasm that came not
from any confidence in his own powers,
but solely from his belief in his elder
brother The difference between the
brothers was more than that of years,
as each of them we'll understood. Allan
was strong, keen, and determined.
David was gentle and sympathetic, but
little dull. They were alike, however,
in their intense devotion to one an
other.
1t happened in the midst of this which
they regarded as prosperity that Allan
was suddenly beset by a grievous ILL
ness. 1t had been written down in the
pitiless law book of nature that he
should pay for the sins of some ances-
tor, of whose very existence he was ig-
norant. The disease ran its slow
course through many weeks, and there
were now and again critical times
when the heart of the younger brother,
watching by night, stood still.
At last it tame to an end. The SEN
tence of nature was fulfilled. The life
of the young man was spared, but the
disease left him blind and a cripple.
AS Allan began to recover his strength,
and the dumb consciousness of suffer
ing gave way to active thought, he de-
manded to know how soon the ban
dages were to be taken from his eyes.
To this and to other questions of a sim
liar nature, the doctor who attended
him returned evasive answers. There
upon. Allan, half guessing the truth,
became silent. In the meantime, David,
also silent, clung desperately to frag
ment of hope.
One morning the doctor, as he was
about to leave, motioned across the sick
mans bed that he wished to speak with
him alone. They went out into the
hall, where the physician sat down
upon a chair and David leaned back
against a corner of the wall.
Presently Allan heard the confused
murmur of their talk. He climbed out
difficulty across the floor into the sit
ting-room. Placing his ear against the
hall door, which was not quite closed,
he heard all, unseen and unsuspected.
at is useless for me to continue these
daily visits" said the physician; ''here-
after l will come only when you send
for me-"
"Well, what shall we do about it
about his eyes"
''They will probably not pain him
any more You can take off the bandage
whenever you are ready to tell him the
whole TRUTH
! David's lips grew very white. you
mean that he will never recover? he
said.
The doctor looked up at him sudden
fy with a frown. Really" he said, Il
thought l had made the state OF things
pretty clear to YOU"
YES" said David; Il know-but l
kept hoping"
my dear boy. am sorry, but can
not even let you hope. If your leg was
cut off would you expect another to
grow in it's place? A part of the eye is
gone-and that ends it,"
''And the lameneSS"
! HE will always walk with crutches." ?"
/ Perhaps it was we'll that no mortal
eye saw the wan face pressed toward
the opening in the door. There was a
shuffiing across the floor, and Allan
! drew himself upon the bed again, where
he lay mOtionless and silent. thouSh all
his body seemed to Quiver and his
! thoughts to cry aloud.
Presently the footsteps of the doctor
/ sounded on the stairs and the lower
door opened and shut. But nearly an
hour passed before the younger brother
tame back to the room. When he came
/ it was with the belief that he was pre-
pared to speak to Allan and tell him ALL
He looked for a moment at the figure
curled OH the bed and shook his head.
He would wait.
Several days passed. Then in the
evening Allan said suddenly to his
brother:
David, what is the matter? Perhaps
I imagine it-but is there not something
that you want to talk to me about?"
YES" said the other, startled.
'It is about my eyes and my lame
ness, is it nOt?"
"Yes"
The time had come. He sat down by