The Holly chieftain., 1897-12-10
VIII.
THE HERM1r OF THE pocKEr.

VIII.
THE HERMIT OF THE POCKET.
..Wait minute and I'll help you,''
said Philip, bursting his way through
tangle of briers toward Elsie, who stood
at the foot Of miniature cliff, the last
in the series guarding the summit
For answer she sprang lightly to
projecting ledge, balanced herself and
darted up the face of the rock without
appearing to touch it. There was
great rhododendron at the top, and her
laughing face was framed against the
background OF glowing color as she
called down to him:
I'm waiting; shan't give you
hand?"
Philip said no. climbing laboriously
after her. Half way up he slipped and
slid back to the bottom; when he tried
again she threw herself down upon the
fiat top of the rock, grasped his wrists
just as he was losing his hold for the
second time and pulled him to firm
footing beside her. It was nothing but
a bit Of spontaneous helpfulness. but
none the less the incident served to re-
open the question which Philip had just
dismissed. He sat down ut her feet to
recover his breath while she gathered a
handful of the rhododendrons.
ibid it tire you?" she asked.
''No, not very much. I wasn't think
ingo of that. l was trying to bring myself
to the point Of telling you something
that you ought to know"
Els It about yourself?"
"Yes."
She sat down beside him to arrange
the flowers. II am listening" she said,
encouragingly.
The opportunity Ind come, but
Thorndyke trifled with it. 'Do you
know why came to Alabama r. he be-
gan.
"Why, yes; It was on account of your
health, wasn't it?"
ut was; -but did You know that my
case is quite hopeless?"
II knew you thought It 3d."
II still think so-the doctor as good
as told me 1t was; and yet, do you
know, that just now feel that under
some circumstances might win my
way back to health and strength
again p
THAT'S the way you ought to feel all
the time; it's more than half the battle"
Thorndyke remembered Protheroe's
words and wondered IL he had repeated
them to Elsie. II suppose / should. but
can't. It was just as you lifted me
rrnr <ha <,<1rr> ~ <b>
II you gave me new hold upon life out
Of your abundance. Queer, wasn't it r.
This was not at all what he had begun
to say, but the words chose themselves.
IT'S astonishing what Retrospective
field the mind will cover Mt pinch,
isn't it? Now, in that half second while
you were helping me / got a telescope
glimpse of my whole life, and it's al
ways been the same way-some one has
pulled me up oyerthe hard places before
I could even try to do for myself. And
it's taken the color out Of everything:
there has never been anything left
worth living and fighting for, If there
Ind been might be able to make some
show of resistance now.
"Tm afraid don't quite understand
yosi." she said. Il thought everybody
had something to live for"
II presume most people have; and In
my own case the uncharitable might say
something about sour grapes. That
wouldn't be true, though; It wasn't
until l knew couldn't live that cared
much about 1t. And there is every rea-
son to suppose that. with the fear OF
ieath removed, life would go back again
20 the same old dreary round and be
more undesirable than ever
| She rose and fastened the bunch Of
rbododendrons in her belt. do you
really mean 10 say that you have no rea-
. son for wsnting tolive? Would nobody
be sorry II yos diedT'
Thorndyke killed his opportunity
with one blow. EYES, there may be
some who would be sorry; perhaps yon
woild care little. But that is entirely
y different matter; I'm not good enough
to want TO live to oblige my friends. nor
bad enough to want to die to spite them.
Let's go and find the Pocket you were
telling me about"
II is an open question us to how liter
ally the most sincere person can afford
TO be taken in conversation which
bears npon his own personality. Doubt
less Philip meant to say whist wax in
/ him at tho time; nevertheless, repent
ance came afterward. and with II more
good intentions. While Philip the sel.-
estimated was a. little like Philip the
real A. might BE-, yet there was unde-
nfn11fv m accnain1 con nrcfat.t,A ,nhlch
the self-known Philip sought to muxzlc
with the fiction that the Afternoon xas
sun young. Unfortunptely however.
opportunittes for thsAn nF5ng of rsInctant
thtn8s do NOT grow upon avery bush.
eveh Upon 4 sequests ssVa mpuntaan teP,
nn6 fhllip's sonSal1ass ~ still enaps