Morris tribune., 1899-04-15

.-"TF1E,"-.
PHANTOM RlCKSHAW.
.EY.~@a
RUDYARD KEPLEFyGo
RUDYARD KFPL.ENG.


months ago / should nave secuted as
mad or drunk the man who had dared
tell me the like. Two months ago [ was
the happiest man in India. Today, from
Peshawur TO the sea, there is no one
more wretched. My doctor and | are
the only two who know this. His ex-
PLANTATION is that my brain, digestion
and eyesight are all slightly affected
giving rise to my frequent and persist
ent 'delusions Decisions, indeed
call him fool but he attends me still
with the same unwearied smile, the
same bland professional manner, the
same neatly trimmed red whiskers, till
| begin to suspect that I am an migrate
full, evil tempered invalid But you
shall Judge for yourselves.
Three years ago it was my fortune
my great misfortune-to sail from
Gravesend to Bombay, on return from
long leave, with one Agnes Keith
Washington, wife of an officer on the
Bombay side It does not in the least
concern You to know what manner of
woman she was Be content with the
knowledge that ere the voyage had
ended, both she and I were desperately
and unreasoningly in love with one an
other Heaven knows that l can make
the admission now without one particle
Of vanity. In matters of this sort there
is always one who gives and another
who accepts. From the first day of our
i'll omened attachment l was conscious
that Agnes passion was stronger, a
more dominant and-if may use the
expression - purer sentiment than
mine. Whether she recognized the fact
then, l do not know. Afterward it was
bitterly plain to both of US 49,
Arrived at Bombay in the spring of
the year, we went our respective ways,
to meet no more for the next three or
four months, when my leave and her
love took us both to Si1nla There we
spent the season together, and there my
fire of straw burned itself out to a pitt
full end with the closing year I at
tempted no excnse | make no apology
Mrs. Washington had given up much for
my sake and was prepared to give up
all. From my own lips, in August,
1882, she learned that I was sick of her
presence, tired of her company and
weary Of the sound of her voice Nine
ty-nine women out of hundred would
have wearied Of me as v&,aried of
them; rs of that number would have
promptly avenged themselves by active
and cbtrusive Irritation with other men,
Mrs Washington was the hundredth
On her neither my openly expressed
aversion nor the cutting brutalities
with which garnished our interviews
had the least effect.
Jack, darling was her one eternal
cuckoo cry, II m sure = it's all mis-
take, hideous mistake, and Wen be
good friends again some day. Please
forgive me, Jack, dear!''
/ was the offender, and / knew it.
That knowledge transformed my pity
into passive endurance, and, eventual
ly, into blind hate-the same instinct,
suppose, which prompts man to saw
agely stamp ON the spider he has but
half killed. And with this hate in my
bosom the season of 1882 came to an
end.
Next year we met again at Simla-
she w4.h her monotonOus face and |
tmid attempts at reconciliation and / |
with loathing of her in every fiber of |
my frame. Several times I could not |
avoid meeting her alone, and on each |
occasion her words were identically the
'ame-still the unreasoning wall that
t was all mistake and still the |
nope of eventually making friends -
might have seen, had cared to look,
hat that hope only was keeping her
alive. She grew more wan and thin
month by month. You will agree with
ne at least that such conduct would
lave driven any one to despair. 1t was
lncalled for, childish, unwomanly. /
maintain that she was much to blame.
And again, sometimes in the black, fe-
Ter stricken night watches, l have be-
sun to think that 7 might have been a
title kinder to her. But that really is
''delusion. could not have contin-
lidn't, could /? It would have been IN
air to US both.
Last year we met again-on the
anne terms as before, the same weary
ppeals and the same curt answers
rom my lips At least I would make
ler see how wholly wrong and hopeless
we're her attempts at resuming the old
AS the season wore on we
ell apart-that is to say, she found it
Iificult to meet me, for I had other
nd more absorbing interests to attend
0. When think it over quietly in my
ickroom, the season of 1884 seems a
onfused nightmare wherein light and
hade were Enthusiastically intermingled-
ny courtship of little Kitty Mannering;
~ hopes, doubts and fears; our long
ides together; my trembling avowal Of
ttachment; her reply, and now and
gain vision of white face fitting
y in the rickshaw with the black and
yhite liveries ] once watched for so
the wave of Mrs Wessing-
on's gloved hand, and when she met
le alone, which was but seldom, the
:ksome monotony of her appeal.
wed Kitty Mannering - honestly, !
earthly loved her-and with my love