The Washington weekly post., 1900-04-10

were woman II would have been when
! saw Stillson Courtney bending his state
~ head TO his partner in the waltz or tie
promenade. and looking at her from the
radiant depths Of his violet gray eyes.
cn, see, you want 10 send me career
ing over Europe to restore my consJi:G-
Ton, shattered by too close attention 10
my ardUous duties"
No 1t ISM that, either"
Then you want me TO give up cigars
ara champagne and poker and-well,
Iucker, excuse he. old man. but what /
con Ike about you medical fellows Is the
ar OK extreme virtue you put on when
Fellow gets in hole, as if you were never
known to indulge in any. small vices YOUR
serves One who didn't know might sup
pose that you had never taken anything
stronger than draughts from the deep
wells OF science. and II you should see a
cigar and a Dado standing together YOU
wouldn't know which was the cigar and
which was the Dodo"
There was something appallingly awful
10 me in the sight Of this magnificent
looking fellow sitting calmly opposite me,
all unconscious Of what | must tell him.
taking In his merry, careless, fasc na ing
way ID L had always before seemed 50
GENEROUSLY pleasant to me, as something
far away from my own life of toll and re-
sponsibiiity. / took a strong hold of my
nerves and tried 10 speak with profession
al calmness
Are your business affairs stralght?'
business affairsi Why. man, never
h2u any. il / had l suppose they would
De as crooked as the career of politician.
nave lawyer, / believe. Brewster-yes,
thats the name. / suppose he takes all
ne wants and gives me the rest. I never
took the trouble to look it up. I've a
nephew or cousin or some hing of that
Klnd-l don't know just what-who will in
herit my property II there's any left after
I'm through with 1t; but there will not be.
A short life and merry one--the brig
ands motto-is mine. too. and / can teIl
you living up to il is not an economical
process"
"A short life and a merry one" ] re-
peated. shaken out of all possibility of pro-
fessional equanimity by his gayety. "Aly
, God. Court, must / tell you how short il
Will be?''
He leaned lndolently back in his chair.
the melancholy smile with which he had
. commiserated the fate OF his heir yet lin
geTlng about his lips.
What 90 we have physicians for. if not
to tell US the truth? They have a monop-
oily or that virtue. II is not fashionable
now, even for ministers TO compete with
/ them IN that line. l often think how for
tunate i is that we have the blessing of
PHYSICIANS. Were IL not for them telling
the truth would become a lost art
Courtney, = Rave loved YOU like a
brother since tie first time I ever saw You.
Knowing that you may perhaps imagine
hnN hQ I'd ~ ic foY ,,f1
have not many more days-yes. / an
afraid not many more hours-yet 10 live"
l have seen men face death bravely. but
never saw anything else so magnificent
as the momentary struggle and the swift
victory Of the man whose smile had not
yet died away from his lips. He arose and
stood erect, the superb height OF him tow
ering above me, his tuTbling billows of
Chestnut hair cleaning amber in the light
kis brilliant, mischievous twinkling eyes
shining down at me.
Thank you, Tucker. Thank you, but
say, CID man, cont you think YOU might
have been little more generous-days-
1 hours. Well, I'll have to begin to take
note Of my time. won't 1? The next few
hours ! have decided upon the most Judi
cious disposal OF. The new opera takes
three hours-Of course, you will go with
me? l was going TO the club TO get some
Of the set. hut I'll take just you instead
After the play, ven have the finest sup
per you ever saw, with Mignone the SOU
brette. You see, you have made life so
short / can't afford to forego any of its
pleasures. You will go?''
You are surely not in earnest. Court
neyg'
"Of course. Would jest on such a mat
ter? Misnone is the star Of the piece She
is the sta: OF the staEe-the star of the
world. She dies in lone wilderness and
a seuZy gown to slow music. ard a par
! ticularly blundering imp comes along with
torch and finds ner. Striking, isn't il?
You cannot refuse me. Remember YOU are
my nhvsicisn and are responsible for me.
l shall feel like tne Chinese Emperor or
a New York railroad king, going out at
tended by nv physician"
] Yielded. What could have done bet
ter? If / had refused to go. he would have
asked some one else. and I fanced I was
safer companion for him than any of
the club fellows
The play had begun when we entered
Conrtney's box.
II am indebted to you for the ESCAPE
from the preliminary explanations" he
said, when the curtain went down "Al
wavs cut them when YOU can If a man
can't understand the play without exp'ar-
aticns. it's because the play isn't good for
ANYTHING in which case II doesn't pay 10
waste time on n or the man has no imag-
nation In which case II doesn't pay 20
waste time on him"
He leaned hack and shut his ever wear
| fly. That kind Of cheerful tumult that
rreAts the advent of a popular actress.
made an exhilaratiny co1nmotion In the
! air Stillson looked toward the stage
with an expression OF interest.
A soft. clear voice rippled musically
| across the air filed with faint frasrances
and radiant with light and with the
/ rleams Of brilliant jewels, singing some
thing. | cont know what. for / was not
attending to the stage. The brief and
/ tragic drama al my side was sufficient to
absorb my thought. Courtney fixed HIS
/ ewes earnestly on the singer with a rant
expression OF delight. He bent forward
/ IN an attitude of tense eagerness. until
the song ceased. Then he looked back
and looked al me with an expression Of
mournful reprOsch-
/ Tucker, l wish you had not killed me
/ so sOOn." he murmured, with that fascin-
ating shadow OF lisp; Il should like TO
| 1--we 10 love her-yes 10 love Mignone
| Say. old man. DO give me more time"
| ] looked toward the stage and saw
slender. girlish form. sWaying slightly
! Ike a reed In a summer breeze, a pale,
small face lit up BY wide, deep eyes. that
/ seemed 10 gaze away out into TIE world
beyond the sweep OF human thought 10
the utmost rim OF imagination the
/ tender pathetic face was framed IN by
drifts OF soft hair like a cloud-wrack roll
ing away after q storm For q moment
/ locked at her, then turned again al
Courtney What msttered one actress
/ more or less TO meT
/ or the play I saw only what was re-
nocted in Courtney's face, and | think #
VS. ret so much the play that ] saw, az
/ the changeful dawn OF strange new day
: 10 which his soul was awakening What
/ a gondrousiy scintiilant beauty IL made
his face. ard ] wished that with this
beautiful b,tth. life, TOO. could come.
| While / was watching him. all uncen-
! ttasr I atarflal f.s, tts