Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1903-05-14

fear. 1t was as though a black shadow
stood at his elbow and urged him to
go forward, and there were only weay-
ing circles and floating pin dots before
his eyes.
I'VE must be calm, Binkie; we must
be calm" He talked aloud for the
sake of distraction. "This isn't nice
at all. What shall we do? We must
| do something. Our time is short
shouldn't have believed that this morn
ing, but now things are different, Bin
kie Where was Moses when the light
went out?'
| Binkie smiled from ear to ear, as a
well bred terrier should, but made
no suggestion.
"Were there but world enough and
time, this coyness, Binkie, were no
crime But at my back / always
hear He wiped his forehead, which
was unpleasantly damp. "What can
| do? What can / do? haven't any
notions left, and can't think connect
edly, but / must do something or /
shall go off my head"
The hurried walk recommended, Dick
stopping every now and again to drag
forth long neglected canvases and old
notebooks, for he turned to his work
by instinct as thing that could not
fail. "You won't do, and you won't
do" he said at each inspection. mo
more soldiers. I couldn't paint 'em.
| Sudden death comes home too early,
and this is battle and murder both for
me-"
The day was failing, and Dick
| thought for moment that the twilight
Of the blind had come upon him un-
awares "Allah Almighty he cried
despairingly, "help me through the
time of waiting, and l won't whine
when my punishment comes! What
can do now before the light goes?"
There was no answer. Dick waited
till he could regain some sort of con-
troll over himself. His hands were
shaking, and he prided himself on their
steadiness; he could feel that his lips
were quivering, and the sweat was
running down his face. He was lashed
by fear driven forward by the desire
to get to work at once and accomplish
something, and maddened by the re-
fusal of his brain to do more than re-
peat the news that he was about to go
blind ''It's humiliating exhibition"
he thought, "and I'm glad Torp isn't
here to see. The doctor said / was to
avoid mental worry. Come here and
let me pet you, Binkie."
The little dog yelped because Dick
nearly squeezed the bark out Of him.
Then he heard the man speaking in the
twilight, and, doglike, understood that
his trouble stood off from him.
"Allah is good Binkie. Not quite so
gentle as we could wish, but We'll dis
cuss that later. / think / see my way
to it now. All those studies of Bessie's
head were nonsense, and they nearly
brought your master into scrape. l
hold the notion now as clear as crys-
tal-'the Melancolia that transcends all
wit There shall be Maisie in that
head, because l shall never get Maisie;
and Bess, of course, because she knows
all about Melancolia, though she
doesn't know she knows; and there
shall be some drawing in it and it shall
all end up with laugh. That's for
myself. Shall she giggle or grin? No,
she shall laugh right out of the canvas.
and every man and woman that ever
had a sorrow of their own shall-what
is it the poem says?
Understand the speech and feel stir
low cI1i in 1ea1I 5fcoc fionf
In all disastrous fight? That's better
than painting the thing merely to
pique Maisie. | can do it now because
have it inside me. Binkie, Pm going
to hold you up by your tail. You're an
omen. Come here"
Binkie swung head downward for a
moment without speaking.
Rather like holding a guinea pig.
But you're brave little dog, and you
don't yelp when you're maltreated. 1t
IS an omen."
Binkie went to his own chair, and as
often as he looked saw Dick walking
up and down, r'Ibbing his hands and
chuckling. That night Dick wrote a
letter to Maisie full of the tenderest
regard for her health, but saying very
little about his own, and dreamed of
the Melancolia to be born. Not till
morning did he remember that some
thing might happen to him in the fu-
ture.
He fell to work, whistling softly, and
was swallowed up in the clean, clear
joy Of creation, which does not come to
man too often lest he should consider
himself the equal of his God and so re-
fuse to die at the appointed time. He
fergot Maisie, Torpenhow and Binkie
at his feet but remembered to stir
Bessie, who needed very little stirring,
into tremendous rage that he might
watch the smoldering lights in her
eyes. He threw himself without reser-
vation into his work and did not think
Of the doom that was to overtake him,
for he was possessed with his notion,
and the things of the world had no
power upon him.
you're pleased today" said Bessie.