The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-07-24


He recognized a reproduction of one Of
his own sketches.
Many people were waiting their turn
before him. His eye was caught by a
flaming red and gold Christmas carol
book Little children came to that eye
DOCTOR and they needed large type
amusement
"That's idolatrous bad art" he said,
drawing the book toward himself.
"From the anatomy of the angels, it
has been made in Germany" He
opened it mechanically, and there
leaped to his eyes verse printed in red
ink:
The next good joy that Mary had,
1t was the joy of three,
To see her good Son Jesus Christ
Making the blind to see
Making the blind to see, good Lord,
And happy may we be,
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost
To all eternity!
Dick read and reread the verse till
his turn came and the doctor was bend
ing above him seated in an armchair
The blaze of a gas microscope in his
eyes made him vince. The doctors
hand touched the scar of >the sword
cut on Dicks head and Dick explained
briefly how he had come by it. When
the fame was removed Dick saw the
DOCTORS face and the fear came upon
him again. The doctor wrapped him.
self in a mist of words. Dick caught
illusions to "scar," frontal bone,'' 'op-
tic nerve" extreme caution" and the
avoidance of mental anxiety"
"Verdict?' he said family. "NIy bust
ness is painting. and | daren't waste
time. What do you make Of it?'
Again the whirl of words. but this
time they conveyed meaning.
'Can you give me anything to
drink?"
Many sentences were pronounced in
that darkened room, and the prisoners
often needed cheering. Dick found a
glass of liqueur brandy in his hand.
"As far as | can gather he said,
coughing, above the spirit you call it
decay of the optic nerve. or something,
and. therefore hopeless. What is my
time limit, avoiding all strain and wor-
ry?'
Perhaps one year"
''NIy God, And if don't take care of
myself?"
Il really could not say. One cannot
ascertain the exact amount of injury
inflicted by the sword cut. The scar is
an old one. and-exposure to the strong
light of the desert. did you say-with
excessive application to fine work? l
really could not say
81 beg your pardon, but it has come
me, I'll sit here for minute. and then
I'll go. You have been very good in
telling me the truth Without 2py
warning = without any warning.
Thanks"
Dick went into the street and was
rapturously received by Binkie. We're
got it very badly, little dog; just as
badly as we can get it. Well go to the
park to think it out"
They headed for certain tree that
Dick knew well, and they sat down to
think. because his legs were trembling
under him. and there was cold fear at
the pit of his stomach.
How could it have come without
any warning? It's as sudden as being
shot. It's the living death, Binkie.
We're to be shut up in the dark in one
year if we're careful. and we shant
see anybody, and we shall never have
anything we want. not though we live
to be hundred" Binkie wagged bis
tail joyously .Binkie, we must think.
Let's see how it feels to be blind"
Dick shut his eyes. and flaming COM
cts and Catherine wheels tloated in
side the lids. Yet when he looked
across the park the scope of his vision
was not contracted. He could see per-
fectly until procession of slow wheel
ing fireworks defled across his eye
balls.
little dorglums. we aren't at all
well. Let's go home. If only Torp
were back now!'
Now, Torpenhow was in the south of
England inspecting backwards in the
company of the Nilghai. His letters
were brief and full Of mystery.
udu ucNcI dohCu any OOoy "
help him in his joys or his sorrows. He
argued, in the loneliness of the studio,
henceforward to be decorated with a
film of gray gauZe in one corner, that
if his fate were blindness all the Tor
penhows in the world could not save
him. 81 can't call him off his trip to sit
down and sympathize with me. must
pull through the business Alone" he
said.
He was lying on the sofa eating his
lmustache and wondering what the
darkness of the night would be like.
Then came to his mind the memory of
q Quaint scene in the Sudan. A soldier
had Deea nearly hacked in two Dy o
broad bIaded Arab spear. For one in
slant the man felt no pain. Looking
down, he saw that his lifeblood was
going from him.
The stupid Dewilderment on his face
was so intensely comic that both Dick
and Torpenhow, still painting and I'M
strung from fight for life, had roared
with laughter, in which the man
seemed as if he would join, but as his
lips parted in sheepish grin tie ago
by of death came upon him, and he
pitched granting at their feet. Dick
laughed again, remembering the hor-
ror. 1t seemed so exactly like his own