The Newark journal. (Newark, Ark.) 1901-1959, 1906-08-24
The Redemption
OF a Hunchback
BY ELEANOR H. PORTER


gioating over my new treasure +
CHANGED upon an inner secret drawer
ana there l found-torn straight
across from top 10 bottom-a closely
written manuscript.
Carefully matching the Jagged edges
together read this:
SO her name is Alice. Its a pretty
name-but what is that to me? What
have to do with pretty names or
pretty faces, or yet with pretty fan
cies?
Remember? What indeed. do not
remember?-ah. yes. there are some
few things. after all. l do not remem-
Der kisses. save those of compassion:
nor smiles, save those Of pity. I do
not remember romps and games. save
those that for me bore defeat
do remember eyes, my moth
er's eyes. always mournful when
turned on me; and other eyes. my
fathers, always quickly ayerted. Il by
chance they met my own. There were
still other eyes. round. widely-opened.
curious, vet frightened my pIaymate's
eyes. always following me about with
fascinated horror.
Was it the eyes that first told me l
was not Ike other boys? Or was it
the Mirror The Mirror was a fearful
thing Of shifting lights and shadows
Il reached from floor to ceiling in
mothers room. and il said that one
was small and ugly and that ones
head set far forward on shoulders
that were high and squareIy cut It
said that ones back was not straight
and slender like Toms or Dicks or
Bits. but that it crooked and curved
and punched into a great round knot
below ones neck
SCHOOL, An. yes. I remember school
II Was thing Of hard, high seats. and
OF boys and girls. all tall. SO hopeless
ly tall; thing of large, round eyes.
all mirrors. and of romps and races
In which | alone had no part.
School was followed by college and
college was but school intensified.
When it Was over took up law.
And now from early morning until
late at night I work and study. save
that at four each day walk in the
park. 1t was in the park this after
noon that saw-Alice.
She sat alone on one Of the seats.
and I stood for long while watching
her from behind a screen of shrubs.
Her pretty head was tilted back
against tree trunk. and her brown
hair flashed golden in the sunlight that
came slantwise through the trees.
Some dainty worsted stuff of pale blue
lay in her lap, while her slender fin
gers toyed with two long knitting
needles of ivory.
By and by a girl older than himself
came hurrying up.
Did l keep you waiting. Alice she
said
Alice, But what, indeed have I TO
do with pretty names. or pretty faces.
or yet with pretty fancies?
NV brain is on fire, my hands trem-
HE and can scarcely breathe; but l
must write. even though l am forced
70 resort to my old trick of using my
left hand-my right wrist was
sprained to-day.
must put this thing into words.
then look at them. study them, and
understand what they mean.
When reached the park today
Alice was already there. laughing and
playing with kitten. The ball was
half unwound so that long coils OF
bIue Law loosely over Alice's dress and
over the grass at her feet suddenly
tho kitten. with the ball between her
teeth Jumped to the ground. bounded
across the path and the narrow strip
Of grass and into the roadway beyond.
Alice. with a laughing protest
sr,ranq 10 her feet and. passing the
niue thread hand over hand. quickly
reached the struggling, squirmlng DIT
of mischief. and dropped on her knees
II was then that heard the wild
.,atfer If an uneutded horses feet, and
saw coming around the curve above
. 5rivarless horse and swaying'
empty carriage 49,
hlics gave frightened little cry
and rose to her feet The kitten sour
CO., riad across the road into the bushes,
bnf the girl stood irresolute.
In one awful moment realized that
10 only thing between her and posi-
HE death was my own puny arm. |
could not reach the girl but l might
tbe horse. Oh. for the broad shout
s. and strong grip of a man-not
the feeble grasp ef a pygnayi
dashed across the grass and hurled
-,veeIf at the beast, which seemed SO
honelessly huge and untamable as il
HOP - {rgtanf above mo