Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-06-21
PROPHET ON PROPHET.
By Anna E. Pagan.

|
 PROPHET ON PROPHET. | By Anna E. Pagan.
 | It was the last night of the old year 1917. l stood at the window of my room in the great hospital in St Petersburg. looked out into the dark, still, cold Russian night. l could see the gray walls of the near | by buildings rising tall and grim, while overhead the bright, red-gold I twinkling stars looked down on the l sleeping world and its thick, soft, white blanket of snow. Now and 1 again I heard in the far off distance the sound of sleigh bells. Somebody going home.
 Home! Home! What thoughts that magic word aroused within me. Five years since 1 had seen my old New 1 England home." Five long years. What changes might have happened in that time. Perhaps, perhaps-but such thoughts are not for nurses. A sharp sound rang through the frosty air. One minute to 12. Slowly the great cathedral clock struck the hours of midnight. I counted the strokes, ten--eleyen-twelve. Twelve o'clock; the end of the day, the end of the month, the end of the year 1917. Silence! It seemed as If the sleeping world had awakened for one brief moment and then slept again. The old year with its joys and sor- rows, its happiness and its regrets, gone, never to return, never to be recalled. gone-fOreyer.
 One year ago stood at the very same hour, sad and lonely. I did not hear the door open or the docto, enter until voice close beside mo exclaimed, What! Nurse, making good resolutions?" woke from my reverie with a start. Nurse, there was young fellow brought in this afternoon. Perhaps you would like to see him. He's from the States" From the States? From homer" l cried breathlessly. Yes, even be- lieve he is from Connecticut"
 rushed past him and entered room into which I had seen a man carried early in the day. Someone was there Who could it be?n Did I know him? Why didn't he move or speak or look? These thoughts rush. ed through my mind in moment. It seemed as though that still, quiet form hardly breathed.
 Somebody tall, more than tall. yes, somebody very long lay there. heard sigh. The quilt was thrown back impatiently. A long arm reach caught glimpse of some black, tan gled hair. could wait no longer I walked swiftly to the bed and stop ped. There before me with one arm in sling, his head bound round with bandages, lay the class prophet of 1906, Walter D. Casey. I wondered If he would recognize me. Yes, he did. With smothered ejaculation should l say joy, perhaps it was sor- row-he stretched out his we'll arm and shook hands with me.
 Many were the questions he was compelled to answer. He had come to Russia to see the sights. From all appearances something had seen him. In reply to my question as to what he was working at, he replied, "Yel- low journalism" Mir Casey then in- formed me that if looked in the lining of his hat l should find some of his latest efforts.
 obeyed. The first thing l drew out was faded American Beauty rose. then red and white silk hand kerchief carefully folded together and perfumed with Frank Bowes' fa- vorites extract. The next article to view was paper covered grammar. and then a bundle of loose sheets of printed matter which proved to be parts of Milton's Paradise Lost, L'Ai- legro. and II Penseroso, all held to- gether with thirteen of 1s06's class pins.
 Upon inquiring why he carried the faded flower, Walter informed me that it was the Last Rose of Sum- mer." He tied the red silk handker- chief over his head to prevent bald ness and to keep his ears warm. The white handkerchief he bound round his forehead to keep 1t from becom- ing chapped. Walter was of the opin- ion that a great deal of q mans beauty was contained in that inter- esting member. He was in the habit of spending the first half hour after rising in pondering over his Latin grammar. seated by a fire which he had kindled with the leaves of L'Al- legro and others of Milton's poems. He had already put Burke's "Cou- ciliation" to the same use. The thir- teen pins were simply souvenirs.
 In the crown of the hat were sev- erai closely written pages They proved to be essays and poems Among them I noted What to Do for Prostitutes" This paper contained several anecdotes of Napoleon cross ing the Alps. The next paper was en- titled How to Retain Ones Beauty in Mid-Winter" The following num- Der was very. very interesting. How to Walk Gracefully Through Four Feet of Snow" I next came across a paper which had for the heading "A Poem" by Walter Casey. This con- tained quotations from the old Greek and Latin writers and three from Confucius- That was about sli the hat held. unless I mention a mirror enclosed In a pink silk case. This was probably used to see If the hand kerehiefs were performing their duty. but as Walter didn't szy. vas too polite to ask- He vas badly injured about the face and head The intur- ies were the result of an explosion of 'Paradise Lost" the book ve used h school
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