The Cairo bulletin., 1906-05-14
The Redemption
Of a Hunchback
By ELEANOR II. PORTER


and there found--torn straight
across from top to bottom--a closely
written manuscript.
Carefully matching the jagged edges
| together read this:
So her name is Alice! It's 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
emember?-ah, yes there are some
few things, after all. | do not remem-
Der kisses, save those of compassion;
nor smiles, save those of pity. | 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 averted, II by
chance they met my own. There were
still other eyes, round. widely opened,
curious, yet frightened my playmate's
eyes. always following me about with
fascinated horror
Was 1t the eyes that first told me |
vas not like other boys? Or was it,
the Mirror? The Mirror was fearful
thing of shifting lights and shadows
1t reached from floor to ceiling in
mothers room, and 1t said that one
was small and ugly, and that ones
head SET far forward on shoulders
that were high and squarely cut. II
said that ones back was not straight
and slender like Toms or Dicks OF
Bi1ls, but that IL crooked and curved
and punched into a great round knot
below ones neck
School? All, yes, remember school
1t was thing of hard. high seats, ant
Of boys and girls, all tall, so hopeless
ly tall; a thing of large, round eyes
all mirrors, and of romps and races
in which | alone had no part.
School was followed by college, ana
college was but school intensified
When it was over took up law
And now from early morning until
late at night work and study. save
that at four each day | walk in this
park. It was in the park this after
noon that | saw-Alice.
She sat alone on one of the seats
and stood Tor long while watchins
her from behind screen of shrubs
Her pretty head was tilted back
against tree trunk, and her brown
hair flashed golden in the sunlight thai
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 keep you waiting, Alice?" she
said.
Alice, But what, indeed, have | to
do with pretty names. or pretty faces,
or yet with pretty faneies?
My brain is on fire, my hands trem-
Bile. and can scarcely breathe; but !
must write, even though | am forced
to resort to my old trick OF using my
left hand-my right wrist was
sprained to-day.
I must put this thing into words, |
then look at them, study them, and |
understand what they mean.
When I reached the park today, |
Alice was already there, laughing and |
playing with a kitten The ball was
half unwound so that long coils OF
blue lay loosely over Alice's dress and
over the grass at her feet Suddenly |
he kitten, with the ball between her /
.eeth. jumped to the ground bounded |
across the path and the narrow strip
Of grass and into the roadway beyond.
Alice, with a laughing protest,
iprang to her feet and, passing the
blue thread hand over hand. quickly
reached the struggling. squirming bit
If mischief, and dropped on her knees
1t its side.
II was then that ! heard the wild
latter of an unguided horses feet. and
Jaw. coming around the curve above,
, driverless horse and a swaying,
'mpty carriage.
Alice gave a frightened little cry
md rose to her feet The kitten sour.
led across the road into the bushes
,ut the girl stood irresolute.
In one awful moment realized that
he only thing between her and posi-
lie death was my own puny arm. !
ould not reach the girl. but | might
he horse. Oh. for the broad shout
ers and strong grip of a man-not
he feeble grasp Of a pygmy!
| dashed across the grass and hurled
myself at the beast. which seemed so
oDelessly huge and untamable as il
owered for an instant above me. !
light as well have tried to check the
peed of a cyclone. The animal shook
ne off as though | were a trouble
pme fly. and dashed headlong down the
pad. But that one instant of attack
sused him to swerve ever so slightly
, his course. and only the wheel Of
ne carriage grazed Alice's dress as he
assed.
over and over I rolled until I
cached the gutter As soon as pos
.hle was on my feet and at Alice's
as steelfnz myself 10 meet the look
t-new I should hnd in her eyes.
ssyou are not hurt. / faltered.