Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1908-06-26

! yfu're sleh OF reB6lag-9lla seh
! blame yea. considering The stuR yet
teadAzget people dowil here TO see you
get lots Of people. Telephone 'em
You've a telephone there, haven't you
There II is by your elbow. Use It
Call up people. Talk all the time"
"Yes, will"
"Good! Now, Steve, we know what's
the matter physically, don't we! Oh
course we do. Now, then, what's the
matter mentallyT
Mentally" repeated Siward under
his breath.
Eyes, mentally. What's the troubleI
Stocks? Bonds? Lawsuits? Lover
The slightest pause and a narrowing
of the gimlet eyes behind the lenses
"Loveg he repeated harshiy. (which
is it, boy? They're all good to lei
| alone"
Business" said Siward. But, be-
Ing Siward, he was obliged to add
partly"
"Business-partly," repeated the doc.
tor. whats the matter with business
partly"
| 81 don't know. There are rumOrs.
Harrington is pounding me-apparent-
ly. That Intercounty crowd is acting
ominously TOO. There's something un-
derhand somewhere" He bent his
head and fell to plucking at the faded
brocade on the arm of his chair, NUT
tering to himself: Somewhere. some
how, something underhand. | don't
know what. really don't"
"All right; ali right" said the doctor
testify. LET it go at that. Business
symptoms admitted, what about the
| partly Stephen? What about 1t, eh
What about it?"
But Siward fell silent again.
"Eh? Did you say something? No?
oh, very well. very well. sir! Perfect
ly correct, Stephen. You have not
earned the right to admit further
symptoms. No, sir, you have not earn
ed the right to admit them to any
body, not even to yourself, nor to
herv
"She has refused me-" Siward said
simply.
The little doctor, after an incredulous
stare, began chattering with wrath
Refused you. Pah! Pooh. That's
nothing. That signifies absolutely
nothing. It's meaningless. It's a de-
tail. You get well, do you hear? You
go and get well; then try it again.
Then you'll see. And If she is an
idiot-in the event of her irrational
persistence in an incredible and utter
ly indefensible attitude"-he choked
up, then fairly barked at Siward-
"take her anyway, sir! Run off with
her! Dominate circumstances, sir!
Take charge of events! But you can't
do it till you've clapped yourself into
prison for life! And God help you If
you let yourself escaped"
Siward smiled again, worn, pallid
smile.
81 can stand it while you are here,
doctor, but when I'm alone it's hard.
One of those crises is close now. I've
bad night ahead-a bad outlook.
Couldn't YOU
"Now
"Just enough to-
"No, Stephen"
Enough to dull 1t just a little? I
don't ask for enough to make me sleep,
not even to make me doze. You have
your needle, haven't you, doctor?'
81 dare not help you any more that
way"
"Not this once"
"Not this once"
There was a dead silence, broken at
last by the doctor with violent ges-
ture toward the telephone. Talk to
the girl. Why don't you talk to the
girl. If she's worth hill O beans
she'll help you to hang on. What's she
for if she isn't for such moments?
Tell her you need her voice. Tell her
you need her faith in you. Good
night"
Siward lay still for long while
after the doctor had gone. More than
an hour had passed before he slowly
sat up and CROPPED for the telephone
book. opened it and searched in a
blind, hesitating way until he found
the number he was looking for.
He had never telephoned to her. He
had never written her except once in
reply to her letter in regard to his
mothers death-that strange. timid.
formal letter in which, grief stunned
as he was, he saw only the formality
and had answered it more formally
still. And that was all that had come
of the days and nights by that north
ern sea-a letter and its answer and
silence.
And, thinking Of these things he
shut the book YEARLY and lay back in
the shadow of the faded curtain, clos
ing his sunken eyes.