Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1915-07-01
WILL GODFREY'S
-amm~LA'ST LEAP.

S1Rnt maze, nunB like transparent
curtain of light and heat. The couch
on which Will Godfrey had lain ever
since his hunting accident in the
spring had a view of a flower garden
richly decked with scarlet and gold,
and beyond it of the sun-scorched
park where oaks, elms, and chestnuts
spread great branches, clad in the tint
less foliage of late summer. The deer
were huddled together in the shade;
there was little sign of stirring life,
all Nature seemed asleep.
The doctor was sitting near VIII.
His eyes at the present moment were
30 full of sorrow that he dared not
raise them. There had been CONSUL
tation that morning with great Lon
don surgeon, and the result Voc e'.r-
posed to be favorable-life mis a.,
sibly be prolonged under cerla co.
ditions
Will was man of almost nrti,
build. He looked like Cola ate
low. Goliath dying by inches ,ns,eau
of by one swift stroke from his own
sword.
he said, abruptly, looking at his friend
with great wistful eyes.
The doctor did not speak for a mo-
ment. He raised his eyes, but not to
his patients face; they wandered round
the room, the walls of which were full
of pictures of hunting scenes.
How long will this go on?' he re-
peated, insistently.
1T may be for months-even years.
You are suffering from creeping pa
ralysis, but that is often very slow.
There is no hope for recovery, not
even of partial recovery, doctor?" !,
God knows | wish there were:
that's one of the hardest parts of a
doctors life, the being unable to dc
more than patch UP magnificen,
frame like yours" t..4
There was a rabbit once, half.
killed and quivering-we knocked it on
the head and put it out of its pain
we didn't leave it in its misery we
didn't feed it up to prolong the an.
guish. And the very horse which fel
with me, whose legs were broken
was shot, that very hour; it WASH
left to linger. Man is less cruel thar
God. Man understands-God doe!
not"
Hush" said the doctor gently. H,
was man of great reverence O.
though and feeling.
| Evelyn Godfrey came in at that mo
ment, beautiful woman with singu
larly young, girlish face and an extra
ordinary expression of vitality. Sh
was pale, with soft, creamy pale
ness and had black eyebrows ant
intensely gray. black-fringed eyes.
She waited till the doctor had gone
and then knelt down by her HUSBAND
and stroked his hand
Il was thought an idle man, WASH
I, Lynn" he said, softly, smiling a
her-oh, what sad smile 1t was!-
but | made business of sport an
active games; there was no season o
the year when time hung heavy o.
my hands. There was hunting in tn
winter and early spring, fly fishing il
May, grouse shooting in August, part
ridge and pheasant shooting afterward
and between whiles golf"
Doesn't 1t hurt you TO talk abou
it?" said Lyn, with a break in he
voice.
"No-it's the only comfort 1 have
never knew l had such a strong i'm
agination. / shut my eyes and see tn
very scenes where have been so hap
py-the golf links, the meet at tn
crossroads, the moors, the covers-bu
sometimes all the pictures run int
on another like kaleidoscope"
"Shal read TO you?" said Lyn, gent
ly.
"No-talk to me. You're goo
woman, Lyn, aren't your"
"Do you know what l said to the doc
tor?"
She shook her head.
II spoke of a rabbit that had bee
wounded to death, whose condition wa
hopeless. / said if man saw ths
animal he would Immediately put it OF
of its pain; he would be thought
brute If he didn't. The mere brute
are better off than men-they're nc
allowed to live when existence mean
torture. And yet the two cases can
be compared for suffering; the brut
has certain amount of physical pail
but that's all; it has no imaginatio
to paint pictures of never-to-be-hat
again delight, no highly strung nerve
to increase its agony tenfold."
But the mere brute isn't taken cal
of, nursed tenderly," said Lyn.
That's only refinement of cruelt
when there's no hope, Little woman
he wen. on. gravely looking at ht
with very kind eyes. you married
strong man fond OF sport, full of tt
Joy of living. to whom life NEAR
health and strength and roaring goo
time; this cripple lying on a stretcl
er is really a stranger to YOU"
'Ah, don't say that" she cried, In
rloringly, stretching out her hand.
1T must be true. I'm stranger
myself can't imagine myse