The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1915-07-30

VII anu fttAuNNfh HANN hAANh aAAh hfAF
less. But he know all about Tommy
and couldn't help respecting him in
some ways. Another young man
might have taken advantage OF Co
iestia's ignorance and innocence
lie ooh on his glasses 20 polish
them and became for tho moment as
blind as a stone. Ana that made him
shudder. so he polished his glasses
az quickly as he could, put them on,
n once moro saw Then he felt in
his pocket to sec II this time he had
a spare pair with him. lie had.
Nobody" he thought, will over
catch mt with but one pair again"
A man OF iron nerves and Of great
Imagination under perfect control,
Professor Sdlliter had but one weak.
ness-his eyes Otherwise he was AZ
strong as a bull but let him once be-
gin TO think about his eyes and he be
came the prey OF fearful ard wild
fancics.
Most men die but once Professor
S|tiiliter had died a thousand deaths
and all OF them violent and horrible,
and due TO a sudden loss Of sight
During the preceding night. lying mis-
erably on the hard. rooty ground. he
had had a most unpleasant nightmare
about himself.
lie was alone in the midst OF a vast.
trackless forest lie was there on
scientific business-to record the song
Of a certain very rare bird. Hut the
bird wouldn't sing. II would only
laugh
Now he had stopped 10 rest 80 had
the laughing bird. In the forest was
the silence Of death Suddenly the
bird began 90 laugh again. and this
time the laughter came nearer and
nearer. And presently there emerged
from the forest into the little open
glade in which he stood two chill.
dren, who held hands and laughed
They were Tommy steele and the Ii.
tie Amcsbury girl They walked
straight toward him as II they didn't
see him But they must have, for sud
denly they stopped. and Tommy said
so you are the man that tried TO
NAhf Nfl away nun hN' hNA ANAh hNA
W IN heaven. aren't you?'
Yes. ! am. and what's more, III get
her this time"
And he mEccd a. the little Amcs.
bury girl. and Tommy sirnply knocked
his glasses of
lie stood stiil for quito a long time.
He could hear the children. still laugh
ing as they wandered OF into the for
est The laughter grow fainter and
fainter.
Then he knolt and began 10 hunt for
his glasses lie hunted until the knees
Of his trousers we're worn through
and the small OF his back achod like
an liberated tooth lie hunted slowly
and ~mcthodically until ne felt that he
must have covered every square inch
OF the open glade.
Then he began TO scream for h,lp.
After an hour his screams grew hoarsc
and faint and presently his vocal
cords relaxed ard ne could no longer
make a sound
So Il was to be death. was Il? Death
In the damned forest. when he was
still In the prime Of life! Death be.
cause a little boy loved a little girl
and always stood w for her. Well
Il had 10 be. and he tried to resign
himself to It and be calm.
IIc woke so frightened that he was
half dead in reality. And II took him
some timc TO pull himself together.
Well. the party landed and took up
the long trail to Four Corners.
About leaving Tommy without
clothes, Stllitor had no computations
The young man might suffer. lie
would undoubtedly catch a frightfu'
cold. but he wouldn't actually die
Hen swim across. Stilliter thought
and walk naked until he reaches the
outskirts OF -Four Corners. Then he'll
hide I'm a bush and call p%itcously for
help wish I could be there To see
The scene should have In II the true
essence Of comedy
Stllliter had no beliefs that coul,
not be ratified In "a scientific way, bu
he could not altogether explain ava
tho miraculous coincidence of Tomm,
being the ycry FIRST pcrsoa that Celei
tia should meet
why pick out 70 meet her whe.
she comes back. from an the million
who might be the first TO meet hel
the one person who was unhapp