Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1915-02-19
THE MOVING FINGER
BY HAROLD CARTER.


neither" snarled Pop" Hendon to
young Doctor Gray.
The young physician had only spent
three months in Greenville, but that
was quite long enough to convince him
that Pop" Hendon was, as the neigh
bors said, the crankiest old man in
Breton county.
Doctor Gray did not mind the old
fellows moods. Before he had gone
blind, five years before, Hendon had
been good neighbor and citizen.
Since his blindness he had become
morose and suspicious. The worst
feature of the situation, so far as the
doctor was concerned, was that Pop"
suspected the young mans love for
his only child, Alice, and took a ma
ficious pleasure in haunting him about
it.
The young fellow was not yet in
position to marry. Alice would have
waited for him; but she could not
leave her father. She was all he had.
The young doctor had a last inter-
view with his sweetheart that after
noon.
Dearest, I will wait for you as long
as is necessary" she said. But so
long as my father lives we must be
just good friends and nothing more If
he were not blind l would leave all
and come to you"
Gray understood. He kissed her
fondly and went back to his office, re-.
solved to throw himself with all his
energy into his work and try to forget,
until the time came to claim her
And so a year passed by. Rarely,
when Gray had occasion to pass the
house, he would see the old man, inn
placable as ever, seated upon his
porch, spelling out the Braille words
with his right forefnger. He seemed
conscious of the doctors presence, and
would look up and scowl heavily when
Gray went by.
One day Gray had an urgent call on
the telephone. 1t was from Alice.
Wont you come up at once?" she
begged. Doctor Clifden is away and
father has had a bad accident"
"A medical man knows no enmities
where his profession is concerned.
Half an hour later Gray was at the
house and being shown into the old
mans sick room.
Hendon had bean knocked down by
an automobile while trying to cross
the street. He had taken Malicious
delight in running away from his
daughter, and had been struck fairly
by the machine. He was badly bruised;
but, what was worse, the tendons Of
his right hand had been crushed
Gray saw at a glance that, while the
hand could be made serviceable, Hen
don would never again be able to
straighten the fingers completely.
You're the young fellow who used
to be sweet on Alice, amt your" he
snarled. II thought you'd drop her as
soon as you learned there wasn't any
money coming with her"
Let me see that hand, please" an
swered Gray.
A week later "Pop" Hendon learned
the truth. His hand would be useful
for all purposes except one; never
again would he be able sufficiently to
fiex the forefnger so as to feel the
raised type with the delicate nerve
tissue underneath the first joint
When the news was broken to him
the old mans agony was painful to
witness. He4ay still without speaking
for days together, interspersing these
periods of moroseness, however, with
outbreaks of maniacal fury. At such
times only Gray could restrain him
from finging himself out Of the win
dow. Somehow the young doctor
seemed to have acquired certain in
fuence over the morose old man.
1t was after one of these maniacal
spells that Gray addressed Hendon,
who was lying exhausted upon his
bed.
"Mr. Hendon," he said, 81 may as
we'll tell you that took the occasion
just now to examine your eyes"
Hendon lay on the bed in logged
silence.
II believe your trouble is nothing
but cataract" he continued. 81 have
been to the doctors who examined you
before and seen their records. What
they told you was that your case was
incurable at present, but might be al
leviated later"
Yes, trying TO fool me into spend
ing more money on EN-" snarled
Pop" Hendon.
mo, sir" answered Doctor Gray de-
cisively. "A cataract cannot be OPP
Grated upon until it has reached a GER
tain stage of hardness, about a year
after it begins. You were the victim
of your own suspicious. You could
have been cured years ago. You can
be cured now"
"Will you do it, Doc?" gasped old
Hendon, turning his face upon Grays
with a look of wistful hope in his
| eyes.
Two weeks later Pop" Hendon,
seated in the dining room, waited for
the bandage to be lifted. The morose