Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1916-03-03

adequate expression in works. This
loneliness is bad enough in itself. but.
to make it worse. he is oppressed by
the primal melancholy of the race.
The frivolity Of the laughter-loving
Latins is no part of him. When he
laughs it is from a humor that is
nothing less than ferocious. But he
laughs rarely; he Is too often sad
Were he not so terrible a man. could
sometimes feel sorry for him, as in
stance three mornings ago. when 1
went into his stateroom to fill his wa
ter bottle and came Unexpectedly upon
him. He did not see me. His head
was buried in his hands. and his Shout
ders were heaving convulsively as
with sobs. He seemed torn by some
mighty grief. AS softly withdrew
could hear him grooming. God! God!
Cod" Not that he was calling upon
God; ii was a mere expletive. but it
came from his soul.
At dinner he asked the hunters for
a remedy for headache, and by eve
ming. strong man that he was, he was
half blind and Keeling about the cabin.
I've never been sick in my life
Hump" he said, as | guided him to
his room. Nor did | ever have a
headache except the time my head
was healing after having been laid
open for six inches by capstan-bar.'
For three days this binding head
ache lasted, and he suffered as wild
animals suffer. as IT seemed the way
on ship TO suffer. without plant, with
out sympathy. utterly alone.
This morning. however, on entering
his stateroom to make the bed and
! put things in order. | found him vel
and hard at work. Table and bunk
were Uttered with designs and calcu
lations. On large, transparent sheet
compass and square in hand. he was
copying what appeared to be scale
of some sort or other.
Hello. Hump" he greeted me gen
| tally. I'm just finishing the finishing
touches. Want to see it work."
But what is it?" asked.
"A labor-saving device for mariners
navigation reduced to kindergarten
simplicity" he answered gayly.
There was ring of triumph in hi
voice. and his eyes. clear blue thii
morning as the sea. were sparkling
with light
You must be well up in mathemat
ics." | said. Where did you go Il
SCHOOL,"
Never saw the inside of one. wors'
luck" was the answer. Il had to di,
it out for myself"
And why do you think have mad,
this thing?" he demanded abruptly
Dreaming to leave footprints on tn
sands of time?" He laughed one o
his horrible. hooking laughs. Not a
all. To get it patented. to maxi
money from it. to revel in piggishnes
with all night in while other men d.
the work. That's my purpose. Also
have enjoyed working 1t out"
1.-THE creative JOY" | murmured.
81 guess that's what il ought to b
called. Which is another way of eA
pressing the Joy of life in that it 1
alive. the triumph Of movement owe
matter. of the quick over the dead. tn
pride of the yeast because 1t Is yeas
and crawls."
threw up my hands with helples
disapproval of his inveterate mater
alism and went about making the bee
He continued copying lines and figure
upon the transparent scale. II was
task requiring the utmost nicely an
precision, and | could not but admir-
the way he tempered his strength t
the fneness and delicacy Of the neeC
When had finished the bed.
caught myself looking at him in
fascinated sort of way. He was Gel
tainly a handsome man-beautiful /
the masculine sense. And again. wit
never-failing wonder. ! remarked tn
total lack of viciousness or wicked
ness or sinfulness in his face. VIII
was he? What was he? How had h
happened to be? All powers SCENE
his. all potentialities-why. then. wa
he no more than the obscure master {
seal-hunting schooner with rep'
tation for frightful brutality anon
the men who hunted seals?
My curiosity burst from me in
food of speech.
why is it that you have not don
great things in this world? With tn
mower that is yours you might hay
risen to any height. Unpossessed {
conscience or moral instinct. yo
might have mastered the world. br'
ken it to your hand. And yet here 20
are. at the top of your life. where
minishing and dying begin, living a
obscure and sordid existence. hun
ing sea animals for the satisfactio
of woman's vanity and love of dec
| r>fion revealing in DiggiShness I