Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1919-08-12
Out Of the Darkness
s II
By DORA H. NOLAN

Just q tiny bit of Connecticut's
Irregular coast line snuggled between
two rocky ledges. A narrow crescent
of glistening white sand stretched be-
tween curling blue waters and wealth
erbeaten board walk. A soft lap-lap-
ping of tiny waves. The shrieks Of
circling sea gulls. The distant chug-
chug Of engines as an Eagle boat,
closely followed by submarine,
emerged from the nearby harbor. It
was the first day Of spring, the equi-
noX, but there was nothing to Indicate
the wild upheaval of nature that had
preceded and made this miracle of a
day possible but some scattered debris
Of the deep, long curls Of brown sea-
weed, queer shells and creatures
strewn over the sand.
A blind man reclined on steamer
chair on the broad veranda Of one Of
the many cottages which lined the
board walk. He listened intently and
from the sounds he heard tried to re-
construct the scene. 1t was more than
two years since he had seen it, this
beautiful spot where all his boyhood
and college vacations had been spent.
Perhaps that was why he had chosen
1t for what he called his "reconstruc-
ton period" and withdrawn here at a
time when he knew 1t would be prac-
tically deserted, with only his old
nurse and housekeeper. Aunty Kate, to
look out for him.
Not one bit Of shrinking, only un-
daunted courage entered into this
mans acceptance of the result Of the
supreme sacrifice he had offered his
country and humanity-only desire
to be alone for awhile, to think things
out, to formulate some philosophy Of
life to replace the ambitions which
now must be relinQuished forever.
Footsteps sounded on the board
walk. Aunty Kate, looking out Of her
kitchen window, saw two women ap-
preaching. one elderly, with fretful
face, the other young, piquant and
garbed in the uniform of q nurse. The
blind man heard two voices, one young
and fresh:
"Oh, Mrs. Bently, If you had only
come out here yesterday-Just mass
of tumbled waters, raging against the
gale. the huge waves breaking right
over this walk!"
A Querulous voice answered, II
never 20 out in q storm If I can help
it."
When the two women were out of
earshot of the man the younger re-
marked, That's Major Anre. He's
a very famous surgeOn-or, rather,
was. He's bind now."
The querulouS woman, reused for
the moment out of her absorption In
imaginary ills, asked, "How did 1t
happen7 In this war7" The nurse
nodded.
"Well, it only goes to prove what
my father and his father before him
always said, that this country would
70 to rack and ruin when the Repub-
lican party went out of power"
When the two women had passed
from sight Aunty Kate emerged from
her kitchen. "Those must be the
people who are staying in that little
cottage back on the creek" she said,
"where I've seen the light nights. The
girl is a nurse and the older woman
her patient, evidently. Don't envy her
the Job. She looks like fussy old
thing"
That night at ten o'clock lights
shone in two places in the little beach
colony. Then simultaneously the
lights vanished. In their living room
Aunty Kate was reading aloud to her
charge, stumbling through the long
words of q medical magazine. She
stopped abruptly with, "The electric
lights are out"
"Then it's up to you to rustic out
the lantern and candles. 1t wouldn't
matter to me-" the blind man added
refiectively, "if they stayed out for
ever" To himself he said: mo
amount of light will ever enable my
dear old nurse to negotiate those
words. It's going to be necessary to
find someone who can soon, though, II
/ want to keep abreast Of things"
In the little house by the creek the
young nurse, with the aid of flash
light, was searching for possible
candles. while her charge sat perfectly
still, only her tongue wagging on in Its
usual complaining way, when q knock
sounded on the door. The nurse
opened, in the midst of her patients
protests that it wasn't safe to do so
and disclosed Major Angre holding
lantern and accompanied by his house
keeper.
1T occurred to u.s." he said, "that as
our lights are out yours must be also
Aunty Kate decided that as none ap
peared in your window you must bt
without any way Of making one. Sc
we took the liberty Of bringing yor
some candles"
Mrs. Bently hustled forward and In
vited them in, introducing the nurse
as Miss Forbes, doing most Of tht
talking, and monopolizing everybody!
attention as only selfish person can
So that, on her way home, when th'
blind man remarked, "That woman |!
a pest" Aunty Kate knew very vel
whom he meant, and heartily agreed
Neither spoke of Miss Forbes, per
haps because both were thinking abou
her. In Aunty Kate's mind was evolv
ing scheme, She shrewdiy suspected
that Mrs. Bently's continual recital O
imaginary Ills must everlastingly bor'
anyone doomed constantly to listen
Her own evenings, spent In struggling
| with those technical terms. so futilely
were daily becoming more Of bug
bear. So at the first opportunity sh
| proposed to the nurse that she Drinl
Mrs. Bently over some evening.
| Mrs. Bently jumped at the cnanc
for a fresh audience. but was some
what chagrined when she found
limited to the housekeeper. Fo
through that good woman's machina
lions, somewhat abetted by the youn
nurse, the latter took up the task Q
reading to the blind man. The teen
nical terms held no dread for Mis-
Forbes and the subject matter OF tn
articles. deanly Interested her. Frt