The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1919-09-06
Out Of the Darkness
y
e, DORA H. NOLAN
e, DORA H. MOL

two rocky Lodges. A narrow crescen
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 O.
circling sea gulls. The distant chug
chug of engines as an Eagle boat
closely followed by submarine
emerged from the nearby harbor. Il
was the first day of spring, the equi
nox, but there was nothing to indicate
the wild upheaval of naturs that ha6
preceded and made this miracle of q
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 a 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 1t, 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ton period" and withdrawn here at a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 it 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 a 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
CARRIED in the uniform of nurse. The
blind man heard two voices, one young
and fresh:
"Oh. Mrs. Bently, If you had only
come out here yesterday-Just a mass
Of tumbled waters. raging against the
gale, the huge waves breaking right
over this walk!"
A querulous voice answered, II
never go out In storm If I can help
It,"
When the two women were out of
earshOt of the man the younger re-
marked. That's Major Angre. He's
q very famous surgeon-or, rather,
was. He's blind now"
The querulous woman, reused for
the moment out Of her absorption In
ills, asked. How did it
happen? In this WARP" The nurse
nodded.
''Well, it only goes to prove what
my father and his father before him
always said, that this country would
90 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 |
Ter patient, evidently. Don't envy her
he job. She looks like fussy old |
hing"
That night at ten o'clock lights
ihone in two places in the little beach
81 IN
lights vanished. In their living room
Aunty Kate was reading aloud to her
harge, stumbling through the long
words Of medical magazine. She
topped abruptly with, THE electric
lights are out"
''Then it's up to you to rustic out
he lantern and candles. 1t wouldn't
natter to me-" the blind man added
effectively. "if they stayed out for
ver." To himself he said: mo
mount Of light will ever enable my
ear old nurse to negotiate those
7ords. It's going to be necessary to
nd someone who can soon. though, If
want to keep abreast Of things"
In the little house by the creek the
Dung nurse, with the aid Of a flash
ght. was searching for possible
andes, while her charge sat perfectly
till, only her tongue wagging on in its
sual complaining way, when a knock
ounded on the door. The nurse
pened, in the midst of her patients
that it wasn't safe to do so,
nd disclosed Major Angre holding
intern and accompanied by his house
eeper.
"It occurred to u.s." he said, that as
1r lights are out yours must be also.
unity Kate decided that as none ap-
cared In your window you must be
ithout any way Of making one. so
e took the liberty Of bringing you
,me candles"
Mrs. Bently hustled forward and in
ted them in, introducing the nurse ;
} Miss Forbes, doing most Of the
liking. and monopolizing everybody's j
tention as only selfish person can.
, that, on her way home, when the
ind man remarked. THAT woman Is
pest" Aunty Kate knew very well 9
hom he meant. and heartily agreed. /
Neither spoke Of Miss Forbes, per- f
ms hocanSp both ware thinkipu ahonf |