Ellsworth American., 1920-04-28
BRIGHTER
DAYS.
By T. B. ANDERSON.

inquired the hardware man at Acton.
'No," came the voluble response.
"The biggest you've got; spikes. If you
like!"
The storekeeper had never seen
much of his present customer. Alan
Duryea. He had heard Of him, how
ever, as a man of some note In the
literary field with avery liberal in
come. A year back he had purchased
other of its kind. These had belonged
to two brothers who had lost their for
tunes. The one Duryea had purchased
was surrounded by a great stone wall,
with gate in that part of 1t along
the next lot. There Duryea had lived
through the winter. having little to
do with the people of the village.
There was no mystery to his life.
He was young and rather good look
Ing, but he had won his way In the
world through hard work and at the
cost of numerous sacrifices to comfort
and enjoyment He was not soured,
although very irritable at times, and
had gone into seclusion because he
fancied that all by himself he could
better think and write. He had been
disappointed in the results, and now
there arose a new and unexpected
source of irritability. The big house
next to his own was being renovated,
and Duryea learned that it was to be
occupied as an orphanage of coun-
try church organization.
One day a dozen or more noisy chill
dren flocked into the newly renovated
house. They were under the charge
of two matrons who did not seek to
curb their playfulness, and the inces-
SAINT babel of juvenile boisterousness
became decided affliction to Duryea.
The next day he discovered that some
one had pushed open the gate that
connected the two residences. Hence
the nails and hammer.
For over half a year Duryea had
been gathering material and making
exhaustive notes along line of inter
est and likely to be of great profit to
him. He now removed manuscript
and memoranda to room on the
other side of the house to evade be-
Ing near the disturbing element. He
continued, however, to use the library
overlooking the next lot, when he was
not at work. He was seated there one
morning when he glanced out of the
window as an unusual commoti0n
awoke the echoes.
new figure had appeared upon the
scene. 1t was that of a young lady
who was led bv the two nurses
among the group Of children. She
wore a bandage across her eyes and
CROPPED like a blinr person with her
arms. But there vas the poetry of
beauty, Of perfect grace in her every
movement and radiant flush and
smile upon her face expressed the
deepest tenderness and love for the
adorng throng about her. They call
ed her hame-"Our Darling Mercy I"
They kissed her hands and clung to
her dress, and amid the babel Duryea
discerned that she was their former
teacher, who had returned after an
absence of month seeking to over
come fast-approachng sightlessness.
buryea was infinitely touched at
the sight of such helpless loveliness, a
winner of hearts, even in her great
aff1ction. He went to his room on the
other side of the house. but could not
get down to work. finally flung his
cigar into the waste basket and re-
turned TO the library. The children,
however, had gone in to their studies.
Duryea dozed In his chair. A crash
awoke him. The little ones in the
next yard were out at play again and
some one had flung ball. 1t had
gone through window, arousing
Duryea, who observed taint of smoke
In the air. He forgot his momentary
anger Mt the accident, hurried from
the room and traced the smoke across
hall and into his new writing apart
ment.
Just in time!" exclaimed Du'yea,
as he caught up the blazing waste bas-
ket, hurled it through the window and
eXtinguiShed some papers on the desr
the edges of which had ignited. "If
that ball had not aroused me, where
would my work of months be uow?"
He felt n trifle more kindly toward
his unconscious young tormentors, and
as n physician whom he knew, later
came out of the house next door.
Duryea, at the gate of his own home.
hailed him.
DR.. Warden told him of Miss Mercy
Paxton. whose sweet attractiveness
had remained a pleasing memory in
Duryea's mind.
1--WE fear for her eyes," pronounced
the physician, land are doing the
best we can for her, She should have
a specialist. but the treasury of the
home Is depleted"
Come in," insisted Duryea. 81
want to talk with you" And what he
had to say was under pledge of