The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1920-11-04


signs noted. Mr.. Sidney was, substi
tuting complacently the will to die fol
the will to live which had been in him
cOnspicuOusly indomitable.
On DR.. BrOwnelPs last visit, he con.
firmed what was in truth a fear
| "Has Mr.. Sidney, to your knowl.
| edge" he asked, recently found a SUI
preme satisfaction in any event?"
"None that / know Of" / said
"Why?"
| Hes changing He is different now
4 from anything ever knew him to be
/ always have believed that bis case
was out Of our province. and that life
| and death, for him, depended upon
resolve and that the resolve had n
| purpose. You have not found things
wholly normal here. have you"
"No, ] haven't" e..
"There is something here" said DR..
Brownell 81 don't know what it is
/ You don't know what it u.s. but de.
pend on it, something of Importance
to Sidney has happened. It may not
| have satisfied his life's resolve. but
I think it has For the present, he
does not, need me-possibly never
again."
Jed observed the change in Mr.. Sid.
ney. Afterward 1 knew that he was
q much more acute observer than /.
for the good enough reason that his
observation had background of
knowledge which I lacked. There was,
no doubt directly as the consequence
of this. ain unbelievable change l."
Jed. He was very fond Of Mr.. Sidney
In our unhappy experiences with him.
we had overlooked this fact and had
failed to use it as we could have. His
affection for Mr.. Sidney was the one
thing greater than his cupidity and
self-love. with their attendant train
of malevolence. violence. surliness,
brutality and treachery.
He was convinced that Mr.. SidEey
was about to die. and the thought
affected him tremendously. He be
came gentle; he abandoned his rasp.
ing manner-which, indeed. he never
had carried into Mr.. Sidney's room.
but which was an intermittent provo
cation elsewhere. He was more than
ever with Mr.. Sidney, and each eve
ming, after the others had gone, they
had a bottle of wine which Jed drank
but he did not go singing down the
halls afterward. He was quiet and
considerable. courteous to Mrs. Sidney
and thoroughly friendly to me.
October went and the brown month
of November took even the white-oak
leaves. and the woods stood in mono.
chrome. Isobel and l rode every
morning, and just before the early SUM-
down we usually took short walk,
to rustic the brown leaves underfOOt
and enjoy the sweetness of crisp air
filled with the OdOrs Of Seemly de-
cay underfoOt. Soon after sunset we
were in Mr.. Sidney's room. He great
~ enjoyed to have the family about
him, not engaged in entertaining him
or waiting on him, but occupied in
any amusement or work that could be
undertaken by his fire.
Jed had a cot moved in and spent
the night with him. He did not want
the nurses to have this office, and as
he was perfectly competent, con-
scented.
It was an intensely happy and in
tensely unhappy experience for me-
Mr.. Sidney, I was convinced, would
not live to the hepatica season. Iso-
bel had permitted him to follow the
changing seasons from spring to Win
ter by bringing him flowers, and his
delight at seeing the first hepatica
had been as great as hers in bringing
it to him.
IsObel could not realize that her ia. |
Their was dying. No one would have
been so brutal as to tell her-or would
it have been brutal? But Mrs. Sid
ney knew, knew, Jed knew and Mr..
Sidney knew-and was happy.
The day before Christmas came with
a driving snow which set in with an
east wind early in the morning. 1t
was a real Christmas snowstorm,
heavy, persistent and driving, but not
unkindly.
In the afternoon Morgan of the
Metropolitan agency came. driving
with difficulty through the drifted
banks of snow in the roads, to see
me again. / was full Of apprehension
as | told Jed to show him in. His
mood was different from what it had
been before, when he almost ragged out
of the house. 1t seemed to me every
bOdy's mood was changing.
Nevertheless a child's fancy came
into my mind. Outside was the storm
through which travelled fierce animals
of northern forest. and here, out OF
the storm, came the werewolf.
Doctor" said Morgan, 1--WE have
done great deaf OF work since i
saw you. told YOU we would. be,
cause the case interested me- We
have traced Mr.. Sidney through every
known operation and act-sO long aa
we can find him as Mr.. Sidney. Every