Evening star., 1920-04-25


| He maybe waited half minute.
| Even we could seem to feel the soul
hook he was poking up against the
4 brothers. Finally he pushed into the
pot the simple sum that called.
| Did he feel" that there was nush
out against him?
Games do them good
They are passionately attached to
dominoes. chess, checkers. And, what
was queerer yet. it seemed to me, was
| this reyerence-what call it?-until l
| learned the facts.
Games saved their lives.
Some say, their souls the Brus-
sells man said low.
A blinded Belgian Merchandising
two eyes shot out and neatly healed
up-sat ainilessly in the hospital.
without family. property or means to
earn living. So he rocked back and
forth and muttered: my God! my
Cod"
1t was in 1915, say, before they
had steel helmets.
A beautiful woman slipped into his
hand a domino. How do they know
| the girls are beautiful? They shiver
| as the fair saints touch their shoul-
| der This one did not care solitary
hoot. but felt the domino with the
perfunctory curiosity--the pathetic
politeness of the newly blinded.
Then came to his face wan smile.
| as If handing lump of sugar to the
angel of goodness. to reward her.
ITEMS" he said. "a five.'
IT was no common domino. but
| new kind from America, unknown to
Europe at that moment-the kind
that Winifred Holt brought to
France. They were dominoes for the
blind. articulated as well as raised,
in a row. while blind mans hands
feel over them without mussing up
the game. They can even be played
in bed without falling apart.
i "A five" he unused. His smile was
almost honest.
| there is a man here who esteems
he is a player"
He shook his head.
HE is not blind" he answered.
You are right" she said; "the man
has lost his eyes but he is not blind
Pardie., then I'm not, either"
on-your Champion"
4 + i
The beautiful woman was the queen.
The stoolpigeon (who certainly
played a great game. because he could
lose as easily as win-and do it
rightD. was one who became an
elder brother. the millionaire Jew,
blind fifteen years back from a gun
explosion shooting grouse.
The victim of the plot Of love had
made three creditable tentatives at
suicide-a blind man is handicapped,
but tnke all of them) had hopes
tenacious hopes. (The war proved
amply. especially in the early years.
that blindness. when you begin it, is
to want to die.)
The queen. they say, possesses a
domino that saved nine lives from
, suicide In three months
These women! The youthful count
ess was girl just out of convent
school Before the war she never
eron.. Or Miss G.. or Mile. de
q. They're like the fair saints
They carry dominoes like holy
J relics.
] And. sometimes. poker deck.
TO such one the surgeons came.
"Wtll YOU take this MANI" they said
He has lost two eyes. his left arm
from the elbow. and TWO fingers of
the right hand. He was all doubled
up And silent. His poor fingers
were-iike that. She prayed to
man She Just slipped the domino
Into his three good fingers.
ITEMS. he said, "a four!"
All or which was SO long ago that
these seH-reliant, sassy business men
have almost forgotten it.
finishing or course was the visit
world. sst 8. !. .-s7''
She is an American blind girl, of
whom the public has never heard q;
word. young. beautiful. an orphan and
an heiress -
She pretends that she is not blind.
Adorable courage. The year the war.
broke out. when she was eighteen,
she had five servants a lady com
panion and reader-secretary, in the
palatiaT Paris fiat which her dying
horses. autos. opera box and doubt
less has them. She wears porcelain
eyes of deep and liquid blue to match
her blonde beauty and deceive the
world.
With the lady compaion. she makes
and receives calls. enjoys matinees..
runs the shops. takes tea at Colum-
bins and the big dressmakers' and
does her morning footing" in the
Bois.
| AT the hotel in Brussels, where she
stayed. she would enter the parlors
lace at her wrist, elbow or shoulder
scarcely brushing against the lady
companion for contact, wireless di-
rection.
None in the Brussels hotel. till the
last days, knew she was blind. While
one of those circular sofas, the girl
would stand a moment. pretending to
glance neg1igently around, erect,
laughing careless No one could guess
that her knee was seeking the edge
of the sofa. while one hand gained
knowledge of exact orientation from
the lady companion's fan. before she
! dared to risk sinking down with lazy
grace beside her!
At the Club of Blinded Heroes she
whispered audlbly. they say. to the
full-sighted young gentleman, who
accompanied her: 'tOh, how I should
like to dance! dance quite nicely."
OF course, it was in the plat. They
knew her for the wonderful blind
girl, of course; but that she should
.. have nerve to try to dance and ask
the prince-why. this got on the
blinded heroes self-possession. and
they rubbered. rubbered. all agog to
catch the laughing lads good work
, of simulated embarrassment. hesita-
tion. dawning confidence to risk It.
They knew that the lady companion
nodded brightly to hlm-dance her!
It is well to have all business worked
up to least details when you act a
comedy to benefit blind ones like
these, And all young blind men are
just like them.
The lady companion slipped to the
| pfano and began the tuneful fox
trot, Peaches Down in Georgia."
MAY II" asked Prince Charming.
The prettiest blind girl in the world
looked up to him with the loveliest
blue eyes In the world and of they
went, the kindly lad and the sweetest
dancer in the world.