Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1920-09-10
CHAPTER vI-continued.

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DR.. Brownell suggested the winter
trip to the South. Mr.. Sidney's vital
fty needed careful nursing. It was i'm
portant to protect him from winter
rigors, even as they could be modified
in sickroom The doctor said he
himself felt the need of a change. He
prescribed one for both his patient
and himself He and Mr. Sidney made
the arrangements. Mrs. Sidney and
Isobel were to go.
Arrangements went ahead rapidly,
and a sense of desolation increased
within me- Romantic folly came to its
accounting. The fairy story was to be
ended without youths necessary ''They
lived happily ever after"
The yacht came up to it's, mooring
and lay by the landing for a week
while the provisioning was being cared
for. Hundreds of bottles of Mr.. Sid
ney's line wines were put on board
for the unspeakable Jed.
Isobel was eagerly anticipatory. Mrs.
Sidney, I thought seemed merely to
be resigned, with trepidation.
Doctor Brownell said he was depriv-
ing me of an interesting voyage. If he
did not go, should have been needed,
but he thought it important for his
efficiency that he conserve his strength
over the winter, and he asked me to
act as one Of his assistants.
That was flattery. 1t was intended
to be so.
Mrs. Sidney was the one who of
-fered me the real balm.
"Jchn," she said, 1--WE shall want
you with us. We shall miss you"
Don't you think, Mrs. Sidney" l
suggested, shat now we can consider
this fiction terminated?"
"You mean your engagement to Iso-
beI?
Surely"
'No. please" she said. "On the
boat there will be no problems. The
community is too compact and must
be considerable But when we come
back. I'll need you just as before"
IsobeI said
"Good-by, John. Be at the landing
when we return. You'll be the first
person | want to see"
I ought not 10 have been SO discon-
solate These were fair portents, but
a portent does little to console loss.
I stood on the little dock and watched
the yacht go down the river. And
when it had disappeared below the
point of land south of the pool, all the
world was sad and life had no pros
poets to give it value.
Charles drove me to the city. I was
bit of human driftwood for a week.
It did not matter that they were com
ing back They were gone; that was
the disaster. 1t was in the present I;
the future is too ambiguous for conso-
lation or comfort
I went through a winter of ecstatic
distress, trying to be efficient in my
discharge of professional duties for
Doctor Brownell and to be profession
ally composed in aspect and mind. l
had an anguished delight in my expert
ences My loneliness was my most
acute pain and my most cherished
comfort. I did not want to profane
the emotional solemnity of so much
unhappiness by subjecting it frequent
ly to the banal touch of sociable life
in the ordinary. Il was a joy to be
profoundly unhappy
l had letters from the enchanted
party in the South. Mrs. Sidney wrote
twice a week with great affection. Mr..
Sidney once a week dictated to Jed a
letter, cordial and jocular. for me. Oc-
casionally Jed added a sheet for him
self, kindly or rasping as the mood
had him at the time.
Isobel also wrote but with the great
est eccentricity. While they were at
Palm Beach l had letter day from
her for four days. Then 1 had none
for two weeks, although they remained
at Palm Beach She made the post
man a tragedian for me.
In one letter this virginia. imp wrote
as if 1 were her lover, and that letter
was as the song of the meadow lark
from a snow-covered field in March,
as the odor of lilacs on warm night
in May.
The Sidneys went to the Bahamas,
but did not remain there. They wrote
me that Mr.. Sidney was well. Doctor
Brownell was convinced that all were
the better. himself included, for their
experiment and that Mr.. Sidney's con-