Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1921-12-03
BLIND EYES
BY DORA NOLAN.

9 1871. By Mcclure Newspaper syndicate
1t often happens with drink A man
who has left iutoNuSnts strictly alone
In youth develops q weakness for them
late in life That man comes a harder
cropper than one who has early set
foot in the blbulous way So il was
with Niles Grey. THE old lover as
they call him now in Pleasant Valley
But it was ms craving for strong
waters IT, waited tin past his middle
years before assaiIiDg Niles. 1t was a
longing for romantic love.
The township Of Pleasant Valley en-
braces a lake one shore of il acts
as a boundary Tor the village of
pleasauWiue. the other is SWeetly
wooded in front Of grassy plateau,
and on The plateau SITS an old brown
farmhouse uutenanted for five years
at the beginning OF this story.
Niles Grey was an unnoticeable man
who for many years had kept small
hardware shop in a stunted city and
lived in the little room at the rear.
He remembered very little about his
parents. but an aunt had dinned into
him the fact thar they had died in
restitution, having failed TO save in
easy times Niles purpose was that
this should not happen TO him. So the
little shop and the little back room saw
Niles hair turn from dusty brown to
dusty gray and his body grow per
ceptibly less. like a russell apple after
cellared winter, the while his bank
account grew greater,
Niles ambition had been to retire
at fifty with enough saved to live on
comfortably for the rest of his life.
Like most men with the aspiration, he
overplayed his limit and ii took the
words of an outdoors preacher. whichs
reached his ears as he stood on the
doorstep one evening, TO bring sharply
to his consciousness that oldest Of
truths-that man is born TO die, and
verify his years are three-score years
and ten, and if-but Niles knew no
reason why the "if' should apply to
himself.
So Niles sold out his business and,
having always lived in city, banker
ed for the country Thus. in the course
of events. showed along a bit by an
astute real estate agent, Niles Grey
came to live in the old brown farm
house on the woods-encircled plateau
above Lake Pleasant
Niles had always kept house for
himself and he continued to do so,
There was one conclusion al which
Niles thought always arrived-how
little he had to think about, The many,
many days spent in his little shop had
been uneventful enough The depar-
ture of one clerk and the hiring Of
smother alone divided then into
periods Many times he ran over the
lis,-and always lie stopped when he
came to Miss Lamb. Why had she
left? 1t was not to be married he
knew.
Because Niles had SO little to think
about he learned TO dream. And the
eligible single women of the village.
looking across the lake and seeing
him sitting there in front Of his house,
pitied his lonely life for it's emptiness.
Niles wasn't thinking Of the single
women of The village, but about what
his life would have been like if ne had
married young And because now il
could never be, of course he began to
wish that it might have been That
very evening he walked around 70 tho
Pleasantyiile postoiiice TO mail a let.
ter. He arrived there just AS the mail
was being distributed and the village
news Of the day discussed They were
speaking Of Miss Lefty, The towns
dressmaker for twenty years The
tragedy was that she could be the
dressmaker no more. She had cut out
the doctors wife's new summer silk
partly on the wrong side-and had
broken down and confessed that she
could never have discovered it herself
Miss Lefty was in terrible distress,
for 1t meant the poor farm. She had
no relatives and there was no way
for a blind woman 10 earn a living.
Niles Grey listened He sat out late
that night looking down at the lake.
Early next morning Niles again set
out for the village. He inquired for
the dwelling place Of Miss Lefty,
knowing her by no other name.
a little woman opened the door. He
was illustrated at knowing only her
given name, and by the delicacy Of
his errand he stumbled in his re-
hearsed Introduction SO much that,
while he did notice her pale blue
eyes we're red as from recent weep
ing. he did not realize that a singular
agitation had come upon her st The
sound Of his voice
Miss Lefty srove for the tone Of
polite friendluess. "Wout .ou come
in. Mr.. Grey?7 size said. How have
YOU been En- these years since I ieft
your enployT Bat her voice remblel
as She ivd the Way 90 4 chair, and
She forgot iii Ter confusion thar dts
longer aas She q good Judge ~ dis
tauces She tr.pped over tHe clair.
er.1g.-. ...e..-F.f sy.s..