The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-10-30

I knew that he vas dying. He had that
strange psaes and tranquility q mind that
enc saw 70 oftsn With dying mn In ths wa.
I Win try 10 Give IN enact account Of WI
braham's narrative: nothing e,sS b Il Inn
portance IN this little story but that nara
tive: can make no somment- i have no
wish toto 20. only want to paa It on a.
he begged me to do.
IF you don't believe me-. hs said give
other people the chance Of doing 50. know
that am dying. I want as many men and
women to have 2 chance Of judging this as
In humanity possible. swear to you that
am telling the truth and the enact truth In
every detail"
Ibesan my account BY saying that was
not oopvincs1
How could b convtneedf
At the same ttms have none Of those
explanations with which people are 30 gen.
srously forthcoming on these occasions I
can only say that do not think wfbraham
vas insane. nor drunk. nor asleep. Nor do
believe that some one played q practical
Whether WiIbraham was insane between
the hours when his visitor left him and his
entrance into the nursing home must leave
to my readers. I myself think he was not
After al. everything depends upon the rel
ative importance that We place upon ambs
ions possessions, emotions-ideas.
Something suddenly became Of so desper-
ate an importance to wfIbraham that moth
ing else at all mattered- He wanted every
one else to see the importance of 1t as he
did That II all
II had been hot and oppressive day; Lon
don had seemed torrid and uncomfortable.
The mere tact that Oxford street was up"
annoyed him. After a slight meal in his fat
he went to the Promenade Concert at Queens
hall 1t was the second night Of the season
Monday night. Wagner night
He bought himself q fve shilling ticket
and sat In the middle of the balcony overlook
ing the floor. He was annoyed again when
he discovered that he had been given a ticket
for the nonsmoking" section Of the bal
cony.
He had heard no Wagner since August
1914. and was anxious to discover the effect
that hearing 1t again would have upon him.
The eject was disappointing. The mussc
neither caught nor held him.
The Meistersinger- had always been q
great opera for him. The third act music
that Sir Henry Wood gave TO him didn't
touch him anywhere. He also discovered
that sx years abstinence had not enraptured
him any more deeply with the rushing nddles
IN the Tannhauser Overture nor with the
spinning music in the Flying Dutchman-
Then came suddenly the prelude to the third
act Of Tristram-" That caught him: the
peace and tranquility that he needed tapped
him round; be was fully satisfied and could
have listened for another hour.
He walked home down Regent street. the
quiet melancholy Of the shepherds pipe &C
compsnying him. pleading him and Tranquil.
living him As be reached his fiat tan o'clock
struck from st. James church. He asked
the porter whether any one had wanted him
during his absence-vhether any one was
waiting for him now-tsome friend had told
him that he might come UP and use his spare
room one night that weak No, no one had
bean. There was one there waiting
Great was his surprise. therefore. when
opening the door Of his nat he found some
one standing there. one hand resting on the
table. his face turned towards the open door
Stronger. however. than wiIbraham's sur
prise was his immediate conviction that he
knew his visitor well. and this was curious
because the face was undoubtedly strange
to him.
II beg yonr pardon wffbraham said, hes
itatins
II wanted to Sc you. the Stranger aid.
smiling.
When Wlhrahsm was telling me this part
Of his story he scanned to be enveoped-"e en-
vsacpsd ID the word that best conveys my
own experience Of him-by some quite radi,
ant happiness. He smiled at me conhden-
tally a. though he were telling me some
thing that I had experienced with him and
thai must give me the same happiness that
II gave to him.
"ousht 10 have expected! Ought to
hsvs knovn-" he 'stammered.
No. you couldn't have known the str.n-
ger answered. you're not lass. knew
when. you would come
Wilbraham told me that during these mo
ments he was ssrrender.ng himself to an
emotion and intimacy and oompanionship
that was the most wonderful thing that he
had ever known. It was that intimacy and
companionship. he told me. for which all his
days ha had been searching. Il was the one
thing that life never seemed TO s1ve: even N
the greatest love- ths deepest friendship.