The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1922-01-19
BLIND EYES
-
~ DORA NOLAN.

/ who has lett tntoNichnts rtrictlN hi"n'
IN youth develops weakness for thcu
! late In life. That man comes n har'iet
crupper than one who has early SET
foot In the blbulous way. 80 u was
with Niles Grey. "the old lover" as
they call him now In Pleasant Valley
hut Il was no craving for strong
waters that waited tiil past his middle
years before assailing Niles. Il was q
longing Tor romantic love.
The township u Pleasant valley em
braces lake Onc shore ~ II acts
rs boundary for the village OF
Pleasuntville: the other IN swectiy
wooded In front of n grassy plateau,
and on the plateau sits an old brown
farmhouse. untcnanted for Ave years
at the beginning II this story.
Niles Grey was an unbelievable map
who for many years had kept a small
hardware shop In stunted city and
lived In the little room az the rear.
lie remembered very little abou, his
parpn;s. hut an aunt had dinned Into
him the fact that they had died In
destitutlon. having failed a. 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
ceptihly less. like u russell apple after
n cellarcd winter the while his bank
account grrw greater.
Niles ambition had been TO re;ire
nj nifty with enough saved 10 live on
comfortably for the rest ~ bis life.
Lis. most men with the aspiration. he
oycrplayed his limit and II took the
words u an outdoors preacher. which
reached his ears rs he stood on the
doorstep one evening. 20 bring sharply
90 his consciousness that oldest ~
truths-thni man is horn 60 die. and
verify his years are thre---core years
and ten. and if-but Niles knew no
reason why the 'if' should apply to
himself
So Niles sold out his business ami
having always lived In n city. banker
ed for the country. Thus. Ia the course
Of events. showed along bit by an
astute real estate agent. Niles Grey
came TO live In the old brown farm
house on the woods-enclrclcd plateau
above Lake Pleasant
Niles had always kept house for
himself and he continued 90 do NJ.
There was one conclusion at which
Niles thought always arriycd-how
little he had To think about. The many
many days spent In his little shop had
been uneyeniful enough. The depar-
ture ~ one clerk and the hiring OF
another alone divided them into
periods. Many times he ran over the
lis;--and always he stopped when he
came TO Miss Lamb. Why had she
ieft7 II was not 90 be married. he
knew.
because Niles had 50 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.
pltied his lonely life for its emptiness.
Niles wasn't thinking Of the single
women of the village. but about what
his life would have been like II he had
could never be. % course. he bsgan to
wish that Il might have been. That
very evening he walked around To the
Plcasantyille postofiicc 60 mail a let
ter. lie arrived there Just as the mall
was being distributed and the village
news II the day discussed. They were
speaking of Miss Lefty. the towns
dessmaker for twenty years. The
tragedy was that she could be the
dressmaker no more. She had cut cut
the doctors wife's new summer silk
partly ON the wrong slde-and had
broken down and confessed that she
could never have discovered Il herself.
Miss Lefty was In terrible Distress.
for IL meant the poor farm. She had
NJ relatives and there was no way
for a blind woman TO earn a living.
Niles Grey listened. lie sat out late
that night looking down az the lake.
Early next morning Niles again set
out for the village. lie 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 dcllcacy NJ
his errand. lie stumbled Ia his ~
hearsssl Introduction So much that.
while he did notice her pale blue
eyes were rcd a. from recent weep
Ing. he did not rsalize that singular
agitation had come upon her at tie
sound ~ his voice.
Miss Letty strive for the tone II
polite friendliness. "wont you come
In. Mr.. Gregg sic said How have
YOU been all these years since | left
your employT' Bpt her voice ireInbled
as she led the way to "A chair. a1d
she forgot. In he confusion. that mo
longer WAS she good judge az lbs
tnnccs. She tripged over the chair
Niles caugh, Miss Lefty as she was
fnlling--ahd held her. A. her slight
ngurc leaned against him for support