Evening star., 1924-05-11
By A. S. M. HUTCHINSON

fusing to do, the dragon commanded
him to remain in the sitting room
and departed. cracking.
Next tho house was entered by 4
doctor, carrying a black bag even
more sinister than the brown bag oF
the cracking dragon, and there fol
lowed now for Edward, incarcerated
in. the sitting room and hearing al
ways mysterious sounds and som
times very lamentable and heart
breaking sounds, an evening more
terrible than any he had ever mag
ined.
He knew that Clarry was in most
dreadful extremity; and for the rea-
son that his imagination never yet
had approached this extremity that
was hers, he explored it now With
| the terrors of one awakening to find
| himself entombed. He was assured
| that Clarry must die. Sometimes he
| prayed and sometimes-did not pray;
| sometimes, bowed upon the table, in
| impotence he beat his head upon his
| hands; sometimes, pacing the floor, in
dread he held his breath and paused
| to listen.
| He was thinking now over his vi}c
| behavior in the matter of that lamen-
table business of the hat; and he was
wondering II Clarry, dying, was re-
membering his abominable conduct
then displayed toward her; and he
| was in the last depths of misery and
/ grief; and then to his extreme terror
he heard the doctor departing. Going
| without speaking to him! Was i
that he did not wish to break the
| news? He blundered to the door ard
in his agitation scarcely could open
| it; and then opened it and caught the
| doctor.
"Hullo" said the doctor. ''Didrt
know you were in. Thought they'd
! turned you out Well. it's all gone
| splendidly. She's fine. You're a
happy father and all that. Congratu-
late you. Son and heir. Splendid.
what! Good night, good night
LIE returned to the sitting room.
- Inexpressible tumult disorgan-
| lied him. He first was on his knees
| in gratitude. He next was on his
| feet in ecstasy. Clarry. A son. He
| was there hours as il appeared TO
| him, torn by these new stresses.
| plunged from them back to his earlieT
I anguish, then to his new tuinuits
| again, before, at last, message cane
to him to release him.
| The cracking dragon cracked in,
and told him, grudgingly, that he
might now go upstairs for one minute
And no talk, please
Then he went into the room and
even the cracking dragon, noticing
his face as he came in and perhaps
taking compassion on him, went and
cracked herself out in the passage.
and Mrs. Hunt went with her; and
he was alone with the stupendoGs
and exquisite mystery that was here.
And when he saw Clarry lying on
the bed, and when he saw lying upon
her lovely arm and held against he-
darling breast the man-child that 4
mystery and in agony she had de-
livered out of her body 10 him, he
| knew then that she was the Eighth
| Wonder of the World; and the wonde-
and glory of her and the miracle aHG
| mystery of her engUlfed him and
overcame him; and he fell on his
knees by the bed, and bowed down
| his head and cried very much, with
real tears, dripping; and once ne
cried q don't know why) ''Oh, ny
Godr'; and once he said, very broken
", You are wonderful, wonderful;
and soon after that they cracked in
to him from the passage and got him
out and pushed him down the stairs.
and he went down wiping his eyes
because his eyes were streaming
That is all. But the point is that
he now knew clearly and definitely
what until now he had never definite
ly known, though frequently sur
missed. And on the very next morn
ing, as he was proceeding 70 n
ONCE, his head enormously high aai
his chest enormously extended, ar.
as he was perceiving his son, in ste
cessive pictures, as commander
chief OF the British army, first sra
lord, poet laureate, president CT he
Royal Academy, lord chancellor ami
Archbishop Of Canterbury. and pas
debating within himself which OF the
insignia of these was least unwcrths
to be borne upon the breast Of H..
son (then weighing seven pounds ana
fourteen ounces)-as he was doing al
this, there came UP to him one who
accosted him and said, "Hullo, B-y
ant, haven't seen you for years ID
you remember me? I'm Gilray 81
Jove, do you know, believe the las.
time I saw you was two years ago
at the Excelsior Literary Society.
when they put up competition fer
the best essay on the Eighth wondc-
of the World. ] got the first prize.
you know"
by Jove," said Edward, "you n
welcome to it, old man. l got the
| Eighth Wonder"
| Copyright, 1s24.)