The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-03-14
LONELY LIFE
CHAPTER XVII

CHAPTER XVII
Paris slipped quietly into the
work OF the hospital, The place
seemed at once familiar and a re-
Huge. Kings Row had terrified him
Rt first. Through the years Of his
absence he had remembered 1t with
sort Of fllial affection. 1t had been
shock, q most unsettling shock to
come without any preparation what
ever upon the actual truth. He felt
that his most treasured memories
had betrayed him.
Inside the great asylum all Of
this feeling left him. This was
known territory. He was rather
astonished at first to see how SUI
perioe all American equipment
was. The scrupulouS hygiene, the
smooth efficiency in all mechan-
ical and material phases Of admin
istratton, were professional de-
light after the poverty and some
times almost impossible working
conditions Of comparable inStitu-
lions he had seen abroad.
Or. Nolan had welcomed him so
warmly that he had almost sense
Of homecoming. DR.. Nolan, he
found, was intelligent and pro-
gressive. The general STAFF was
not well enough trained. Paris
saw at once the evil hand Of poll
ties. But he thought little Of this
At the time. He found himself
HNA AN1nIl hnyn hA-
lieved possible.
outside the asylum" as Kings
Row continued to call the State
Hospital, he was less happy. He
had no points Of contact with old
acuuaintanceS. Drake had been
his real concern. Paris saw him
three or four times q week. With
out Drake suspecting 1t In the
least, he had begun the applica-
ton Of all that he knew to a
restoration Of personality. So far
everything went well. Drake was
at times almost like the tmpudent,
half-jeering lad who had said
goodby to him at the station more
than five years before.
4 Drake was now definitely started
in business. Randy's own project
for the retaining Of the old neg
Eected creek bottoms had been put
into effect. Randy was to do the
actual outside work. Drake was
made to feel That the entire adj
ministration of the undertaking
was his own.
Snow was flying over the hard
frozen earth before Paris began
to feel that he was really settling
into his own place. Yet with most
Of the townSfolk he felt uneasy.
They were impressed with his
charming manners as they had
always been; newly impressed
with his deep seriousness; a little
bewnGered by his foreign ways.
They did not know that he was
shy, In Kings Row, as he had
never been before.
In Herr BerdorH, his old music
teacher and pastor at the little
0erMAn parsonage, he found a
friemd. But visits there, evenings
vita Drake and Randy, and self.
1oatMR work ct the hospital and
with Dr.. Nolan, were not enough
To dispel The uneasineSS he felt
the fear Of returning TO old
haIMnts. Too sharp were his re-
membranes Of his old home: Of
Renee and the secret lake.: Of
DR.. Tower; Of Cassie and that
evening before her death.
Too disturbing. too. were events
like the argument he had with
the Reverend Cole Of Presbyterian
Church - his old church, services
attended with his grandmother so
well remembered. Cole was q
bigot, he decided, and no man to
be leading idle minds. They met
in the once of banker Patterson
,Lawee, and before many moments
their words were sharp, with
Cole quoting Scripture and Paris
retaNating.
"I've read the Bible - in four
languages. suspect 1t has its
place as much in my work, sir, as
ir your own"
That winter DR.. Henry Gordon
died, and Paris was surprised to
md himself one Of the honorary
pallbearers.
It was the largest funeral Kings
Row had ever seen, with the
Presbyterian church crowded to
the last seat Of the high gallery.
Paris endured the penance, for
his belligerence, Of hearing the
Reverend Cole preach a lengthy
service on "a great physician who
was also humble man Of God"
Paris, certain that most OF 1t
was directed at his own head, let
his attention wander. He noticed
that Louise was not present. Per-
haps she was LII. He remembered
that she had never cared very
deeply for her father, probably
had never forgiven him for
separating her from Drake. Still,
II was strange that she wasn't
there, although Mrs. Gordon's
grief seemed to compensate for
the absence.
After the funeral Paris left the
cemetery on foot. 1t was stony
cold day, and the afternoon was
darkening rapidly.
He stopped before the little