Part 60 (1/2)
”I've jest come in fer a broom”
”You old reprobate, you, I saw you sneak in there an hour ago, and you've been chawin' the rag to beat the band Think this a barrooes sloay, ain, don't you dare talk so loud”
One by one theeach other upon their happy escape Presently several rangeroup
Conversation becoer subsides, and a hush falls upon thethe wall Bill Nye reaches for his hand, and leads him to a seat on the barrel ”Feelin' better to-day, Charley?” he asks gently
”Ye-es I--think a little--better,” the blindmanner His face wears a bewildered expression, as if he has not yet becoreat o In company with two friends, considerably the worse for liquor, he was passing a house on the outskirts of Allegheny It was growing dark, and they wanted a drink Charley knocked at the door A head appeared at an upper”Robbers!” some one suddenly cried
There was a flash With a cry of pain, Charley caught at his eyes He staggered, then turned round and round, helpless, in a daze He couldn't see his companions, the house and the street disappeared, and all was utter darkness The ground seeive beneath his feet, and Charley fell down upon his faceto his friends But they had fled in terror, and he was alone in the darkness,--alone and blind
”I'lad you feel better, Charley,” Bill Nye says kindly ”How are your eyes?”
”I think--a bit--better”
The gunshot had severed the optic nerves in both eyes His sight is destroyed forever; but with the incomplete realization of sudden calaht only temporarily injured
”Billy,” he says presently, ”when I woke thisit--didn't seem so--dark It was like--a filet better yet,” his voice quivers with the expectancy of having his hope confirmed
”Ah, whatcher kiddin' yourself for,” ”Snakes” interposes
”Shut up, you big stiff,” Bill flares up, grabbing ”Snakes” by the throat ”Charley,” he adds, ”I once got paralyzed in my left eye It looked just like yours now, and I felt as if there was a fil, Charley?”
”Yes, yes, just like that”
”Well, that's the way it ith hter, and now the eye is as good as ever”
”Is that right, Billy?” Charley inquires anxiously ”What did you do?”
”Well, the doc put things inyou some applications, ain't he?”
”Yes; but he says it's for the inflaht That's what the doctors told me You just take it easy, Charley; don't worry You'll couiltily at the unintended expression, but quickly holds up a warning finger to silence the giggling ”sobll Kid” Then, with sudden vehemence, he exclaie of yours on a dark night, I'll choke him with these here hands, so help me! It's a damn shaone to a hospital, that's what I say But cheer up, old boy, you won't have to serve your three years; you can bet on that
We'll all club together to get your case up for a pardon, won't we, boys?”
With unwonted energy the old yegg es of contributions ”Doctor George” appears around the corner, industriously polishi+ng the brasswork, and Bill appeals to hinosis of the blind htless face, as Bill Nye slaps hi jovially, ”What did I tell you, eh? You'll be O K soon, and e the injustice done you,” and with a violent wink in the direction of ”Snakes,” the yegg launches upon a reminiscence of his youth As far as he can re within hi he was reatest joy was an experience of his boyhood He was fifteen then, and living with his ed mother and three elder sisters in a sathered in the large sitting-roo which deeply offended hie he left the house Just as he was crossing the street, he was er in the town The uardedly inquired whether the boy could direct hi pleasantly ”Quick as a flash a brilliant idea struckto his story
”Never short of them, anyhow,” he ree! 'you mean a whore-house, don't you?' I ask the fellow Yes, that's anted, my man says 'Why,' says I to hiht across the street? That's the place you want,' and I point out to him the house where the old lady andaround the table, expectant like--waiting for oes, knocks on the door and steps right in I hide in a dark corner to see what's coh, presently the door opens with a bang and so comes out with a rush, and falls on the veranda, and irls, every blessed one of them, out with flatiron and dustpan, and biff, baff, they rain it upon that thing on the steps I thought I'd splitBy an' by I return to the house, and mother and sisters are kind of excited, and I says innocent-like, 'What's up, girls?' Well, you ought to hear 'e that came to the house and insulted us with--' they couldn't even ot , I wish you was here when that nasty old thing came up'”
The boys are hilarious over the story, and ”Doctor George” motions reet my friend, whoation