AN OCULAR DELUSION.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 5904, 8 August 1890, Page 4

AN OCULAR DELUSION.

IBY FRATSK ROWAKD EOWE.I

CHAPTER 111

morehkad's story

Mr John Short, merchant and sportsman, sat ou the back verandah of his residence in Graraercy Park, one evening in the latter part of June. 1889. Mr John Short was a bachelor of forty, who, with his maiden sifter, kept, the house just as it had been left at the deaths of their parents. Mr John Short was devoted to three things— hunting, fishing, and the dry-goods houfco of Short, Dubarry.. & Co. He was now the hoad of the firm, as his father had been before him, and he was proud, as his father had been, of tho credit tho old house maintained. . Half tho year ho spent with his fielnngtacklo and his guns. Tho streams of the Adirondaeks were familiar with his rod and bisket. The thickets of the New Brunswick woods had often resounded to the crack of his rifle. The keel of his yacht almost yearly ploughed the waters off the Norwegian coast, where bo went for bis salmon fishing. He was sitting, as I say, on thelverandah smoking his post-prandial cigar, when his friend, Louis Morehond, was aunounced. Immediately after, that gentleman came out to him—a tall, handsome man in the prime of life, dressed in evening costume. ♦' How :lo you do, Louis?" •' How do you do, John f" The greetings were accompanied by a quick but cordial grasping of hands. Mr. Morehead throw himself into a large easy chair opposite his friend's, with the manner of a man who ftels himself at home. He was supplied by the servant with a cigar and a light. . "What's on for to-night, Louis.' queried Mr. Short, when the servant had withdrawn and loft the two friends together. . , " I'm going over to my sister n to dinner. They have a few friends to-night. She and Miir'iun go to-morrow to their cottage in N,-v. porL I've stopped in a moment to talk it I'it of business with you. "When do you sail ?" " Tn about three weeks.'

" Shall you no on tho yacht ?" "No. Thompson will take her over. I shall go by steiimer. I must spend eomn weeks in London. I shall join tho Hesperus at Cowos about the end of July. Have you made up your mind that your clients can get along without you r I trust so, old man." " No," s:iid Morehead, shortly. He rubbed his chin with his hand dubiously for a moment, and then began : " But—"

"Yes?" , . , "John, I want you to do something tor me." •'Name it." " You know young Fred Ewing in my •'Man with the back and shouldersF " I want you to take him to Norway with you this year." " Let mo tell you about him first before yon answer. " Heave ahead." "Young K-.ving came to tne four years net), fresh from "Yale College. Ho is a iinriford boy, and his father, who is doid, iiMd to be a' client of mine. It was this connection that brought him to me. He was admitted to tho bar nearly two years iieo and has already given evidence of the p<i«c-won of great talent. He will be at tho head of the profession, «>mo day." ■• I trust so,"' interjected Mr bhort, dryly, at this point. _ " He is a splendid specimen of the moi.< nine in cnrpurcniw. You spoke about his backandohoulderf. just Jimv. Theyaresuperb, are they not'r You'll travel a long journey neffno *y°u £ipo ■ slie!l illlot^cr - ut reti earned them by hard work. The last two rears he was in college he was centre rush ai'id Stroke oar. ' He caino pretty near a fluke in couwnueiH".-, when he was up for graduation," laughed Mr Morehead. ~ " Oh, then there is a Haw in this paragon. I began to fear your protege was too much a combination of Sanford and Morton to suit

"Yes. Fred has his faults, as you shall li«ar. "'But while I'm on the subject of his virtues lot me mention one other. He is a c-anital'sailor. l f y ou b' ra,lt Ino tne favor I u."k, I wunt him to go over on the yacht with Thompson. He'll find him a valuable addition to tho ship's company." "Ami his faults* Let's sco if I can stand him first." " That brings me, said alorohead, "to the reason I have for preferring this request, and the special interest I take in having it granted." "Of course, you know, if you have a Bpecial interest, Louis, that Hetties it. Tho ••Thank you old friend, but ' hear me out,' as our" old acquaintance Silas Wetfg would put it. You know my sister, Mrs Travis, and her daughter Marion ?" " The ' Jhu.r Etoiks'i' Yes." " lJa !" smiled Morehoad, "the gos.«ip of the clubs has penetrated oven to yon, you old anchorite, eh •■ Well, tho sobriquet iri-w out of :i poem printed in one of the weekly papers. The author of that poem i» my paragon. There you have one of his faults." . ~ " A nasty one, too,' commented Mr

"Just so"' iwsented tho other. "But let me hasten on, or I shall have Elizabeth in my hair for being Into. My niece entered .society last winter. She was formally presented at a reception and ball given at her mothers house. Elizabeth is very proud' of her (laughter and of her daughter's beauty. It goes without Baying, fiho is ambitious for her. So no ettort was" snared to make this presentation bull a KU-cesH. All the world and his mother were there. I too!: advantage of tho occasion to introduce mv young friend, Ewiug. Ho Las worked Vury hard the past four yoara uud has seen ill most no eooiety since he left. '•ollego. So I took him up and presented "And he was keeled over at tho first shot. I see." An amused gri.i overspread Sir Short's homely features. " It's all very well to laugh at love, went on ilorehead, " and to call it a di-easc that one will recover from. I suppewo it is a disease. At least, it's an ailwent. So , a seasickness. But you wouldn't want your mortal enemy to svtfer from that veiy 10ng , ." " Is he badly hit:" " Gut all the symptoms in their worst form, ile did pretty well lit first. I think ho hud wine hope that he might win her. Poor devil, I did what I could to warn him. oft, but, of course, that was no use. Well, about a \ve>:k ago my niece was betrothed t.i that oM humbug, ijtuyvo'freherne." ehortfihru aged Ms shoulders in expressive silence. '■ Of coat—;, Trehcrne was bound to got ; her if lie wanted her. Neither Marion nor her inuther would In-fitiUo a moment. I'or that matter I don't know who would. But the buy is floored by it." " Olf his feedir" ••And his sleep and hia work as well. He'll be wck if something isn't done. I know it looks odd to talk about a greal six foot gladiator like that being «ck for love. But i believe it in these big, clean-blooded men tbut get the disease in its moat malignant form. Now here's the point. Men like JiAving don't die, but they do sometimes go to ihifdevil, in it <-"'isis like this. Now Frtd is too good material to waste. 1 know his father—an truest man and my friend. His mother is ;w owett an old lady ac you want to see, and this id her only son. Besides .Cm fond of Fred, liiuise'?. I i'oel that I am, in a sciiMu, rcspouhiblo for the wholo thing. T must rescue him if I can. Now you aro in poahwiiun of all tho facia. Mow what do yon cay '"'' "What I tiiid boiorc you begun. If you μ-q interested in having , him go with me, of <xmr.ie lie ahull. But will he go I'" "I'll talk with him about it to-iuor-row. Ho will see the point. I think it's his only chance. He will be veiy grateful for"it, 1 have no doubt. But I must hurry over to my sinter's. Good night, .Tohii!" Both gentlemen stood up and grasped hands. " Good night, Louis !" "John, you're a trump." " .Noiifiutso! But I wish you were going with ÜB." And he folio»ved his friend into tho hall. (TO BE CONTINUED.)