Love and Reason. OR A MAN OF WEAK INTELLECT.

Free Lance, Volume II, Issue 94, 19 April 1902, Page 16

Love and Reason. OR A MAN OF WEAK INTELLECT.

JKRUKALkM'" exclaimed Mi Guj Shdip, at Ins breakfast table one morning, as lie \\ as> perusing a lettei that had just come by post We are m luck, Edith, at last." What is it. J " calmly inquired. Mis. Sharp who never got excited, knowing, db she did, that excitement was bad toi Ikm complexion Have you struck the winner in one of Tatters-all's sweeps, or made a coup at mining h" Bettei tluui am thing, in the shape of sweeps 01 mining " cued her husband getting up from Ins chan , and dancing round tlu loom, waving the lettei tnumpha,ntl\ ou-r Ins head It's a splendid annmtv ItV wealth be\ oncl the di earns ot a\ ance " Well for goodness' sake postpone tins high-kicking ballet foi the piesemt Sit down and tell me what it is all about " said Mrs Shaip Listen to this letter," said Mi Cru> Sharp 'It is from my brother, the noh brother yon know the chap that has no brains is of weak intellect did not know enough to come m when it rained vet ever\ thing he touched turned to gold He must be worth something like a hundred thousand pounds. He writes to me thus ' 'As \ou are awaie I have ahvavs been rather weak m the head, and my money or rather the care of it, has become somewhat of a nightmare to me I wish \ou could persuade EditJi to consent to mv pi oposal that you and she should come and live with me, and take charge of this money, which quite bothers my poor head and makes it ache ' " Despite her resolve never to allow hexself to be excited Edith Sharp came perilously near having a. fit when her husband read this extract from his brother's letter She knew, none better of Geoffrey Sharp's wealth she knew how weak-minded her brother-in-law was, for she had frequently, to use her husband's- slang expression, touched him for a hundred or two But to have the sole control and management of his great wealth 1 It seemed too good to be true Of course, the request of Geoffrey was, most graciously complied with, and, in a few days, Mr. and Mrs. Guv Sharp weie comfortably installed in the house of their brother of the weak intellect. Mr. and Mrs. Guv Sharp gave splendid parties and balls whilst Geoffrey remained in his own part of the establishment, and read books, and smoked an. occasional cigar. At times his weak intellect would be attracted bv the lights and the music, and he would come into the hall and peep into the ball-room, and the supper-room, at, the guests dancing and eating It was all very stiange and unintelligible to him. He could" not understand it but he supposed it was all rierht for he knew thait his brother and his sister-in-law were sensible persons and he well he knew that he had a weak intellect and he w r as content So were Mr. and Mrs. Guy Sharp At times some of the guests would catch a glimpse of the big powerfullooking Geoffrey sneaking through the. hall and would ask Mis Sharp who he wa« Edith would sigh and say that he was her brother-in-law, a poor relation who was off his head and whom they suonorted out of charity. The kind and sympathetic °"vests did think that he looked a little dotty "off hij? onion " and shaky in the earret Win did not Mrs Sharp see about gettine him into a lunatic asylum 9 — it would be e\cr <. o much better for him and for her These things to hear did Edith Sharp seriously incline but when she mentioned the matter to hei husband that usually easv-goine ffentlema'i emphatically refused 'Hans it all Edith " he said cro^slv to her cin't let well alone ? The poor ch,n> pays the niper and allows us to o ill <-]»o tune whit more do yon want 5 He never annoys yon and T c< rt-unh will be no party to locking him up in an asylum the yen nlace in which a weak intellect would be certain to develon into nronounced insanity " But Kchth Shaip was haunted b\ a fear that some da\ even her brother-in-law's weak intellect might strengthen, and then good-bye to the life and foitune which had become so pleasant to her Mr Gu\ Sharp however was adamant whenever the question of the confinement of his bi other m a lunatic asylum was bioached He rarely ran counter to his wife's plans but m this ease no argument that she could use had power to mmc him So matters remained until, one da\ , b-\ tho merest chance Edith Sharp heaid of an institution m one of the suburbs which, she hoped w ould effect her purpose without shocking her too sensitive husband's sensitive scruples Thw was a Home for the Mentally Afflicted Home sounded better " than asylum and indeed, was a more appiopriate title, as the patients might be said to be there voluntarily, or, at any rate they were not confined against their will. No direct restraint was placed upon them but to each inmate a nurse was allotted as a companion

Tho uui-be looked attei, watched, and entertained hea partioulai patient. These patients, weie reaJl} weak of intellect, not violent, and the Home » effective, without having any of the drawbacks ot a lunatic asylum Cleaily, thought Edith Sharp, this wa& the place tor her poor afflicted biothei-m-law . Guy Shaip made a teeble piotest but was eventually bi ought round. As for Geoff rev himself, ho was, willing to agieo to an\ thing He consideied that he had placed himself unie&ei vedlv in tho hands of his dear lelatnes, and had absolved himself of all 1 osponsibihtv ay to his future and his foitunc Mr ami Mr- Guv diove him out to tho Home and left him theie Then, at last Kdith felt socuie in hei position He will be much better off theie poor idiot " she said to her husband, as thoA diove back And we can enteitain propei lv without having that wrotohcd skeleton con.stantlv popping out of the eupboaid. Guv. I flunk we ought to go to Englandthis year, to see the King's Coronation " Guv only grunted. He did not think tliat tliev had done the right thing bv poor Geoffrey but he loved ease and comfort and hated nagging— and, as he generally def cried to Ins wife's superior wisdom, he supposed it was all light The Home for the Mentally Afflicted was. m fact, such a home, a oleasant mansion, situated in one of the most picturesque and bieezy suburbs. Tho nurses and the patients had no strong line of demarcation between them, and were in the main as great, friends as the mental condition of the latter permitted. The nurse who had Geoffrey Sharp in her particular care was a young woman about twenty-three yeais of ace petite and decidedly pretty with soft brown eyes and a gentle winsome manner that was irresistible. She was well educated and highly intelligent and in marked contrast to her patient who wa* a tall, broad-shouldered man of immense strength. Edith and Guv came once or twice to inquire after Geoffrey then their visits ceased, and only the necessity of forwarding the monthly chenue to the Home recalled him to their minds So far ai.s they were concerned. Geoff rev Sharp had ceased to exist. On the other hand, it was onh now that Geoffrey Sharp began to live. The pleasant face, tender care, and gentle manner of his nui&e fed his weak intellect so that it dailv grew stronger Geoffrey, by degrees, lost his semi-im-becile manner, and began to take an interest in life. In brief, sympathy, care, forbearance and affection nursed his weak intellect into sanity His innocence and tract-ability was not vv ithout its impression upon his little nurse and &h Geoffrey drifted back to leason. the two of them drifted unconsciously into love. ' I've been thinking. Emily " he said to her one day I am here in this home in order that I may get cured of my weak intellect mid you aie always with me to see that I do not get into harm. lam well enough now to mmele ■wtith the outside world am I not?' ' You certainly are." she replied earnestly 'I think you aie perfectly cured." But I may have a i elapse at any time " he continued taking her hand "and I should want my little nurse then Emily there are other homes than this Will you share mine so that I may alw a\ s have my nurse with me in case T should i elapse into weakness of intellect °" After confiding m the mat) on and the visiting medical men. Geoffrey and Emily were quietly married on the day upon which Mr and Mis Guv Sharp gave a grand farewell ball prior to then departure for London to be present at the Coionntio'i of tho King Tho next morning. Mr. and Mrs. Geoffiev Sharp presented themselves much to Kdlth's anno.v ance You should not have brought him here nurse/ she said angiilv. Iga\e special instructions that he was not to be brought here. It's very tnesome especially as we aie making all our pieparations to go home to the Coronation. Take him back at once do you hear- I shall certainly report voui nealect of duty to the matron'" •One moment Edith " said Gooftiev and there was a firmness in his voice that his sister-in-law had nevoi hoaid thero before A presentiment of coming evil chilled hei bones and blanched her cheeks You and Guv I have learnt intend taking a trip to England Do so I will pay the expenses and will henceforth manage my own affairs Upon your return I will settle an annuity of £200 a year upon a ou " "What 1 " sci earned Edith 'are you mad 3 " "No " said Geoffrey quietly "thanks to this lady I have become sane " 'This ladv 1 " sneered Edith "T shall report this lady " "It will be unnecessary " returned Geoffrey, "this lady has severed her connction with that Home to become tho mistress of this This lady is nn wife'"— Edmund Finn m Melbourne "Punch "

Mr. Geo. Frost, the present Mayor of Mehose, has decided not to seek re-elec-tion, and, by advertisement elsewhere, explains his reasons. During the five and a-half years he has 1 been in the Council, and especially during the two and a-half years he ha& been mayor, Mr Frost has, exerted himself energetically to further the interests, of: Melrose. He has been, too, an enthusiastac supporter of the Greater Wellington movement believing that the progress of Melro&e depends upon its amalgamation with the city. Mr. Frost feels he can do moie to further the cause he has at heart by remaining out of the Council foi the piesent. Related was. it of Jay Gould ( ?) that hn handwriting was so bad as to be illegible to the old man himself. A lettei of his replying to an application for employment on one of his numerous railways, was, on the strength of the signature, used by the recipient as a pass over the line for many years In later days the typewriter has done much to prevent fraud and mistakes formerly ti ace/able to bad writing. Had J.G. used a ' New Century" machine his reputation as a letter writer would be better to-day. New Century typewriters, the latest from Yankee-land are sold only by the New Century Typewriter Company, of Victoria-street Wellington Trousers, in up-to-date patterns, and raadv-mada from five and eleven Pick your own pattern, and have them made to fit from half-a-guinea. This is what the New- Zealand Clothing Factory 57