WITHIN LIFE'S SPAN.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1741, 5 May 1913, Page 6

WITHIN LIFE'S SPAN.

FATE'S FASHIONING

THE COUNTRY OF THE BLIND. [BY MEM MERE.], Tho little Scotchman, Fraser, who had for many days occupied a bed at the top end of Ward X in Wellington's Public Hospital, was not certain even when Otto Olafssen first came into tho institution. There was, indeed little in the happenings in the ward that escaped tho bright, dark eyes of Fraser, be it day or night, but the Swede's drifting up from the sea of health on to thoso sands of physical unfitness had been unobtrusive past understanding. Squarely .built, liko most of his race. Otto, just past middle life, with his rosy pink complexion, looked at fust glance as if his in tlio Sick 'World must bo a jest on tho part of the authorities. A littlo closer scrutiny and' tho riddle was self-explained. Tho clear blue eyes were setting into a fixed stare of vacancy. Otto was just in that borderland between the light and utter darkness—his last slight power of sight was waning. Many sad tales of life's uneven pathways are unfolded within hospital precincts —stories of battle against Fates grim tallying; a tide of misfortune mounting inch by inch, till the last vital sparlc is all but submerged, and tho struggle ends by the wreckage drifting in. Sad though Eraser's own story was, and saddor still as were his prospects, Otto's talo moved hiiu to consoling commiseration. Less than a decade previously tho hapless Swede was tho owner of a small sheep farm in the Wairarapa, happy and contended in his home. The relentless finger of Fate first touched him in the loss of his helpmate; later, another touch, and his only son met with a fatal accident; and a continuing pressure of the relentless finger in bad seasons and tho 'little sheep farm was swallowed up. From a freo farmer Otto becamo a hired labourer, and was sturdily re-es-tablishing himself when Fate took another/ tilt at the creature of its piny, and Otto suffered an injury to an oyo which almost destroyed its lhe other eye became affected; wors was impossible, and Ohiro Home became his home. There was a hope, tho doctors saidi and an operation was to be tried. "An' canua ve see at all?" asked Fraser, as Otto stood perplexed one day, waving his stick from side to side trying to find his course down th© ward by beating against the iron legs of tho beds. "Joost a leedie light dis last dreo months," and the > vacant eyes turned towards tho direction of tho questioner. "Dey've been tho biggest of dreo months in my-life. At the Home I deed know the way about beforo dis come on, but I do not know eet here." So afterwards when Otto in tho morning emerged from tho side room • where he slept, and stood pitifully groping his way at tho ward doorway, Fraser, like an officer of militia, would call out directions to him. "Come oot o' tha-at." Erasers voice would bo raised, as Otto was heading straight on for tho side-wall. "T'o yero left noo, Olafssen. Tha-at's riclit. fitrnught ahoid. Whoa! Richt wheel!" It was perhaps an exceptionally blind day, and . Otto would completely lose his bearings, and become confused by the commands. Ever smiling though, he would wave his stick round in front of him— tap-tapping for tho bed-rails. "Ye'll na muster ill' sheep th' day." Fraser would tell hiin. "Dose sheeps I do not now sec dem,' Otto remarks as a small boy on crutches clatters up and takes tho derelict! in tow.

There is a considerable feeling of camaraderie and mutual assistance among a commuuity of hospital patients—tho cripple being assisted in many little ways by his less maimed fellow. And when the darkness had completely gathered round Otto, the genial Deni3 Murphy, the crippled boy, and a very deaf Cockney would each keep an eye out for Otto so as to lead him out to his place in tho sun in the courtyard. Not content alone with this, the Cockney, acute enough in his other faculties, appointed himself topo-graphical-instructor to Otto, and would tako hiln in hand daily, teaching bim to find his way in and out of tho ward,' and up and down the courtyard steps. Gradually the Swede was taught tho course of the pathways around the much-neglect-ed garden in the courtyard, and at various points in the tiled drain along which Otto would trail his stick for guidance, the Cockney placed bricks as charted points tit which to stop or "turn. _ This really humanitarian mapping out of the blind man's scheme of things only appealed to a small boy's sense of mischief and on occasions he delighted in shifting the bricks, and generally misplacing them, so that Otto would be steering in among the Wild growth of shrubs till rescued by his enraged preceptor. Otto shortly struck up a courtyard friendship with an old man.from tho next ward, Who, after a long period of rheumatics, was learning to walk once more. Day aftcF day they would stroll up and down; a. quaint pair—the trim, active, blind man, and his very worn-looking, hobbling - companion—Rip Van Winklelike in appearance, long unkempt hair, and straggling beard, but still blessed with the power to see. At intervals they would rest on a seat, when the Eip Van Winkle personago would read the morning paper, to ott6- &> that by the day that (he Cockney came to say farewell to his protege, the latter's routine had its little enlightenings.

At tho evening meal tlio charge nurse discovered that Otto was . missing. "Where," she asked, "is Olafssen?" Ilia whilom guardian had been discharged that day, and awaiting a pilot Otto was found in tho twilight sitting on a seat in the garden. A" _ meal-time the patients well enougii to dine at the common table would havo a littlo good-humoured banter with him. Pretending to help him to tho bread and butter, they would on occasion place' some little delicacy on his plate, •and then wait for the look on Otto's face as he got the first taste of the unexpected dainty. "Dat's not bread and budder, tlio Swede would smile, and the donor of the morsel would also lcok his enjoyment. At last dawned the day when tho specialist was to try tho cast of the die with Fate for Otto's liberation from his bitter thraldom. Tho vital spark was not completely quenched in Otto, and Hope beamed in his fnco as liip Van Winklb called to wish him well through tho trial.

"Vou'll .soon see the sheep again," comforted tho aged friend. And then it occurred to him that Otto might also see hi\n too, and that day he had his long locks shorn, and his beard trimmed when tho hospital barber called. Day by day Kip Van Winkle iraitfd in tho courtyard during Otto's period of indoor detention consequent on tho operation. He was sitting on the scat as early ono morning, the sun .inst peeping over into tho courtyard, Otto was led down t'lio steps by the crippled boy. Kip Van Winkle hobbled' up to meet then).

"Hulloa, thece," ho cheerily called to the Swede. Otto, though, merely extended liis hand towards the "speaker—unknowing, and unseeing, of'his old companion's return to Kprucone.-s. Ho removed a. pair of dark spectacles from his eyes, and facing towards tho warming rays of tho sun, unblinlcingly wore tho old vac-ant'exprcssion. "I don't tink I sco dem sheeps more again," bo said. And Kip Van Winkle, lost for words to comfort him, fell into step by Otto's side, and they again took up the trail of their old-timo promenade.