Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 January 1918 — True Blue [ARTICLE]

True Blue

By R. Knorr

(Copyright, 1817, Western Newspaper Union.) “What a fine sunset!” Harry Stillwell pointed to the red and orange western sky. His companion sighed, but said nothing, as with his back to the window he was carefully putting away his engraver’s tools. “Poor fellow, I forgot he’s color blind,” Harry muttered, then continued louder: “But, say, Ed, don’t you see any of the colors out these?” ; Edward Dalton shook his head. “Life is to me one long gray day. Of course, I don’t know just how you nor-mal-eyed people see things. I distinguish what you call blue, such as the sky on a clear sunny day, and flowers like the violet and bluebell, and I also perceive what you call yellow. But all the other colors you speak of are to me only so many variations of gray, more or less luminous. What you- call color, I call degrees of light and shade.”

“And there you have the Immense advantage over us in our profession,” said Stillwell, to smooth away his thoughtless question that had pained his friend. “When in engraving we don’t know whether a color should come out light or dark, you see the right tone at once. Are you going to Maud Leander’s dance this evening?” He had abruptly changed the subject. “She asked me to come, so I suppose I must,” answered Dalton, with little eagerness to go. The two young men left the studio together. For the length of a whole block Stillwell dilated on the charms of Miss Leander, hinting that he was the preferred suitor to the hand of the heiress. Dalton listened in silence; but at the first corner he turned down a by-street to escape from his loquacious companion. Edward Dalton, the congenial colorblind, spoke truth w’hen he said that life was to him one long gray day. Morbidly sensitive to his visual defect, he W’as becoming moody and unsociable. He Imagined that he lost more of the joys of life than he perhaps really did. And he found scant compensation ih the fact that his eyes were exquisitely alive to form, to the luminosity of the colors he did not see and_ hence to gradations of light and shade Imperceptible to his many friends. The latter gift, characteristic of the colorblind, made him invaluable to his employer and had won him a fine position. And yet his hours away from his work were more than ever given over to gloomy thoughts. For he felt himself handicapped in striving for the prize of life. And the fairest of these ■was at that very moment an object of rivalry among his friends. Maud Leander was the prettiest girl in town and an heiress besides. A handsome fortune had been left her by an eccentric maiden aunt on condition that she be engaged on her twenty-fifth birthday. Otherwise the money was to revert to some charity. An easy enough condition to fulfill, one would think, for a girl of Maud’s popularity. And, indeed, suitors were not lacking. Many of them were merely fortune hunters. Annoyed by the persistence of these Maud had grown to dislike them all, and had vowed not to marry any one among them. There was only one young man in town Maud cared to think of as her future hu’sband. But Edward Dalton kept aloof. The sense of his infirmity hung over him. And, moreover, the thought of her money kept him back. He detested fortune-hunting. been poor as he was he might

asked her to share his growing prospects. The heiress could not ask. Yet he loved Maud and was miserable because he would not tell her so. Maud divined his feelings from the shy deference with which he approached her, In grateful contrast to the tongue worship of her suitors. She therefore made up her mind either to marry him or to let the money go and remain a bachelormaid. But he would not speak, and she dared not, for fear of seeming unmaidenly in his eyes, while the fatal birthday was fast approaching, arid a score of young men hung on her decision. Dalton went unwillingly to the dance. It tormented him to see her surrounded Sy that throng of flatterers, all unworthy of her, orie of whom would soon carry off the prize. It never occurred to him that he stood a better chance than any of theta. As he entered the room Maud was chatting with Stillwell. But she disengaged herself immediately and beckoned to him. 4. "I’m so glad you’ve come,” she said cordially. "This first dance belongs to you,” and off she went with him, leaving Stillwell to gaze after her as if his rightful property had been snatched from him. His frowns promised nothing good to his friend. As he watched* them swing around the room an ugly thought took shape in his mind. Seizing the Jirst opportune moment he asked Maud for a dance. “It’s hot here,” he said after he had obtained her promise, “would you not rather go into a cooler room for a while?” “Yes, if you like, for a moment,” she ■aid. Stillwell glanced around to where

Dalton was taking with girl. Then he quickly took Maud out into an adjoining conservatory,.and seated her on a bench hidden by ferns. “I’m glad that Dalton seems to be enjoying himself with the girls this evening.” he began artfully. _t‘.Eodr feUlow, his infirmity does make him unsociable at times.” “His infirmity? Why, what is th®' matter with him?” she asked alarmed. “I have never heard of anything.” “Don’t you know that he’s colorblind?” he rapped out. “Color-blind?” Maud echoed. “Yes. He’s really unfit to be among people. It’s a wonder he doesn’t make a guy of himself, going about in green trousers and red waistcoat, for he’d never know the difference. He knows it, too, and is getting more morose in consequence. People with such , infirmities are always unpleasant to live with for any time." “Doesn’t he see any color at all?” Maud asked. “Only blue and yellow, I believe,” he answered. ’ " . Maud grew thoughtful, and Stillwell took her back into , the room, curious to know what would be the effect of his words. She danced little after that, and Dalton soon disappeared.

Ten days before her birthday Maud Leander suddenly took it into her head to have her parlor re-carpeted and rehung. - “I’m tired of those red hangings,” was all the explanations she vouch: safed to the aunt who lived with her. “I want other colors, —blue for the carpet, and white and gold for the wall.” “It seems foolish to do this now,” said the 'aunt, disapprovingly. "With your birthday so near at hand, you should think how best you can fulfill the conditions of the will, and decorate your rooms afterwards. It’s a trifling matter now. “The color of my rooms is by no means a trifle just now,” said Maud emphatically, and then relapsed into silence. “What have you decided to do on your birthday?” the aunt asked again. Maud shrugged, with a tw’inkle in her eye.—:—— “You know that you must decide then otiose a life income,” the aunt persisted. “It would be a pity to have all that money go out of the family.” “If I can’t get the husband I w y ant 1 won’t take any, and I don’t care who gets the money. I’m not a bargain to he given away in that fashion. These hangers-on have just disgusted me. They don’t come for me, but for my money, and I won’t have one of them. I want a man who will love me for my own sake. And if there is none, I’d rather lose a life income and be my own mistress.”

“You girls are getting altogether too Independent,” sighed Aunt Mary, who belonged to an older generation. By the end of the week the room wiis re-hung, a symphony in blue and gold, and Maud was receiving the dutycalls after her party. All her suitors came. And Edward Dalton came, too, one stormy evening when no one else ventured out, and Stillwell was kept away by an appointment. Entering the parlor, that in its bright colors had hitherto seemed to him merely grey, he opened his eyes wide in surprise. What a transformation! It was radiant with color and light, and in this blue glow stood she, no longer the grey figure he had had always found her, but gowned in blue from head to foot. Never had she looked so bewitching. And never had she been so gracious. Love overbrimmed his heart, and yet his tongue found no words to utter it. When, after an hour he rose to go and her soft hand lingered a moment in his for the good-niglit and her eyes were fixed intent on his with a question, passionate words rose to his lips. Then suddenly he turned and left her. Maud went back into her blue-and-gold parlor with tears in her eyes. Had It all been an illusion? He did not care for her? Long and long she thought it all over. She had done all what maiden could do to make a man ‘speak, and all for nothing! There still was time. Day by day she waited, but he did not come again. She lc®t heart for everything and even refusea to join a party her best friend gave in her honor on the eve of her birthday. That evenfng sire wanted 'to be alone, and gave strict orders to the maid to admit no visitors. Then, gowned in her nale blue muslin, she went down into <er blue-and-gold parlor to weep over the dream of her hopes tjjat were vanishing. And as she sat there* all the color seemed to fade out of the room.

“I must see Miss Leander, if only for one moment.” She flew to the door. “Oh, come in Mr. Dalton. Pve been waiting for you,” she burst out, with so much fervor that his love, too, at last was kindled into speech. When Aunt Mary came down, an hour later, she found them sitting:hand in hand on the sofa, happy as two children. • •* “Well, Tm glad It’s you, Edward,” she said cordially, shaking his hand in both her own. And glad everybody else in town was, except the disconcerted suitors.