St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1859-04-28

weary and languid than she went.
Still she would not acknowledge
herself i'll, until one morning, when
she did not appear al the breakfast ta-
bic, they found her convulsed with
pain, fainting, almost dying between
the awful paroXysms, in her bed. Then
medical aid was called. Then DAYS
OF watching and of suffering, con-
sultation of all the great physicians
for many mile around, q decision
given in sorrowful whispers, and lis
tened to by hcart-broken parents and
friends, and repeated, by her own anx-
lous, lmportunate request, to the pa
tient herself.
a painful, lingering, incurabIc dis
case had fastened itself upon her. She
might live weeks, months, or years.
but she could never be well. never
walk abroad in the warm sunlight,
and tread the sweet green earth.
Hcnccforth four walls were to bound
her world, and that couch of pain was
to be her home.
She heard in silence, and all the
night that followed she lay silent and
fearless, her widely opened eyes very
bright, but unmoving, deaf to all en-.
treaties to take rest or food, only in
teriorly conscious, as they deemed, Of
her great suffering and changed and
blightcd prospects.
In the morning, however, she greeted
her mother lovingly and calmly, and
asked for pen and paper, that she
might write to John. When remon-
stratcd with, she only replied that he
must hear of this from none but her
self. All day, at intervals of pain.
she occupied herself in her painful
task. She told him all, and gave him
back his troth. She told him how her
sickness was unto death, though the
release might be afar off, but that, at
any rate, she was now ne fit bride for
him. And she added that he was not
to return to Elmsford, for neither now
could bear the meeting, but he was to
busy himself in the duties of his pro-
tcssion-in making name and fame
in doing good and promoting truth
and justicc-and that by and by, when
lie had learned to think Of her as one
lost 10 him, when perciancc she was
dead, he was to take another to his
home and hcart-sOme sweet and gen
tie girl, who would be to him all that
Gcorgina. would have becn-and that
living or dying, her prayers and hopes
for his happiness should never cease
-" and so farewell"
She gave her mother the open letter
to read, and both parents pcruscd it
with heavy hearts and many tears,
and then sent it upon its way.
There was then little interval of
rest, The uncertainty was over, and
with attempts at calmness, Gcorgina
and the household settled into an ac-
cCptancc of the fate that lay before
them One, two, and three weeks, a
month, and no letter came from JOHN
to say even so much as that he had
received that of his bctrothed, and
was sorry for all that she suffered.
This was harder to bear than bodily
pain, but the young girl, stretched
there upon this double rack, bore all
without a murmur Only sometimes,
when quite alone, she would pray,
with uplitted eyes Help me, sweet
Jesus, to be thankful that he has for
gotten me-
One evening, rs the twilight shad-
ows were falling, she awokc from a
long, deep siumbcr. She had been
dreaming that this was the eve Of her
wedding day, as it truly would have
been had all been well. She awokc
with start of pleased surprise, all
the vague trouble that had marrcd her
dream was gone, and, as she slowly
collected her halt-Slumbcring faculties,
it seemed as if a familiar sound fell
upon her cara voice whose tones
had been the sweetest music to her
always, and were now too perilously ~
sweet, so that she turned away with
sigh and half-hope that she could
sleep again.
But the sounds came nearer.
81 will not speak. | will not dis
turb her. Let me look upon her as
she slecps-my own Georgina-my
love-my life-my wife"--these latter
words half drowned by kisses, as John,
himself, pallid and thin, but unmis-
takably John, knelt by her side. He
had come back to her. That sufliced
for the present
But soon she learned all. How he,
too, had been sick" nigh unto DEATH
and thus for long time had not re-
ceived her letter How he had used
his first returning strength to come to
her, and was here, at last, never, never
more to be separated in life.
The next day was Georgina's we'd
ding-day, just as it was to have been,
only the bride lay pale and white upon
her couch, from which she never hoped
to rise again. John had prevailed for
he would not give her up.
She did not die, either. John said
she would not, and he spoke the truth
The skill of metropolitan physicians
discovered a cure, and Georgina to
day, in perfect health and scarcely di
minished beauty, dispenses the hospi
tality of her very famous husbands
house.