Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1861-08-01


Jane" he said suddenly.
} Eyes, it is What do you think about
them? Is there any chance for her Z"
doctor Nash says not; but Jane, next
!, week Phillipson, the best occulist in Eng
land, is coming to stay couple OF weeks
with Nash Let him see her.
Il meant to try to get her to London Tor
advice"
.sThere is nobody so clever as Phillipson.
Oh Jane, I wish had passed -"
"Do you fancy you know what would
cure her p
"Tdtry. You know, Jane, l love Lcttie.,
! I meant to ask her to be my wife. did
ask her this afternoon, and she said No;
and then told me about her sight-it is only
that. I know she likes me: indeed, she
did not try to deny it"
eyes, Harry, yen have been SO much
together but there must pc no talk Oh
} marrying.'
"That is what she says
''She is right-she must just stay with
me. You could not do with blind wife,
/ Harry: you, young man, with your way
to make in the world.''
He tore up handful of grass, and flung
it upon the river, saying passionately,
{ "Why, of all the girls in Dalston, must
this af1icton fall on poor Lettie p and
then he got up and walked away to meet
her coming along the bank. They had
good deal Of talk together, which did not
listen to for their young hearts were speak
ing to each other-telling their secrets
Lettie loved him: yes, certainly she loved
him.
DR.. Phillipson's opinion was the same as
that of DR.. Nash. Lettie was not so down
stricken as [ had dreaded she would be, and
she babe good-by to Harry Crofts almost
cheerfully when he went up to London.
There, Jane, now hope he'll forget
F me; don't like to see him so dull"
That day Mrs. Davis sent her a ticket for
a concert at the Blind Institution, and she
went When she came home to tea she
told me that the girls and boys who sang
looked quite happy and contented. ''And
why should not be so too what number
of beautiful sights [ can remember which
| some of them never saw! she added, with
sigh
After this, imperoeptibly, her sight went;
floor, she felt her way before her, with her
hands out. Doctor Nash again offered to
use his influence to get her admitted into the
Institution, but she always pleaded, ''Let
me stay with you, Janey!' and [ had not
the heart to refuse her, though she would
have had more advantages there than could
afford her.
Not far from us there lived an old Ger
; man clock maker, who was besides musical,
and acted as an organist at the Roman
Catholic chapel in the town. We had
known him all our lives. Lettie often car
ried him posy from our garden, and his
dress their dolls Muller was grim, fam
, tastic-looking figure, but he had heart of
, pure gold. He was benevolent, simple,
kindly; it was his talk that reconciled Let
tie, more than anything else, to her condi-
) ton. He was so poor, yet so so satisfied !;
/ yet unrepining.
"Learn music-I will teach thee," he
l said to my sister. So, sometimes in our lit
tie parlor, and sometimes in his, he gave her
J lessons in fine sacred pieces from Handel and
7 Haydn, and taught her to sing as they sing
, in churches-which was grander than our
! simple Methodist hymns. It was a great
; delight to listen to her. 1t seemed as if she
! felt everything deeper in her heart, and ex-
7 pressed it better than before and it was all
' her consolation to draw the sweet sounds up
S out of that we'll of feeling which love had
t sounded. know that, to remember how
t Harry loved her, gave tenderness and pa
, tience to her suffering which it would else
, have lacked. She, who used to be so quick
: with her tongue, never gave anybody sharp
r word now.
do not say much about our being poor,
though, Of course, that could not but be !;
still we had friends who were kind to us );
even Mrs. Davis softened, and mentioned to
+; me, under seal of confidence, that, if I could
not quite make up the rent, she would not
press me but l fortunately had not to claim
: her forbcarance, or else do fear she could
not have borne to lose sixpence and when
it had come to the point we should hare nao !
to 60 like others; she was so very fond of
money, poor woman! Lettie used to 90 to
the Institution sometimes, where she learned
to knit, and net, and weave basket work
Our rector Ga better never lived or kinder
; to the poor) had her to net covers for his
, fruit trees, fishing nets, and other things,
7 and to knit woollen socks for himself and
his boys; so that altogether she contrived to
make what almost kept her Now that the
5 calamity had really come, it was not half so
dreadful as it had seemed long way off,
Lettie was mostly cheerful. I never heard
her complain, but she used to say, often. that
!, there was much to be thankful for with us.
She had quiet religious feeling. which kept
her from melancholy ; and though did not
} find it out till afterwards, hope that per-
haps her a1fliction might some day be re-
moved. Harry had put that thought into
her mind, and | do not think I am oversta-
ting the truth in saying that his honest,
manly affection for her was the great motive
to his working SO hard at his profession, in
.I yrhieL he hos Sinca haea.aa dasa:,;all: