The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1862-12-06

But there have been poor people al,
ways, Tertie, and you have never felt like
this before
No, l have not realized tie fact Of suf-
fering as realized it now. 1t is the hour
Of darkness over all the land The resur-
rectiOn morning will come by-and-by, but
now the night is murk, and the stars are
dim. will tell you all, Nan. / have
given to my country than gold could buy
One loved, and who loved me, went in
August, with the three years men. He
came to me with the light of eager cour-
age and self-devotion in his eyes, and
asked me to bid him God speed, and send
him on his mission
Yes, did it. 1t was . hard stru rgle
but what was | that should stay at home
and keep my own, and let other women's
lovers and husbands march, and sliced,
and die, that l and mine might shelter
ourselves in smiling home, and look
through plrte-glass, and from between soft
draperies at the winter? Yes, gave him
He is gone. He will come again, perhaps
but can never forget that other perhaps
that the mouth which kissed mine at
parting may never kiss again, AMI the
eyes at whose couroge lit the fire Of my
own resolve may look their last on the
smoky sky of som Southern battle e-ground
| When / had given him up longed to
| do something myself Besides the one
| great sacrifice all lesser ones seemed easy,
! and almost his last words had mark ed out
my path. How shall bear it z falter-
ed, clinging to him with a womaa's weak
| ness. BY being always busy, Gertrude,
and remember the pity in his eyes as he
SAID it. There are SO many suffering
| ones to comtort-so many wounds TO
heal
Since he went away have been living
a new life. ! have been among a class of
people had never understood before
| the good and honest poor. have seen
| there sights to make a womaus heart ache,
anG, So far as ! could, l have carried con-
ISOLATION with me. 1t is small sacrifice,
! Nan, to 60 without a new cloak or wear a
last years dress fer the sake of giving
shelter to the shelterleSs
But ! never thought you were benevo-
! lent, Gertrude, and you always seemed to
me very fond of dress, in a dignifed, high
and mighty fashion Of your own
| 50 was, and SO / suppose ana still ;
but that was not all of me, Nan. needed
rou=ing, and can not tell the soul which
/ these days Of dread and danger, these
/ times Of parting and praying would not
I quicken to a nev life
! Nan Darrow looked at her cousin. Miss
/ Chaloner's face shone as if she were inspir-
! sd. Into her great, gray eyes flood OF
! light had broken-her pale face was flush
/ ed, her head was erect, her chest hesyed
Even Mans unpenetratlng gaze could not
( fail to see that Tor that soul its hour had
come.
They did not talk much more Nan.
nature was impulsive, dem monstrative, out.
spoken, but she dared not express to Ger
trude the admiration which she felt-as
profound as any sentiment of hers could
be- Go thou and do likewise was the
only tribute Miss Chaloner would have
welcomed.
The next morning they took the car,
rage, packed with the purchases of the
day before, aud started to convey them TO
their destinations On the way they stop
ped at Everetts and took in the Madonna
Surely this is not for one of your pen
sionersY Naa asked. L think one would
hardly feed the hungry with pictures
| There is more than one kind of hunger
child Nan. You shall see whether my
gift will be appreciated
They had stepped at three houses. leav
ing a pair Of blankets here dress thcr,
and at another a piece OF cotton As need
was. At the next pause Miss Chaloner
took the picture in her hand. and turned
with smiling face for Nan ~ follow her.
They went up two flights OF stairs, and
then 4 faint, sweet voice answered Come
in Ia Miss Chaloner tap on the door
They catered large and not uncomforta-
bic room. Everything was scrupulously
neat In one of the window stood a tea
rose, a garaniun, and heliotrope. Nan
knew they were her consin' favorite fow
ers, and guessed how they CAME there. In
bed dolstered up by pillows and knitting
busily, way . young girl. The was ne
beautiful. and yet Nan though, she had
never seen face SO sweet. 1t was deli
cate, thin face SO pail that the tracery o
blue veins shone through. The eyes ~er,
dard and full of mournful tenderue ess
The hair was cut short, like childs anC
lay about the brow in sunny rings. How
the pale yisage frightened into a smile a:
she saw Who was her visitor, Miss Caals
ner took a chair near the bed and gave one
! to Nan, as If she were a. home. Then she
asked:
How do you do today Martha? Did
you have a bad night? have brought
my cousin, Miss Darrow, to see you.
Thank you. | am pretty we'll; nS
more pain than usual l slept seyeia
good Mother has gone out to take hone
some work, and ] was quite cheerful sit
ting here alone
'Yeu always are 1t reproaches me
sometimes to think of it, Miss Chslonel
said kindly. How long is it since yol
haue been able to stank on your feet :?
Five years this month. ma'an
Five years of laying here in this one
!, plae, and looking at the blank walls ano
suffering Miss Chaloner's eyes grew
misty, but she went on, in tone of en-
couragement
! i have brought something to hang in
front of you, on the wall, Martha, ans
perhaps it will comfert you sometimes
when you are lonely
She unfolded the wrappings from th'
! picture and held it before the sick girl
Martha did not speak. Her ecstacy wa
wordless, but it shone in her eyes ans
trans6gured her face as she looked. By
and by her tears began to fall.
oh, Miss Chaloner, she said at length
er saw anything half SO beautiful l shal
} never be lonesome again.
DO you think my picture was o goo'
investment? Gertrude asked smiling, q
they went down stairs.
The best of ALL Nan creld with cage
tones oh, Gertrude, isn't she lovely ? g
refined, SO gentle
: And so patient, Gertrude added Wha
she suffers no one dreams-nights an
days Of racking agony-and yet busy ever
moment when the sharp torture leaves he
respite If had made ten times NOR
J, sacrifice for the sake of doing good: Il
3 have known that girl and learned the les
son of unfalteriug trust, Of patient suo
e mission she has taught me, would nav
, been worth it all
Nan staid in Boston three weeks longer
, She we.t with Miss Chaloner to buy tn
1 rest Of her winter things; and when sh
n left at last, it was with new purpose il