The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-08-17
THE DOUBLE MISTAKE

Bertha Bell ian down stairs with her
hat and gloves in her hand.
~ will be ready in a minute, Cousin
Paley ]" she called, stopping an instant
at the open door.
"All right SO will Z" returned Cou-
sin Paley, following her into the sitting
room with a gun in his hand. 81 will
leave my gun in this corner, Aunt Be-
thiah. 1 shall go out for another shot
at Ducks, when Bertha and I come
back, before L go home. 1t is loaded
with double charge all ready"
As he spoke he placed the gun behind
a small table, safely, as it seemed; but
somehow it slipped and fell over. In
stautly there was flash, a crash, and
a scream from Aunt Bethiah as well as
Bertha. The room was full OF sulphur
GUS smoke, and somebody fell heavily
upon the floor. II was Bertha, who u
moment before stood laughing and
pulling out her hat ribbons.
And SO in an instant all the colors of
the day had changed. Instead of a ride
with his pretty young cousin along the
summer meadows, Paley FairbrOther
jumped into the waiting chaise and
rode in all haste for Doctor Peet. And
in just one hour after she ran so gayly
down the staircase Bertha Bell lay
white and still on her mothers bed,
with u smell OF ether in the room and
no right foot. The charge, being
double, had entirely shattered it, and
there was no question about amputa-
ton being necessary.
Bertha was brave as one of the early
martyrs, and hopeful as a rainbow; but
poor Cousin Paley was in the deeps of
gloomy horror and despair.
at was that did it, Aunt Betbiah (!
1t wasII OIL Aunt Bethiab, don't
dare go home. 1 don't dare see my
mother. What will my mother say
She was always so opposed to my
touching a gum" he said.
Now, ns it happened, Paley Fair
brothers. mother was my own next
neighbo in the city and just at night
fall of that unfortunate day l heard /,
out in my bit of a backyard, where
1 stood mailing up my grape-viues, a
sound of violent weeping in the adjoin-
ing yard; and looking through the lat
tice, Isaw Mrs. Fairbrother herself cry
ing with all her heart.
''Some of the family must be dead !"
thought ], though to be sure had lit
tie reason 10 take fright at my neighbor
Fairbrother's tears, for they flowed
with the same readiness if a pie or a
principle were in danger. But this
time it seemed something sad had hap
pened.
why. what is the matter, Mrs. Fair
brother ?" L asked.
ooh, Mrs. LonRley 4! it is too dreadful
to tell !" she sobbed, and ihen went
right on to tell it. ''Paley is in the
house now, crying as hard as lie can
cry" said she.
Just then Paley himself came to the
door, his handsome boyish face flushed
and stained with boyish tears.
sit was all my fault, Mrs. Longley,"
said be. "All my fault; and now
shall spend every cent 1 ever earn, ex-
cepting just enough to live on, for
Cousin Bertha. Just as soon as she
can wear it, 1 shall buy the most beau
tiful foot for her that can be made ; and
If ever marry, shall marry her," he
continued, with abe generous impulse
of boy and the satisfied assurance OF
man.
Months after this 1 saw cirriage
stop before neighbor Fair brothers. door,
and pretty Bertha Bell taken outin her
cousin Paley's arms, and carried into
the house.
a sweet. faced girl, only sixteen, and
far enough from looking upon her life
as blighted and over, as L perceived
when L had once seen her happy eyes
and heard her glad laugh.
Every body is SO good to me-" she
said, gAily. II believe, on the whole, 1
am we'll paid for my foot. Only think.
Mrs. Longley, of a Beacon street lady l
never saw sending me such an elegant
bouquet as this And then the fruit /
have had from entire strangersl And
my friends why, none OF them go any
where but they are sure 10 pick up
something beautiful or curious for me.
L could not be waited on more tenderly
il were the Princess Royal; and as for
Cousin Pdley"
Bertha finished the sentence by a
loving look at Paley FairbrOther, and
he returned II with one so tender and
protecting thatI thought to myself it
was not likely to be heavy trial to the
young man 10 take care Of his cousin
Bertha all their lives.
At last she was ready for the new foot
1.-THE most beautiful loot that could be
made"
1t is splendid, Mrs. Longley," said
Paley, who was a great friend of mine.
"Dr. Peet does not allow her to wear it
longer than half an hour at time now
at first, but she can walk with it just as
nice as can be. She is little slow
starting, but after that you wouldn't
notice a thing different, and you will
say SO when you see her,"
saw her, and 1 did say so. Bertha
could even run down stairs once more,
and was ready to take her place again
in the kingdom OF youth and beauty.
The sun rose aud the sun set, the
earth turned restlessly over on its axis,
lIdNtAt0 dlOuuh hnu aAOuhA GhC
patient sun, and Bertha kept on grow
ing beautiful, while Paley was still
tireless in the devotion which was at
once fatherly, brotherly, and lover
like.
In all this time there had been no
outside changes TO me or mine more
important than new pavements and
new growths of butter cups and daisies
in the country. Butte a sudden every
thing began to happen, until IL seemed
as though the very foundations of the
world had fallen out. When, at last,
life settled into an everyday level,
nothing was unchanged only that
still lived in part of my old home, but
with one servant instead of four, and
only my niece Lucy for companY.S In
the general wreck of friends and for
tune Lucy had been left homeless; but,
although she had lost everything else,
she had kept her joyous heart, and she
came to me cheerful as cricket on my
hearth.
Mrs, Fairbrother remained my next
neighbor, and as she was always at
hand to weep with those that wept, I
had q great deal of sympathy and
Kindness from her, as also from PaleY,
with whom 1 was as great friends as
ever.
through the gate that opened in the lat
tice ofour yard. She had a basket OF
early lettuce and peppergrass in her
hand, and a tear or two in her eye.
at have brought you taste of my
lettuce, Mrs. Longley, aud I hope IL
will not prove so tough you cannot eat
it." said she in her self-depreciating
way, setting down the basket and set
ting herself down with gentle sigh.
saw at once something was the mat
/ for and that tho Jatfuca was OnlV an