The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1869-12-16

j uan love me when he sees me In this state!
AT that moment the surgeon entered, and
having felt his patients pulse, he began
silently to remove the bandages. AS soor
as Marguerite felt that her wounds were
exposed she asked for mirror.
"'Not yet, my child; not to-day SAID
the doctor. She tried to raise he hands tC
feel her face. Hold her arms down,
cried the surgeon to the old woman anC
myself We did so, involuntarily turning
away our eyes from the sight of those
swollen and mutilated features once sc
lovely
Marguerite saw and understood oul
movement. is it not so, sir?' she said tC
me calmly; will it not be impossible fol
him to love me?
"Nine days passed on the wounds were
regularly dressed and were now nearly
cicatrized. The tenth day was that ol
Juans expected return; but no one ven
tured to speak of it. Early in the morning
Marguerite arose and prepared to go out
saying that walk in the fresh air would
do her good. / offered to accompany her
mo, thank you, sir She knelt down
and after short, silent prayer, turned to
Gertrude, and, embracing her, said: Bless
your daughter, dear mother, for the last
." What do you mean, my child?'
"'The truth. / am going away. You
will say goodbye for me to him, mother
and tell him that it is my very love for him
that forces me to fly
But dear one,' said Gertrude, detain-
ing her, you wrong our Juan he has a
noble heart, and he will love you all the
better for these noble scars when he hears
l,at. 81
death you received them
GO He has noble heart replied the
girl, 'and / know he would marry me and
try to make me happy; but how could |
endure his averted lOOks-his sorrow
No, no; shall suffer much less in suffer
ing alone
heard, and large white dog rushed out
of the woody path. 'Casarr cried Ger
trude, where is your master?'
GO Here he isT replied anagitated voice;
and holding one end of a cord, of which
the other was fastened to Caesars collar a
soldier appeared. Mother, are you here
Where is Marguerite? Why don't you
come and embrace your poor blind wan
derer?'
"'Blindp exclaimed Marguerite; and
fixing her eyes on her betrothed, she saw
that his eyes had been covered by band
age. | cannot describe the emotions of all
three; suffice it to say, that after an in
credible number of embraces Gertrude
and her two children returned to my
house, and we passed delightful evening
Here the curate stopped, and thought
his story ended.
"Well," l said, "I suppose the blind
warrior and his betrothed-still in his inn
agination blooming in all her youthful
charms-were speedily united 2"
They were," he replied; at was /
who married them but 1 have somewhat
more to tell you of them. Their cottage,
by the willing aid of the villagers, was soon
rebuilt, and they removed into it. Their
circumstances were very comfortable, and
Juan supported his nfirmity-caused, he
told me, by the explosion of mine-with
the utmost cheerfulness. His tenderness
for his wife seemed to increase every day
and yet she was evidently not happy. She
became prey to constant melancholy, and
her health and strength visibly declined
Her old friend, the doctor, visited and pre-
scribed for her, but without avail
"'My art is at fault he said to me-
Her body suffers, but the seat of the dis
ease is her mind. Do you try to discover
what the secret is which weighs on her,
or cannot answer for her life.
"Alas how could l apply the consola-
ton of religion to case of which the
sufferer persisted in keeping me profound
ly ignorant? Once she seemed on the
point of opening her mind, but Juan
entered the room and she was silent; nor
could ever afterward induce her to speak
freely. Meantime her bodily condition be-
came very precarious, and Juan, who was
now aware of her danger, was scarcely
less anxious about her.
"One evening when l was in the cot
tage, the doctor arrived, and, having ex-
amined his patient, pronounced that unless
some powerful reaction took place she
could not long survive. How solemn were
the moments that succeeded this announce
ment Poor Juan grasped convulsively
the hand of his wife, while large tears
streamed from beneath his bandage
" began to exhOrt her on the subject of
religion and when spoke of the mercy
of her Maker she exclaimed: oh, have
great need of mercy, for my conscience is
burdened with heavy load. Listen she
continued, addressing us all, 'and tell me
whether can hope for forgiveness
Grouped around her bed, we waited
in silent astonishment. Marguerite had
raised herself into sitting posture, her
wasted arms, her disorderad hair, her
sunken features, her hollow eyes, cleaning
with light like that of lamp kindled
up before it is extinguished forever, lent
an air of indescribable solemnity to the
scene. Placing her hand in her hus-
bands she said: Juan, you remember
when we separated the promise which we
made of mutual fidelity? My heart was
yours and yours was mine. Well, the ter
rOr of losing that heart caused me to com
NIT grievOus sin. / pictured you to my
self with shocked, averted looks, at the
first sight of her who was once named the
Pearl and in the agony, the delirium of
the moment, | cried to Heaven: Oh, GOdl
either give me back my beauty or take
from him his eyesightl The moment the
selfish, impious prayer was uttered | bit
terly repented, and would fain have recalled
it; but too late. Juan, the wish was
granted, and | have never known since
one moments happiness
GO What cried her husband, 'and is
this the secret, Marguerite, which is kill
ing yous''
"'It ls.'
"Then live, dearest and be happy; your
prayer was not answered.
"ADd tearing off the bandage which
covered his eyes, he fell on his wife's
bosom and clasped her in long embrace
at appeared that the blindness which
had fallen on Juan was only of tempo
rary nature. Under the skillful treatment
of our friend the surgeon, whom he pri-
vately consulted, the power of vision be-
gan slowly but surely to return Having,
however, heard from his grandmother the
whole history of Marguerite's horror at
the idea of his beholding her disfgured
face, he generously determined to conceal
from her his cure, at least for time.
Now, however, it was suddenly revealed,
and was it too late? The doctor inotioned
us all..away from the:bed, took his patients
hand and felt her pulse; a hopeful smile
played on his benevolent lips
My friend, said he, turning to me,
the age of miracles has not ceased-Mar-
guerite is cured y"
Here the good man ceased, and after
n sS AT