New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-12-03
WOMAN'S BLINDNESS.

WOMAN'S BLINDNESS.
why Tom Ferrars Went to New Zealand
Little Mrs. Conway sat by the fire in he
cosy drawingrOOm at four o'clock one Dc
cember afternoon. Darkness and fog wer
hiding all the world outside, but the glow
ing freight danced merrily in the polishe,
steel CRATE, the flowers bloOmed in the jal
diniere, and the place looked thorough
nest of warmth and comfort, all the NOR
hOmelike for the fair face and graceful
figure of the young widow, as, with he
book in her lap. she sat gazing into the fire
her thoughts flown far away from the per
plexities of Mr.. Trollope's heroine. Sh'
was the only child Of colonel in the In
dian army. Her mother died when she wal
a baby, and Colonel Ferrars, tondly at
tached to his little girl, kept her with hin
in India, hoping by the most devoted care
and frequent journeys to the hills, to shield
when she was four years old a terrible i'll
ness made him reluctantly own that the
English surgeon at CawnpOre was right in
saying that if he wished little Laura to live
to grow up he must send her to England az
speedily as possible. She was put under
the care of q brother officers wife and con.
signed to their only relative, Colonel Fer
widOwer with two children, Tom and Mar
garet; Margaret just Laura's age. Tom five
years older. She never saw her father
again. He'died of fever the year after she
left him.
Until she was eighteen her life was passed
chiefly at boarding school, where she was
sent with her cousin Margaret. They both
looked forward with delight to the holidays,
: when they went home from school, and
Oxford, and they were all SO happy to-
gether. At eighteen the girls left school.
and at twenty they we're married On the
same day-Laura to General Conway ian
old friend of her father, Margaret to
George Fenwick, a Lancashire county
squire. 1dOlized. petted and protected
from everything rough and troublesome by
her kind, chivalrous. fatherly old husband,
Laura COnway's married life Of ten years
lay in very smooth, green meadows Of hap
piness. and when the general died, leaving
her with one little girl she felt as unable to
take care Of herself as a child. She was
singularly lonely, for there were no Conway
relations, her uncle was dead. Tom Felrars
had been in New Zealand for years, and
Margaret seldom left her country home and
large family. So this evening che sat think
ing sadly OF old times. until. being naturally
a cheerful and sensible little woman she
shook herself out of her reverie, bethought
herself of her many blessings, and best of
all Of her Jessie, and was just going to ring
and send to tho nursery for the child when
she was startled, as woman always are, by
the arrival of telegram from George Fen
wick, which ran thus "Dr. HiIbers thinks
Margaret is dying! Can you come to her a.
1t was terrible shock, but no time could
be lost in lamentation, for the evening ex-
press left EustOn square at $50, and it was
then 4:3O. She could safely contide little
Jessie to the faithful care of good old
Evans. who had been her own maid for
years. and she was soon on her way to the
station. "Only just in time, madam, this |
way, please" and she was hurried into a !
the door was locked and the train |
moved on. Faster, faster. through the fog
and darkness, the only things to be seen
from the window the great white wreaths
from the locomotive. Quietly ensconced in
her corner, Laura had time for her own
thoughts. Her cousin was as dear to her as
a sister, ami her death would leave great
blank in her life, and then her poor chill
Ilren! From her anxious Musing about
Margaret her thoughts passed to Tom, and
she wondered why they had not heard from
hin for so long, and when he was coming
back, and then she remembered how amazed
they had all been when he suddenly made
up his mind to go to New Zealand.
''1t was Just after Margaret and I were
engaged, too" she thought: land how sad
It was, and unlike himself, that he wouldn
wait for our weddings" Poor, dear Tom,
he was horribly cross those last few DAYS. |
have been in love with some girl who did
lot treat him kindly. Who could it be!'
She tried to think for whose sake among
ler girl friends Tom had run off to the an
tipOdes, but cOnld not call to mind any one,
unless, indeed. it might have been Fanny
and just then it was we heard
The was engaged to Captain Gordon Yes,
hat must have been it, And poor Tom
Gould not bear to remain in England and
zee her Mrs. Gordon. How stupid that
leither nor Margaret ever thought of it
,efOre!"
1t was time now that she should have an
nswer to the lettef telling him of General
;Onway's death. How poor Laura longed,
3 she sat alone in the railway carriage, for
'om's sympathy, always 60 ready of old.
''lie used to be such q kind, tender
earted fellow; SO manly, too; just the
nan whom woman would trust and lean
pom. How could Fanny Maioribanks have
referred that fOppish little Captain Cor {
ont
At last Laura reused herself with q sigh {
nd began to collect her traps, for they &
'ere passing the last station before l.,
nd in fifteen minutes more her journey by '
ad gathered herself up. all ready to get t
ut when the train stopped, there was a
,arful whistling from two locomotives,
0rrible lar and crash. even above which f
he heard agOnizing ehrieks. and then a +
ense OF darkness, horror and suffocation, '
nd with cry Of .'Oh my poor little girl" d
aura quite lost all consciousness. c
When she awOke as from horrid dream v
nc was lying on sofa in the waiting
pom Of the little station which the train b
ad just dashed past when the collision t
appened, and the young woman from the a
,freshment counter was bending over her "
18th look Of wOmanly kindness aud con- X
srn identifying her face, instead Of the II
'nscious smirk usually seen there. Feel n
etter now, don't you, madam p said she, IL
nderiy. why, we'll have you all right b.
no time; and here comes Mr.. Jones, 100. e,
his lady's not much hurt, l hope, Mr.. IL
'nes," turning to an anxious looking little tt
,ctOr, who, alas had had plenty of work a,
nOng cases which, thanks to a careless III
would never again be sail III
ght" in this world. Raising her ewes al
aura saw Mr. Jones stopping an instant in in
e doorway to speak to some .ne who WAS FIR
It Of her sigh. On the platform, whom she &C
uld not see, but whose voice, all stunned w
she was, thrilled her through and as
rough. Could it bet No! Surely Size 70
lst be mad or dreaming; but again she an
ard those kindly, hearty, manly tones in
d as Mr.. Jones drew back little the hi
ner Of the voice advanced ii step or two. tn
4 there, unhurt, but all grmy from GET, lo
q ont the wounded from the wreck stood La
N Ferrarsl tw
Tom I" Laura r. "How came you hereg" lie;
b cried ct once He would scarcely an hi
sr any Of her eager questions until the or
peon had assured him that she was only be
nned and bruised, and that there were II
injuries that quiet and srnica would not no
mn AI.<~AL L. IN