Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1873-10-04

depot. jumped aboard an early train
TO get rid of it, and jumped off here to.
leave it on the train. l ran up the
streets and down. Il chased me through
Gods green woods-how could such
child as you know how to treat delirium
tremons, little angel? ?"
(For this Marian was a chameleon as
to her personal appearance, The face
he saw that moment was the face of
babe. Nature had intended her for a
beautiful woman; however, Natures
plan had been nipped in the bud by care
and isorrow-girlliood passed her by on
the other side, while she stopped over
her wounded family. These women.
whose natural development is so
checked, are babe, wife, mother, grand
mother in one conglOmerate.)
Reginald's questions led her to tell
him how her father died in bondage to
drink. She touched lightly on her life;
the struggle to be buttered bread in the
mouths of growing brothers. and sup
port an invalid mother at the same time.
sit was .hard.' Now, he saw the old.
old, care-chipped grandmother face.
ST sewed and gardened, and copied pa
pers-but fortunately for us, sOmebo ody
who left the world was good enough to
give his little fortune to us. And now
all is WE'LL"
"It must always be well with you,"
said Reginald, eyeing the lovely woman
who expanded again before him. His.
face finished darkly. 81 can never hope
to have my good angel for my friend.''
She crossed the room and came near
to him. "Why not for your friend?
Why, I know you! I shall be a true
friend. And then, don't call me good
angel 1 am soul like you-you came
TO in, v,aaI md folf n -,
On this side, the mans face, watching
her intently; taking impressions from
her he had never taken from woman be-
fore: on tnat side. the girls face, lit,
self-forgetful, answering him.
A pang cut him. Just suggestion of
what might have been.
"You'l despise me finally. I know
you WILL"
"On the contrary said Marian, ssI'll
love you with my prayers"
sfGOd bless yOu!" He saw her posi-
ton. She had neither coquetry nor
prudlshness. She stood ON the middle
ground of self-respecting, wide-reach-
ing womanhoOd. Taking her hand in
bless you! now will CO." said he. Yet
he stood and was 10th. 'sSay Reginald. :"
"My friend Reginald"
This pleased him. cat home they
used to call me Rex, for Short" he
smiled, turning his eyes aside to look at
the memory.
'Rex, not for short, but for strength.
Rex means king" said Marian.
"King!" with scornful snort; sheet
lightning hatred of himself all over his
face. "Now I will co." yet never re-
laxing from the innocent fingers" May
[ see you again soon? ?"
,,oJoe, x,o,, oo,.,t q o.l,@ e.,
self, Rex, king; let me tell you some
thing now to remember
'sWait a moment" He produced
notebook and gravely copied her ad-
"Whenever the serpent approaches
you, either in the cup or OH the ground
fly to the Rock-you understand, to the
One who saves us ALL"
"You-believe-in Him. writing
her words; 'sI never thought much
abont that sortof thing. But believe
in you." ~ - ..,..,... -
Marian reflected that we all learn
Gods love-what we know of it
through human love. She pointed no
morals, but let him be.
He put up his notebook, looked into
her eyes and glowered.
s'Struggle. struggle, struggle! That's
what life means to me. Oh. Marian, is
|, there no physical cure2 : Must my body
blunt and ruin me? No wholesome
ness, no iollity, no living like other
folks in the world ,for. me. oh. little
woman, So wise, ean't youA Keep me
from destruction ?''
"No, Rex. There is One more your
ally than any earthly being can become.
Life is MANNED to most of as. went to
the hospital yesterday, carrying some
z hi TO ftsn TO
negro boy, with both arms cut off above
the elbows by car-wheels; a man with
his eyes blown out by a mine explosion
4 shock you! On, there were scores
of them; men, women, little children
bound down by all manner of bodily
woes. Yet they are human lives, just
like we are, Rex"
81 never thought of them as such be-
| fore''
"And they must suffer all their davs.
The perfection of this life, the full de-
| velopment from stage to stage Of hap
piness which God meant us all to have,
many must miss through their hard cir
cumstances. But let us not miss of
| Heaven, too. Better go in halt or
blind. Oh Rex, your body, your times,
the undertow of evil are all against you.
You must OyercOme-OvercOme-
comet" NEts3 sFt
81 will! see! I've often turned on
the Lord for putting me at such disad-
vantage. Things didn't seem half fair
| before. Oh, what a woman this is, that
can draw. my soul up to this heroic
point! Marian, am your soldier %
'GOOd-bye, my soldier" She Wisel v
dismissed him before his weakness had
time to rebound on and humiliate him.
"May ! send messages to you?"
0C
"And will you answer them?''
| eyes"
He kissed the pink centres of her
hands. Her steel true eyes struck his
head full of sparkles.
l. say it@is good to make a lover; your
nine hundred and ninety-nine char
mers can do that; but it is sublime to
make hero; only your thousandth
woman can do that. For the sick Oys-
ter of sentiment lies so close to the pearl,
| wisdom. M
Thus they parted.
And thus did each fare.
| Days afterward, Marian read to her
| fretful mother, and secretly wished
human girl-that life were less monot-
onous. When she was startled by q
telegraphic message. In an instant she
divined Rex secondary reason for using
wires between them. He was toe
proud to show his palsied hand.
".Serpents-I hare .foagn. to the Rock
But its hard to hold on-Cdn't see thing.
as y0a dO-Orders! SOLDIER"
Thus the message ran.
Marian flew to the wires and flashed
back: g!..tE
i. "Hold on to the Rock or aoe are lost
OrercOme. 1t cam. last long"
A lapse of time afterwards the expires
sive American idiom, "All Right!" wa
dashed into her hands.
, On which she hailed him: "Live tn
Kingp'
So they stirred each others lives will
> lightning. Sometimes at intervals O
weeks, sometimes at Intervals of hours
The longer Marian watched him, tn
more her heart broke for him. Hi
/. curse was in transmitted blood, not il
his stomach entirely, as is the case witt
happier men.
D One of the "melancholy days." Oh
l Bryant sings, she received his last mes
sage. She darted to her feet reading il
e and was half ready to go before 1t
f meaning was plain.
e1 "Piedse come to nae. Come. daticE
). Yoar soldier has got has discharge.
REy