Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1875-07-16

!, bel 5ei soon, ne Sc 1T, i.rM nat an ono
l more at honle for believe THAT after all
l am only hoine-slck.' He laid his lea,
> over jill my lap, and | sin"otllrd the darl
. hair, which WAS already family THREADED
with silver, while he told me incidents ~
foreign life and travel unGil the gray ligh
in the East l,eralded the dawning OF an
other Christmas morn. All the rest an,
care, and tile tenderest love could do fOi
him, seemed vain. His steps grew more
lanl aid, his cheek paler and thinner. Ever
tile bstlmy ;tif OF spring brolgh no stren.tl
IT, this wasted fr;tnie, nor color /" the liol
low cneek, and by the middle of May he
was unable to leave his room. Then, fol-
the first time, lie consented to see II physi-
cian. Toe good old doctor looked Vel
grave. and followed him from the room.
There Is no actual disease" he said:
only Il gradual wasting, away of the whole
SYSTEM; and he prescribed stimulants,
which john resohltely refused to touch.
LII vain [ urged the DOCTORS orders, and
told him he would certainly de unless he
obeyed them.
''Die l. must. then. if there is no other
alternstt i've. have never tasted liquor
since that night lie said with Il Shudder,
land please Gou, / never will. After
am dead, will you tell Jessie this time |
have beel, true to my promise, and have
proved tlal | would rather die than pain
her IL sec, nd time?''
| Don't, don't, John! | cannot bear to
hear you t.llk ao," cried. Jessie never
loved you, or She would not have given
YOU up for one single fault.
| "Never loved me!' he repeated. ooh,
do not take that comfort from me! it is
the only thought that has cheered OF en-
couraged me during the last five years; you
will not rob me OF my one consolation?"
| just then Il thought occurred to mel
wonder it never suggested itself before,
but never was quick witted, and old age
i, not apt to increase ones mental facul-
ties-I would write to Jessie, tell her how
manfuGy he had borne this last trial; how,
in all the long years Of probation, passed
''amid strangers and in IL strange land.'
| he hail bravely met and overcome every
temptation; and above all, that his true,
faithful he UT WAS still loyal to her. did
write. I told her all this, and more; that
he was slowly dying and she alone could
| save him. ':Come at once" said, "for
| all other remedies have failed -
| How andously | waited for a reply.
Would she come or had she ceased to love
him, and amid other scenes, surrounded
by new friends, forgotten the loyal heart
| thai had never ceased to cherish her
memory.
A week passed slowly. Standing by the
window, lust at twilight, l saw a carriage
drive TIE lane. and Il slender figure
spEie, :. l. one moment. Jessie was in my
,sagss. Where is he, .Aunty? Oh, take
me to him!" she pleaded
/ ''Not now," l said; s'yoll are too excited;
come with me,' and took her to my own
4 room, brought fresh, cool water to lathe
her tear-stained face, and gently soothed
4 her until she became quiet. She exchanged
her dusty dress for cool wrapper, and
4 then we crossed the hall to Johns room.
\ L opened the door softly. He was lying
/ with closed eyes, and motioned her to
/ enter. She crossed the room with noise
less step, and knelt beside him. He opened
/ lhis eyes, looked at her for a moment. then
4 slrew her face beside his own and muir
imured, "My own darling! had not dared
quo hope for this; it will be easier to die
now
q mo, no. John, you must not talk of
/ dying; you will Twelve for me,'' she
said eagerly. -s
| came away; they would not miss me,
and it seemed like dissertation to remain.
/ He did live. Slowly, but surely, health
| and strength returned. In two weeks
/ they were married-Jessie consenting to
|. the arrangement, because, as his wife, she
could care for him so much better. To-day
\ he is Il strong, robust man. with I'LL idol
/ lied wife and two merry, laughing chill
\ 'lren. My story is done. 1t has been told
/ in simple, old-fashioned manner, but the
moral is plain.
/ EDGAR ALLAN PoE's SWIMMING Pow
tsRs-Colonel Robert Mayo. Jr., of West
/ llloreland county, Va, who was during
]ais boyhood days a companion and school
sla,ate Of Edgar Allan Poe in Richmond
@ives an interesting description of the lat
+ taer's swimming powers. He started with
/ Poe in his celebrated swim from Richmond
! to Warwick bar, six miles down the river
He says the day was oppressively not, and
\ he concluded, rather than endure the in
\ flic Jien, to stop at Tree Hill, three miles
| from town. Poe, however, braved the
SUN and kept on, reaching the gaol, but
merging from the water with bliStereC
ack, neck and face. and bearing the sem
'olance of u boiled lobster. Part of thi:
celebrated water voyage was made against
the tide. Colonel Mayo represents that
I oil another occasion, in mid-Winter
standing on the banks of the James
| with Poe, the latter bantered hin
| to jump in and swim to a certain
Epoint. After .houndering in the near
\ ly frozen stream for some time they en-
countered the piles on which Mayo's
bridge then rested, and were glad enough
climbing up the log abutmsnt to the bridge
To their tlismay they found on getting tt
tn bridge that its floor Overlapped thu
abutm4nt several feet, and ascent by thai
means was impossible. Nothing REMAINED
but for them to descend and retrace theil
steps, which, weary and partly frozen, they
did, Poe reaching land in nearly used-ul
state> and his companion being fished ou
By a friendly boatnan Just as he wa
about to succumb On getting ashore
vomiting, and both lads were sick TO