Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1876-01-07

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gram was:
Gall right
Nettie sent it by the nurse who agreed
with her that there was no need of fright
ening the poor man. s'And would moi
have him return now for any considera
tion." she said.
"He might take the 6isor But thai
was not all her reason.
Then there was time when N ettie knew
nothing. Then-ah, what then? Charlie
only knew that he was packing his port
mrnteau to return home, letter was
brought him. He thought it his wife's
handwriting, and he had had no letter fol
many days. He tore it open. 1t began
''Sir." It was not from her, yet how like
hers. Hs paused before he read on.
"Sir: have sad news to tell you. You
wife is dead. She caught the small pox,
and it proved fatal. She was glad to die
because the small pox makes people very
hideous sometimes, and she knew you
would not love her if she was ugly. She
said you said so, and babe me- tell you how
dear your love was to her until the last.
| "MARrHA BLOMGREN.'
| An hour afterward a waiter found Char
lie lying senseless on the floor beside his
half-packed valise. 1t was many weeks
before he returned to his desolate home
Then he found he could not live there
The place seemed haunted. His wife's
dresses hung on the wall, and he seemed
to hear the sound of her feet on the stairs
and hear the door stir, and dozen times
lifted his head and looked toward it, almost
hoping she would come in.
In his place, Nettie would have gather.
ed up small trifles he had touched, and
kept them where she could weep over them
and she would have sought his grave and
sat beside it for long hours.
| But those pretty personal belongings
were the very things he dreaded to see.-
And her grave All, good Heaven, to look
at it and think that it covered her I! He
did not even ask where it was. There had
been postscript to the letter saying that
/ the expenses were paid. And the fact that
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all save that terrible remainder of his
idle speech. That she thought Of that in
dying was very woeful to him.
| In a day or two he locked up the house,
which he owned, and accepted the osition
of supercargo on an ocean vessel.
I The sea, with its troubled waves, seemed
better to him than solid land; to roam his
best relief. Ah, we take the heart with
us wherever we go. 1t is not the land in
which we live that troubles us, but the
hearts woeful depths. Nor can sea or sky
| give us relief. An unhappy man would be
no less unhappy could he traverse space,
and visit all the, stars, only we do net
think so when grief stings us to go some
of our great trial is always the longing Of
the unhappy.
| Charles did not say much-he never
| talked of his wife. But when the vessel
returned to America sick man lay in one
of its berths. tossing to and fro, and NUT
tering again and again woman's name
! Met tie-Nettle.'
"I IS been disappointed in love-" said
the stewardess, and cried over him, and
: thought that had She been fair white Ia
dy, and he in love with her, he never should
have been disappointed.
When they reached the shore the de.
lirium was over, but pale skeleton was
born to the shore, and to Mrs. Boston's
on litter.
Take him to Mrs. Boston's,' the cap.
tain had said. ''She is kind woman, and
will do what she can for him.. and poor
Mrs. Boston, who iiad boarded more sea
captains and ships officers generally than
one could count in a life time, opened hel
hospitable doors and gave the invalid her
best bedroom.
II don't n ind sitting up at night" she
said: land Nancy is a real good girl, she Il
help"
Nancy was shy young woman, with
brown hair, short in the neck, and hel
features were deeply marked with the
small pox. She wore the plainest possible
dress. and never seemed to be happy; but
since she came to Mrs. Boston's door and
asked for work, she had been invaluable
"Nancy Smith is a treasure" said Mrs
Boston, Sand l only wish knew what she
cried about 81 much; only l can't ash
her questions no more than if she was 9
lady,
Poor Nancy Smith! She was no doubt
nervous when she stood beside the young
man IS pillow q moment. She turned pale
and gave a little cry. He was in sort Of
stupor, and did not hear her; but Mrs
Boston said:
Il hope you amt overset by the sight o.
sickness, ma'am."
And she answered at once, in a fright
ened tone:
sob, no; m an excellent nurse. DO lei
me nurse him, Mrs. Boston: I'll do m,
work all the same.''
And thus it came to pass that night
Nancy Smith sat up with the invalid. He
slept, or was insensible; even the doctor
was not quite sure which, or whether ht
might ever open his eyes again.
And when Mrs. Boston had gone to bed
and all was still, that strange girl Nancy
behaved most strangely. She knelt dowr
By the bed and kissed the pallid hand tina,
lay SO gently upon the Counterpart, and
whispered over and over again, "Oh! my
darling. Oh! my darling"
Had Mrs, Boston seen her she would
have thought her mad.
! So the night wore away. The feet Of
passing pedestrians and the rumble of carts
died away. Silence lay on the city, and
the light of the late risen moon fell white
through the crevices of the green shutters
and the lace OF the dropped curtains. A