Lincoln County advocate. (Canton, Dakota Territory, [S.D.]) 1876-1877, 1876-04-26
torture. Now her labor, her joy, her
life, were done.
A strange face! What face could be

life, we're done.
A strange facet What face could be
stranger than her own
"Tut, childl'' said the doctor; II
thought you had more courage. There
is every hope for him. Can't you bear
joy as you have sorrow2 I only want
that he shall first see the face Of his wife,
the dearest to him in the world"
He put down his hands to her, but
still she hid her face from his. Her
whole frame trembled. She wished at
that moment, so happy seemed her fate,
that she could die then and there.
"Oh, DOCTOR" said she, lifting her
eyes to his, chow can tell you7 how
can I make you know2 I am not his
wlfe!"
The doctor drew back c,ldly but as
her frank, earnest eyes caught his own,
he could not resist the innocent pleading
there. She might be poor Magdalen
even, but he bad never seen so child-Iike
and yet womanly creature.
"We must think of nothing now but
our patient" he said gently your face
is at least familiar and dear to him."
''Alas no." she said "it is strange,
almost unknown. Its far better should
go away"
Then she told the doctor all. And as
she went on to confess how she had
dared shelter this poor neighbor of hers,
without q roof to cover him, without
money, without friends, sick unto death
helpless and alone-how she had dared
at any risk to shelter him and to nurse
him back to life-the good surgeon 8
eyes blinked under his shaggy brows.
He put his heavy hand in bensdiction
upon her bowed head.
"Thou good little Samaritan |" he
said.
And two big, hollow, handsome eyes
upon the white bed in the corner also
filed with tears. He was so weak, this
poor young Blake, that he could scarcely
help sobbing outright at so touching a
story.
"Why-why," he fsltered to himself,
"in little Miss Turpin's room! O thou
merciful Heaven in little Miss Turpin' g
bed! With the CHEEKY little fire in the
CRATE to foil yonder biting blast, with all
the knick-knacks and furbelows about
the little pictures on the wall, her bird
cage at the window, and a neat little med
icine- stand, with lots of spoons in vari-
GUS doses, each spoon with little Miss
Turpin's name and to her, then, under
Heaven, I owe my life All, may God
do so TO me, and more also, if I desert
little Miss Turpin, or let little Miss Tur-
pin desert me p
"And now." said the sweet, sad voice
of little Miss Turpin, stake me to his
bed side. I am foolishly weak I can
scarcely see. Let me look upon him
just once more before I go. You will
take care of him now, doctor, won't t
you9 But let me say good-by."
The doctor, undecided, scarcely know
ing what to say, half carried her to the
bed.
Good-by, good-by," she said, bend
ing over him, her warm tears falling on
his pale, sunken face, her hot, tremb-
ling hands clasping themselves together.
But ss.l1denly two other hot trembling
hands seize hers in feeble grasp-the
hollow, sunken eyes of the student fas-
ten themselves upon Miss Turpin's face
with hungry tenderness.
ooh, no, he said: "you cannot 60
from here, not for the world you see
the good doctor has said it will not do
to have q strange face at my bedside.
Yours is the dearest to me in the world.
I love you, Miss Turpin. Its, perhaps,
u sud fate uffer you but, obi be stiA ST Il
more generous-be my wife. I have,
dear little Miss Turpen-ohl have
loved you long!"
He didn't say how long; he was too
weak to talk. He didn't tell her that
! perhaps his love dated only a little
half-hour back, when he listened to
that wondrously touching little story Of
hers.
What mattered it2 Cannot love be as
strong as life and deep as the sea, how
soever and when it is borne9 Good DR..
Havershaw took care of their future. II
began in q neat, two-story brick, with q
big brass sign upon the door, to which
the worthy surgeon, drew attention
enough to set the pot boiling.
And now in her stylish brougham,
with iveried lackey ut her command
with her r,lstling silks and dainty laces
with her widest fancies more thar
realized, who could find fault with thu
fate of little Miss Turpin2