The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1878-06-15
Desirable? / should think so indeed I

And send up prayer as / perform the
operation that l may not be too late. /
am SO busy for the next few DAYS that I
am unable to go down to the cottage.
one or two more cases of smallpox in
the village, and L am anxious and hard
worked; but Mary Anne tells me Mrs.
Ogllvle has heard of Mrs. Blacks re-
moval, and is dreadful nervous about her.
self. | hope she will not frighten her
self into it, adds my wife.
Ii she hadn't contracted it before J
vaccinated her, / think she is pretty
safe" | replied; but there is lust the
chance that she may have had the poison
in her previously"
Almost as | speak a message comes
from Mrs. Ogilvie, who wishes to see
me professionally" My heart sinks as
| seize my hat and follow the messenger:
and with too good reason. | find her
suffering from the first symptoms of
smallpox; and in twenty-four hours it
has declared itself unequivocally and
threatens to be a bad case. / try to
keep the nature of her illness from her,
but IN vain. She questions me closely.
and when she discovers the truth, gives
way to burst of despair which is pain
full to witness. al shall be marked: /
shall be hideous! she exclaims, sobbing
bitterly. Poor Frank, how he will
hate mel"
In vain tried to comfort her, to con-
vince her that in one out of a hundred
cases does the disease leave dreadful
traces behind it; she refuses to be con-
col AM Oh. L. l.
soned with, or indeed to know much of
her own state. She is an orphan and
has 70 near relatives for whom we can
send, so Mary Anne installs herself in
the sick room as head nurse; and as |
see her bending lovingly over the poor,
dlstigured face and ministering with
tender hands to the ceaseless wants of
the invalid, my wife is in my eyes beau
tlful exceedingly; so does the shadow
of good deed cast glory around the
most homely countenance.
For some time Mrs. Ogilvie's life is in
great danger; but her youth and good
constitution prevail against the grim
destroyer, and at length / am able to
pronounce all peril past.
But alas, alas! all my hopes, all my
vain; and the beauty which we have all
admired so much, and which has BEEN SO
precious to our poor patient, is a thing
of the past. She is marked-slightly it
is true; but the pure complexion is thick
and muddy, the once bright eyes are
heavy and dull, and the golden hair is
thin and lusterless We keep it from
her as long as we can, but she soon dis
covers it in our sorrowful looks; and her
horror, her agony, almost threaten to
unseat her reason. My wife is with her
night and day, watching her like
mother, using every argument she can
think of to console her, and above all,
counselling with gentle words, submits
to the will of God. But her misery,
after the first shock, is not so much for
herself as for the possible effect the loss
of her beauty may have on her husband,
who Is now daily expected. His ship
has been at sea, so we have been unable
to write to him; and only on his arrival
at Plymouth sound will he hear of his
poor young wife's illness and disfgure-
ment. Before her sickness she had been
counting the hours, now she sees every
day so past with shudder, feeling that
she is brought twenty-fours hours nearer
to the dread trial. At length his vessel
arrives, and / receive a Telegram telling
me when we may expect him, and beg
ging me to break the news gently to his
wife. She receives it with a flood of
bitter tears and sobs, crying out that he
will hate and loathe her. and that she is
about to lose all the happiness of her
life. My wife weeps with her, and l am
conscious of choking sensation N my
throat as we take leave of her an hour
before Mr.. Ogilvie is expected, and pray
God to bless and sustain her.
We are sitting in rather melancholy
mood after dinner, talking of the poor
young husband and wife, when Mr.. Ogil-
vie is announced, and | hasten to the
door to meet him.
6 She will not see mel" he says i'm
petuously, coming in without any for
NAL greeting "She has shut herself
into her room, and calls to me with
hysterical tears that she is to dreadful to
to look upon, that | shall cease to love
her as soon as | behold her, and that she
cannot face it." And then the strong
man falls into chair with a Sob
q 1t is not 50 bad as that" | begin.
don't care how bad it is" he cries !;
" she need not doubt my love. My poor
darling will always be the same to me
whether she has lost her beauty or n Of"
Whereupon | extend my hand to him
and shake his heartily; and | know my
wife has great difficulty in restraining
herself from enveloping him in her
motherly arms and embracing him.
We must resort to stratagem," say.
| will go down to the cottage at once
and you follow me in ten minutes with
my wife. will try and coax Mrs. Ogil-
vie to come out and speak to me and
you must steal upon her unawares."
Mrs. Ogilvie at first refuses to see or
speak to me; but / go up to her door and
am mean enough to remind her of my
wife's devotion to her and entreat her,
for my sake, to come to me.
Where is Frank" she asks.
left him at home with Mary Anne"
[ reply, feeling that | am worthy of
being diplomatist at the court of St.
Petersburg, as she opens the door and
descends the stairs. | take her out into
the garden and begin to reprove her for
her conduct, with assumed anger. She
listens with eyes blinded by tears. [, on
the lookout for it, hear the latch of the
garden gate click; but she, absorbed in
her sorrow, does not notice it. | look
up and see Frank Ogilvie's eyes fixed
hungrily on his vie. Her changed ap-
pearance must be an awful shock to him !;
but he bears it bravely; and in a
moment ne has sprang forward, clasped
her in his arms, and the poor scared face
is hidden on his true and loving heart!
Then Mary Anne and I turn silently
away, and leave him to teach her that
there are THINGS more valuable of far