Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1878-05-14
STAUNTON, VA, TUESDAY, MAY IA, 1878.

lsubjects which was sure were not th,
lsubjects of their original conversation
A visitor came from New York to Mr.
IRaymond's, a friend of Albert's an(
Eta insisted upon my inviting hin
lhome' to my aunt's house.
He was gruff-spoken man, and talk
ed necessarily of my affliction. Know
ling how I shrank from any converse
ton, from any sympathy upon this sub.
lject, Eta had always delicately led all
such talk away from it. But, to my
surprise, she encouraged this stranger,
and fairly wrung from me every symp-
tom, both pending and during my i'll
ness. u, E.,. asa
| When he went away, she accompanied
him home, though offered to escort her
over little later.
4 1t was week after this, and Albert
had been away, when he returned sud-
denly. Coming into The room, he said,
''Etta, it will be all right"
Then seeing me, am sure he made
some awkward explanation about
money investments. But Eta grew
very silent, and soon after / heard a
A few minutes later he left the room,
and very soon Eta asked me to excuse
her for moment, and followed him.
CROPPED my way to the table, where /
was sure had heard Albert writing
Nothing there. I felt about till small
piece of paper was found close beside
Etta's chair She had trusted to my
blindness for its remaining undiscover-
ed.
was half mad with Jealous pain, and
l somehow got to Mr.. Raymond study.
"Will you read that to me ?" I asked. :.
| Without other answer he read:
81 must speak to you. Will wait in
the summer-house."
| "Thank you'll" said.
"What is it?" he asked. fd
s'The wrong note. will find the 9TH
er."
went away then to the summer
house, softly as a thief, guarding my
steps on the frozen ground. They were
there, and / could hear Albert's voice.
As came near I heard Eta say, "Ah,
Albert, will love you all my life for
| this !" M
She was crying too. could tell that
by her broken voice. og tt5 Aua
I turned away and went home. 1T
was cold day, and I was utterly miser-
able. Aunt Hilda insisted upon nurs-
ing me, and submitted, brooding over
my secret pain, seeking no sympathy.
| 1t was but natural Eta should turn
| from the blind lover, who was but dis
appointment, to the handsome young
man of fortune who had loved her SO
long. would try to give her up, not
in anger but tenderly.
But [ could not. Albert returned to
Chicago, and every day Eta became
dearer to me. She was the light Of my
life. She gave me every hour she could
spare from her duties to her uncle and
his house, and she spoke of our future as
courage to tell her I suspected her secret,
and only in my lonely hours did / dwell
upon the remembrance CT Albert's visit.
The long winter wore away, the early
spring was gone, and when May blos-
SONS were bursting Eta came one morn
ing to see me.
"Do you remember Doctor Sander
son ?' she asked,
Your cousin g friend ?''
gss'Yes. He is-a great oeuiist"
My heart seemed to stand still.
'He came from New York solely to
see you. and he warned US that we must
give you no exciting hope for sOme
months. Perfect tranquility, he told US,
was the great hope for the recovery of
your sight"
Recovery of my sight !" cried. ''He
thinks that possible?n
"He thinks it more than possible If
you improve in strength as you have
done all the winter, he was certain he
could successfully operate this month. D
cauld not speak. Very gently Eta
told me of her Cousins kindness. He
had gone to the city solely to find this
doctor, who was no more his friend than
he was the friend of any other patient.
He had brought him to- sae me, and then
burdened m,y 42tta with his secret in
stFuctions. Even Mr.. Raymond and
Aunt Hilda were ignorant ofthis loving
conspiracy.
1t Inundated me to think of the part
had taken, the unworthy construction I
tude. But she should never know I had
doubted her, even for an hour. 4
Tell me-" said, "when this doctor
will come again."
HE is here, waiting 10 see you.n
he same in soon after, and there was
no reluctance then In my answers to his
searching questions. He examined my
eyes closely, and gave me promise of
sight in less than two months.
And he kept his word. After the
operation he gave strict direotiana for
bandaging and confinement in q dark
! room, till, at the end of six long weeks,
he came again, and let me see once
more the blessed daylight and Etta's
face.
From that hour I gained hope and
courage again, and when my ewes were
perfectly restored returned to New York.
was expressly forbidden to resume nv
old duties, but the firm gave me q
position as salesman and good salary,
Etta waited another year for me. when
my great-uncle left me legacy that en-
ahled me to marry, having a sure in
come.
1t was not until we had been married
over year that Eta asked me one day
if I could spare her seven hundred dol
lars. 1gr rf.r.
"Certainly," replied, 4l
do yeu wondeY what want of so
much money q" she asked. g.,sln
did wonder, for we had no secrets in
our life, and my wife usually told me
where she spent her money. 4
II will tell you," she said. "I want
to buy back my pearl cross.u
"YOu sold that ~ [ cried. ssI Thought
you valued that above all your posses
sions ~ D. f'.fT~"F -
"Rqt not above your eyesight! DIR.
Sanderson was paid $500 for the opera.
tion, not the $50 you supposed.
"Etta."
sThat was part of our secret. Albert
would have given me the money, but I
would not let you owe your sight to any
one save me. So he took my cross, ana
sold 1t for 500 here IN New York. The
nan nan who bought it agreed to keep it for
time Tor me, and to-day Albert told
me he could get 1t again.
shall always think the cross had
never been out of Albert's possession
and he was too delicate to give it again
to Eta. But he was in New York an a