The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1879-07-23

A cripple! manned. He thought oil
Maud and her strong, bright beauty
with q sickening sensation of unfit.
ness.
lie lay at deaths door for weeks,
Part of the time be was too i'll to re-
cognizs any one. Only the tender.
est nursing, the most assiduous care,
saved him. And when be finally
opened bis eyes to consciousness, up
on what assiduous and tender nurse
do you suppose they rested?
1t was incredible. Upon whom
but gentle, care-worn, gazelle-eyed
little lilly! How on earth began
John, and then dropped off to sleep
again.
1t had been almost a year now
since be bad seen this dewy wood
land rose. lie had only written her
one letter meanwhile, but that letter
had been heF hearts sus;enance ever
since.
She had laid it away among certain
other memories of hers-memories
which retained their sweetness like
withered sprigs of lavender. As the
months sped by she made up her
mind that she would never see John
again-that he had forgotten her.
This was her presentiment. But she
did not blame John because be had
not proved all that she had once
hoped be would that had been HER
mistake, but a mistake which had
been also her n joy and romance.
She called him her good angel. In
the dear Hebrew phrase, he bad come
to aer-as in truth every good
friend comes to us-as an Angel of
God.
Daring this weary while her moth
er died. lilly found herself without
a tie iD life. She might come and go
as she pleased. There was a distinct
desire in her loving heart to do the
one work for al unemployed woman
just then. But ii was some little time
before she gathered courage to carry
out her wish to become a hospital
nurse. The alarming FIRST step one
taken, she went on easily enough.
And she found an immense pleasure
in thus being of use-as she proved
and of comfort to many suffering
souls.
The providence which directs small
matters as well as great, appointed
her duties in a certain ward in a GER
tain hospital, where she came upon
John Leonard's white face one day,
as he lay stretched on his cot of pain,
and she realized, with a sudden tum-
ultuous rush Of feeling, that it was
for her, humanity speaking, to tend
him back to life.
She felt as though this satisfaction
more than compensated for all that
she had suffered-loneliness, neglect,
disappointment-in the past.
There was little romance about
Maud Gale. She made some excuse
for breaking her engagement as soon
she learned of Johns misfortune.
She had little faith in a one-armed
mans being able to fight the battles
Of life successfully. And success
meant to her more than affection /:
Que might fall in love many times
over.
John fortunately found that the
cure for bis disappointment lay in
the nature of the disappointment it.
self. so weak Q thing. So weak a
So we come to the end. lilly, con-
her round Of blessed duties,
was greatly surprised when John
told her, not many months after that,
that she was the one need Of his life.
She had buckled down to work.
When love came to her suddenly, its
voice was as a voice in a dream.
But she believed it-oh, how gladly!
1t is so easy for youth to be happy,
TO forget!
Miss Gale might have married a
distinguished man, after all. DIR.
Leonard graduated in his profession
Immediately before his marriage to
lilly, and his name by this time is
one that is well known among pbysi-
clans.
Ny impression is that no notifica-
ton of the wedding was sent to Miss
and Miss Posie. Mr.. Philip
Ross was notified, however. He
signiied his cordial interest and ap-
He felt, moreover. as though
be had had q share himself in making
the match.
But then | have noticed that that
is always the way the unimportant
important character feels in all the
novels and plays.-Bazar.