Cheyenne transporter. [volume] (Darlington, Indian Terr.) 1879-1886, 1881-04-11

standing the stiff regulation dress and
the close cap which confined the hair,
i knew her-for was it. not face
which the more | had tried to forget,
the more it had remained engraved on
the inmost tablets of my heart. | had
seen it first when dear friend had
persuaded me to give myself short
rest to recruit ut his country home the
health which my arduous duties had
impaired. | went, promising to re-
main a month if nothing urgent recalled
me- | found an ideal home, such as
one reads of in books, situated in q
spot nature must have created with Il
smile upon her face.
The hostess, gentle, gray haired
lady, made cordially welcome--"a friend
of her sons was as her own" she said
There was another inmate of my
friends home--his young cousin.
A gay, radiant creature, with mu-
sic as of ripping brooklets in her mer-
ry voice, and face full of fun and
laughter, but without a particle of
earnestne5s underlying its varied ex-
pressions. ] could see she shranl from
me at our first meeting, and | soon
learned the reason. | was a cripple,
and she was one to whose eXuberant
health and beauty-loving nature any
deformity or weakness gave a sensation
almost Of repulsion. But as we grew
better acquainted, us the passing days
opened out to us each others charac-
ter, her manner toward me changed.
Though she suspected it not, the
change was a dangerous one to me. /
had thought her incapable of any Sc
robustness of feeling; now | found my
mistake. I had thought her superb
cially fair, but | soon came to find
beauty in her girlish face surprising
that of any other had ever seen
Ths time flew by until the day came
on Which | had decided to 90. and it
was well that it was 50, for knew
then that almost unconsciously an all
absorbing love had been growing up
In my heart for the beautiful girl who
was no more fitting mate for one like
me than dainty humming-bird would
be for grim, somber raven.
"Not for such as she was a work
day life like mine-even had / not been
as | was-different from my fellows
a cripple.
SO | went away, thanking my kind
and binding with cords
of iron my heart, which throbbed like
Il wild thing, when at parting she laid
her little hand in mine and said She
was sorry | was going.
Sorry-and |, who was more than
sorry, could only utter the merest com
To return to where broke away in
to "reminiscences
AS | stood watching her, she turned
and came toward me- | was not mis-
taken-though grayer and paler than
Of old, before me stood she whom John
had playfully christened Midget"
but who was always in my thoughts
Margaret. SO | address her now:
Miss Margaret, how can it be pos
'ible that you are here, risking your
life in this fevered atmospheric"
She gave me her hand quietly. as if
It had been but yesterday that we
parted.
81 have been in the midst of the
worst of it," she said; for | came to
D" (naming a city a few miles
months ago. There | !
have been since, until yesterday. | was
sent here to take the place of nurse
who has been taken sick"
"But your aunt, where is she?" |
asked; "and my friend, your cousin? | |
nave had no word from him for long
5ime."
An expression of sadness clouded