The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-03-11

1Ot181e0. my 00u was 6cun0Q with
,sswdust " and / knew it-but It YVES Q
handsome doll that everybody admired,
and I had once been very fond Of it.
What wonder II I spent some sentiment
tai SORROW over its destruction?
/ don't know now Just how it was that
I ever came to think of any better way
Of spending the weeks and months than
in moaning and groaning over my own
troubles. I began to smooth out few
of the wrinkles then, and saw the girls
and tried to talk with them; and let
Elsie stay with me sometimes instead of
mother. And John came in to see me
too.
Now you know I" there's as much diff
ference in folks as there is in anybody"
In some people strong physical consti-
tuition almost irritates an invalid, it seems
so coarse-fibered and obtrusive. One
doesn't look for fine shades of sympathy
in q trained athlete. But you see John
was strong all over every way; Just like
his name John Powers.", It wasn't
simply that he could lift heavier weights
than the others, or merely that he was
fine scholar and knew just what he
knew to the end of creation-but he was
strong in these and in the best way of
all beside somehow Just that sort of
man whom one would trust and ask for
help; not in a sentimental way, exactly,
for he was no more sentimental than
handsome ~ ~ltt ga tta y
Why, no, don't call him handsome,
and I'm glad of it; don't like hand
cOmo mon He uoeo TENT cxro;nhf onA
his eyebrows are too heavy, but-Irene
you're laughing at me!
Johns little visits did me q world of
good. It was q delightful relapse into
cheerfulness during those spring weeks;
thought they were going on forever. or
at least until grew to be q marvel of
serenity and saintliness; but they didn't,
for in the last of May John went to New
York, and I thought l should-never
mind-only that did seem to me pretty
hard to bear. He had never really come
to the stage of loverhood, and never put
on any air of being sighted or jealous
in the days of Arthur Lawrie, and I
liked him all the better for it. But now,
you see, it was carrying the matter too
far. felt sure he cared nothing for me
after all in any but the most utterly
commonplace way, and though knew
it was thoroughly just, it cut me to the
heart, for had come to care q great
deal for him. I thought I should die,
the day he went away.
To make long story short, then, i fell
back into the Slough of Despond.
We got through the winter somehow
tho chin vuOvbyo
more-oh, and John used to write to
me; not love-letters OH show you
some of them by and by) but the best
letters you ever saw. I began to think
I did have good many happy things
after all, though, once in a while, when
imagined perhaps John would get
married some time and settle down in
New York-and bring his wife to call
on me when he came home in a summer
vacation-it seemed to me I never could
bear that.
And then, after all the rest -
You've heard of Doctor Rothenhausler7
He has performed great many opera
tons in just such cases. (To think, Irene,
of being regarded in the bony light of q
sscase!") We had heard of him, and
it was partly on that account that father
worked so hard on his model, for he
wanted to get the money together and
send for this surgeon from Philadelphia.
But somehow everything went against
it; his model wouldn't work
when he got it done, and it didn't seem
likely that I'd see the owner of that long
name for good while yet. But one day
in the last of February there came this
letter from the doctor himself, saying
that he had been requested from Boston
to come on to see the young lady and so
forth, and would it be convenient to ap-
point such dayP And he came. He
looked good deal; he talked very little
and-there's no use in going through
the long particulars of the long affair
and though at first I hardly dared to
hope, you see it did come true. Oh,
Irene! if I could tell you q hundredth
part of the happiness there was in get
ting well once more! You know little
of what it is in an ordinary illness
there's nothing more delicious than q
steady convalescence, when you feel a lit |
tie more strength as each week passes;
but when you've been so helpless for so
long, and find you are really going to be
alive again, along with the sweet, new
freshness of country spring -.
1t wasn't three months after the doc
tor came that father did something more |
to his model that made it just right, so
that he got the patent. And 1 assure
you we felt as rich as if we owned the
whole United States. Uncle Gershom
wrote very odd letter about the doc
tor; acted as if he was ashamed to think
we knew he did it; but he was always
queer, 80 we didn't think it so very
strange. Johns plans were accepted
for q new Courthouse, and brought him
, great deal of money at the same time.
He came home for almost the whole
summer. 1t could have been nothing
but happy for me, for John was here,
and saw what meant to me the very
best thing of all. No, 1 don't know
whether I'll tell you just how it hap
pened. It was one evening in the fall.
[ was in the big armchair and he had
started to 90 and he came and stood be-
tide me. I think we neither of US said
much; there was no need.
"Oh, John!" said I, 81 don't see how
you cant"
6 Nv, lions. ~ s~;1 ho-and that vas |