The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1882-07-20

child, "you are not fit to have all this
burden on your shoulders-you're so
utterly unused to sickness, and so ner-
vous and delicate, dear. l shall speak
to DR.. Howell, tomorrow about having
some one to relieve you"
By tomorrow there was hired nurse,
and /, Snowdon Earle's wife, sat help
lessly outside the room where he lay
tossing and moaning, and listened, with
a great, hungry longing, for one word
on these unconscious lips that might
bring me drop of comfort. never
heard my own name-never; he raved
and muttered of places and people l had
never known; of his college days, Of eter-
nal tasks that once set him to grope
| through unanswerable problems; of
those troublesome cases." that he
never could finish now, and the courts
where they were to be heard and the peo-
pie who listened-and once, only once 1
heard Nina's name.
They did not let me see him very
often. Mrs. Earle was so excited and
nervous" Miss Vandyke said, "that it
was better she should not be much in
the ROOM"
She had quietly taken the RESPONSE.
bility in her own hands, and [ submit
ted in dull, hopeless fashion, always
with the old thought in my heart-what
did it matter? If my husband was to
open his eyes to consciousness he would
never miss me; it was not my face he
wanted at his bedside, nor my hands to
hold in his weakness, when life seemed
slipping awaw from him. Nina-only
Nina; it was better SO.
But there was one day when I had
stolen into the room and the nurse had
left me there little while, when Snow
don was lying quite still in dull stu
por from which there was 10 fear of my
waking him. There was nobody to
watch me then; I had him alone just for
a minute, and lay down by him took
his heavy head in my arms and kissed
and cried over 1.-THE was mine, all mine,
just then, and there was none to take
him from me. The soft, curling lips
could not feel my kisses, nor shrink
from them, nor the weak arms put me
away. He lay, helpless as a child, un-
conscious as the dead, with my cheek
against his, and my hot tears on his face;
and all the pentup passion of my heart
broke over him like mighty food-aud
he lay there and never knew.
Mrs. Allen-why Maidie; you here?"
1t is Nina, coming softly in without a
rustic or sound. "Maidie!" she cries,
hoarsely, ''for heavens sake, what are
you thinking of You must be mad!'
She lays her hand on my shoulder, but
fling it Indignantly away.
"My dear childr'-sinking her voice
to gentler tone in second-''this is
dreadfully imprudent. How can you
do SO, when you know that Snowdon
must be kept quiet? Come with me.
Let me take you away, dear. You must
gor'
She tries to draw me from the bed but
I clasp my arms tightly around my
darling. can defy her at lastl
"I'll not 60! I will stay by him! can
have him now" cry bitterly. "He is
dying, and he belongs to me at last
he's mine-my husband! Leave us
alone, Nina Vandyke?"
''Ms Idle, Maidie, deaf, you don't know
what you are saying" she cries in des
peration. sob, Mrs. Allen, do speak
to Mrs. Earle and beg her to go-tell her
how terribly imprudent this is! 1t is SO
positively necessary that Mr.. Earle
should be kept quiet!"
give one look at his face. o God!
to see that awful quiet swept away, and
the soul in it once more! Its wasted,
weary hush, patient death in life, Gains
me as if he had spoken.
I'm not going to leave him! I'm
going to stay-it's my place to stay here,
and no one shall keep me out of it any
more. Go away and leave us, say,
turning my face to his again. II want
to have him all to myself-my boy"
And whisper the rest to him as they
turn and go-whispered over all the
fond old words that l dared once to say
aloud; sob out all my vain love softly
when he cannot hear or answer it. I
have him ''all to myself" at last And
the minutes slip by, and there is no
sound in the room except the ticking of
the watch on the table and his heavy
breathing; nobody Genes to disturb us
since have taken my place.
am lying beside him, with my cheek
upon his hand, and my eyes have never
moved from his face, when l see his eyes
open slowly and the very self of Snow
don Earle, asleep SO long, looks clearly.
wistfully at me through their blue.
"Maidie-it's Maidie. isn't it?" he says
family.
Istart up, trembling and ashamed that
he he's found me there.
Eyes; In call some one," say
hurriedly. But the weak hand hold
closes over mine and keeps me.
ut is always some one else. want