Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-10-09
INVALIDS' CORNER,
How Two Lovers Disentangled
Twisted Threads of Life.

Where the pine trees droop over the
side efthe cliff and appear as if longing
to plunge into the lovely stretch of sea
before them, is tiny nook that even
in December is a regular sun-trap, and
is known to every one in Drayton as
the lnvalids' Corner.
1t is a sad little corner, for here
comes those who have but q short time
to remain among the living, while their
nerveless fingers clutch nervously at
the warm rugs that are wrapped round
their knees, and whose large ewes gaze
out to sea, as if they could catch a
glimpse OF the country inhabited by
shadows, whittier they are surely
Fastening.
Most OF the invalids have relations
who come and sit by them, a~nxiouslv
noting each change in the wind, or
watching eagerly for the first sign of
the disappearance Of the sun, when
they will hurry away their charges be-
fore the air has time to chill in the very
least. But, perhaps, the hardest cases
Of all are the isolated inyalids, who
somehow or other seem left to die
alone. Poor old maids or bachelors
who cling to an empty existence in the
.strangest manner, doubtless waiting
for better days in which we all, rich
and poor, sick and well, are apt to do.
Fortunately these cases are few and far
between, and are so piteous that some
enc OF other is generally ready to give
their sympathy to the solitary invalid;
and often the Invalids' Corner is the
scene of that sometimes end
in a happier than one might
expect from their sad surroundings.
But Francis Priestly-returned in
valided from India, and condemned,
as he termed it, to six months solitary
confinement on his back in a warmer
spot than London-cared for nothing
much, save his own discomfort. At
first he had rebelled openly against his
doctors fiat, and said he would rather
die than go to Drayton. But on DR..
Parkyns saying that in that case he
must get another medical man to at
tend him, for he would not, he rave in,
and consented to try the proposed
remedy. 1t would, DR.. Parkyns, as
rsured him, if he could only learn
patience and quiet waiting, end in
making him quite we'll. But patience
was not known to Francis Priestly.
All through his life he had suffered
from his W precipitancy-he had in
>yariably been in a hurry.
Long ago, he had been engaged tc
the pretty daughter of the rector of the
parish where his fathers park was sit.
uated. But she could not leave hel
father until her next sister was ready
to take her place, at the head of the
big, motherless household; and Francis
accusing her Of not loving him, hae
dashed away to join his regiment, leav
ing Edith broken-hearted. He hae
married, on board ship, the pretty
silly. childish wife that had made hin
miserable for six years, and had finally
eloped, leaving him with four babe:
and a ruined life. But she had died O
fever only Il month after, and he hac
sent the children home to his wife!
parents, and now was quite alone il
the world.
He had never felt this before he wa!
ill; he had always more friends than HI
could count; and what with one thins
and another, time had never hung
hung heavily on his hands. But now i
was really terrible. And, perhaps, tn
worst part of his illness was the wa,
in which all the past eight year
seemed to pass in procession befor'
him, repeating, as they filed before hi
waking or sleeping vision: ''You hav'
brought it all on yourself, you know
If you had only waited for the gifts w
had for you, you would have beel
happy, prosperous and we'll; but yo7
took forcibly what was lev mean
for you. and now you see the conse
]quenccs."