The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-12-20
Copyrighted, by the author, lSSG,l
CHAPTER ~,

Just begun.
They sat down in the pSrlor, and looked
at each other, like people who had me
for the first time in a strange land. i
seemed to Lotto as II she had never seer
before that person whom she called hei
mother-ths calm, set face, aud patient
smile; the hair that whitened already
vlslbly in these three dsys-the stiffness
and above all the pltitul Cheeriulness con
fused the girl. She had expected tears
and sobs and uncomfortable grief, This
was her first trouble. After she had cried
herself half blind, she remembered that
and thought how years taught endurance
and wondered again at tue way that lie
instructed people how, to live; and re-
membered how very young abe was, and
ignorant, and how much was before her
and how much courage she should need,
until the very thought killed half the
courage out oil her,
1t was oyer-ths funeral, and all the
miserable details-and the relatives had
come, aud some OF them had gone, and
some OF them hadn't land Form had
been there, too, and ESbert brought her,
but they had gomez, and the house had
bsen lul and confused, and the will had
been road, and the uncle who thought he
knew what they ought to do had dis
CusCed everything with the aunt who was
sure che didn't, and the cousin who said
they could keep 4 clearinghouse, had
GOT offended with the slster-ln'lAw who
thought they had better sell and the
other uncle who proposed their going
West-but he had taken the noon train
thank ueayenl
Lotto looked about Confussdly. She
wondered why they had go many rela.
tons. She half hated them. ItReemed
| 10 her as II every minute her father must
come in, and thank them all, and tell
LhUm it was quite unnecessary to take 30
much trouble since he was better and en-
kirely able TO look slter his own family,
She inatlnCtiyCly turnrd 10 tho door now
and then, TO see him enter, and once
when some opened the Office door, she
actually sprang 10 20 and tell him what
had happened. She was all ready to
10, papa, pspa They all think you
are dead and cant take core Of us, Wont
you just 20 into the parlor and explain
"And, papa, aunt Matthews would not
have colOrGd flowers ut your luneral-anG
| told her you hated all heliOtrope and
white things, and mother was upstairs
alone and didn't notice, and uncle
Peter
"Yee, papa, uncle Peter says we ought
to 90 west Please be quick and tell him
%, papaW
Poor Lotto! She stole away ont OF the
parlor. 1t wHs one Of the minulea when
she could bear no more. She left the
Runts and cousins and the uncle, and the
nurse and a neighbor and two patients
and her mother, white and sweet like a
statue among them all, and got away into
The back yard by the wood.pile and hid
herself ior little while. Dash came, too
and Crswled close to her so that she could
bury her face in his warmAeCk. Dash
scented to understand. He wGs very
quiet and sober. 0ne Of the patients FOL
lowed her. 1t was a pale girl, hardly
more than her own age. She spoke
gently, and timidly:
"Would yon mind il Ispoke to you
minuteY"
ii don't know that should" said Lotto
battling back the Hobs she had sought
freedom for in solitude. at depends oil
what you have to say." .
She did not know this other girl. i
was q new patient; yet where had she seer
her facet Suddenly Lotto remembered
where. 1t was tho first day that hel
father had been left downstairs in thu
iarkened parlor; she, Lotto, was In there
on some Grand Tor her mother, and haC
iust stepped into the next room, leaving
| the door star. While she was there, somt
one allowed this pirl TO come III, and lei
her alone with the dead. She had brought
loTers-blush rosGs-Only few; she wal
a rather poor girl, Lotto thought. Unseen
and puzzled, Lotto In the adjoining room
was the witness Of y scene which eht
never forgot.
The glri stood for a few moments per
teCtly still. She was as pale az the dead
himself. She did not shed any tears al
| first 1t seemed abe hardly breathed, bul
only looked. Then advancing blindly
sho laid her scanty hot.house roses down
upon the dead mans breast, and bending
over, gaEsd into his face with the look o.
one who had been bereit Of more than
another could understand. Suddenly she
drew in her breath and began 10 sob.
threw herself down on the Casket and
broke into q passion Of grief which rsCkeC
her slender body as the wind blows
reed. u,
"Oh, my dear DoCtorI" she cried. my
dear, dear Doctor Oh, what shall w
doP What will become Of us9 Oh,
never half thanked you! l never begar
to bless you'll Doctor, Doctor, dear Doc
tori Hear me, can't your Please try t
hear me! Oh, what shall l do"
Believing herself alone, the pstien
abandoned herself 10 her sacred grief 10
her dead phyBician in q way that mex
pressibly touched the daughters heat
| Lotto would have gone up and comfortet
that other girl had she dared 10 but, In
stead, she turned her back upon the Ecent
Of which she was not meant 10 be spec
tator and felt ss II she stood In the pres
ence Of q bereavement almost as deep O
her own, and 80 took the stranger Into he
heart as one OF the nearest" mourner
| with a solemn sympathy.
This WIS The girl who now approached
| her where abe covered away behind thl
wood pile in the yard, alone with tn
sober dog.
ii am q patient" said the stranger
simply. ~ loved him. / wanted To tel
you So" =.
"Ali his patlents did, . said tho daugh
Ter, with trembling lips.
Nobody could help H." replied tn
young girl. ''He was as kind IS God
kinder, l used TO think. But he laugh
me better than that. l don't think any
body loved him like my mother and me
She had that tnmor you know-no, yol
don't know; but the rest had given he
M. He said she could be saved, and o.
he saved her. He saved her-and he 1
dead, Why, ] never thought Of such
thinsl Hel He was 20 We | and strong
He Kent us In courage and hope. Their
WAS no end 10 II. And / had the fever
and he saved me too, but that doesn,
count for 90 much, only TO mother. l don
know what would have become Of tnothe
n l had died. don't know what woult
have happened 10 ME II mother had died