The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1888-07-27
WHEN MARY DIED.


at their best, leave much to be said
when friends meet face to face. l had
not heard from him directly in many
months, but unexpectedly having bus,
mess in his city my wife had e~njoined
upon me to learn every detail from
him Of the last days of mis- wife, who
had been her schoolmate and conf
dante also, and to bring him and his
baby back with me for a good long
visit.
After the first greetings he led me to
his private office, telling the clerks we
were not to be disturbed by any one,
or on any business, and there WE sat
down facing each other for long talk.
We were both rather slow In coming
to the point, but at last | said:
Tell me all about your troubles,
Tom"
81 don't know where to begin"
Begin with Mary's sickness. | am
interested in it all"
"When the baby came there was
not a man in the world with whom |
would have changed places. | had
previously seemed to be- weighted
I down with fOrebodings of evil, but |
kept these carefully to myself, except
to enjOin the physician to take no
risks, and to charge the nurse to be
very careful. Mary seemed to be at
all times confident of a happy ending
and of the dawn of q happy Ella for us
both when q baby should be with us.
When the baby was here, sound OF
body and starting of as if determined
to live, and Mary apparently out Of
danger, l banished all my fears and
went around the house and through
my work as if | had wings. You have
children; you know how a man feels?"
| nodded assent.
II went home one night as happy
as O. man could feel"
"How old was the baby?"
Give days. | walked home that
evening thinking how happy Twas, and
pitying the men who had neither home
nor wife or baby awaitingt them. Iran
up the stairs with light feet, but still
lighter heart, and was met with a
hush from the nurse. What is the
matter? Is she asleep
"'She has had a chill, and now has
@ very nigh fever. l sent for tho doc
tor and expect him here every mo-
ment.'
THAT was the beginning. I fancied
it was a change that the physician
would soon overrule for good, and !
was only anxious, not alarmed"
What did the doctor say?"
"He said but little. l did not ques-
ton him so closely as l might have
done. In the morning / saw her fever
was still high, but | had no suspicion
of danger. The physician asked for
something that would compel me to
go down stairs with him to procure. |
chatted with him lightly until we were
in the liv1ng-room, when he closed the
door behind me and said: 4 only ask
ed for that in order to get you out
OF the oom Your wife is
very sick My heart stopped
beating for a moment. did
not thoroughly understand what he
said, but his n frightened me.
You do not mean to say she is dam
gerously sick?' / said. yes, she is
dangerously sick My God, the whole
world seemed TO drop away from me!
You may think you know Just how
you would feel if placed there, but you
don't. The imagination of man can
not picture it, and nothing | could
say 10Y would be able to make you
realize it. Every prop, every plan in
life was as if suddenly taken away.
'fYou remem6ef Nary"
Remembered her well.
II had been married eight years; we
had grown together; we had adapted
ourselves to each other. She had
studied me and knew me better, much
better, than l knew myself. Our lives
were as the life of one. We read the
same books, loved the same people,
enjoyed the same fancies, and were
absolutely one. Myfuture necessarily
included her as every mans must
take In his wife, but in a larger sense
It was made up of her. She had not
only been all that a wife could be to
the man she loved, but she had
brought good things cut Of me that /
never supposed | possessed till then
But here were the doctors words
sounding q knell in my ears, and his
manner was far more serious than his
words. She is not going to die2'
asked, hoping that the direct question
would compel an answer in the mega
tive, but he only said, She is danger
ously sick, What is it2' / asked.
Blood poisoning rs that so terribly
dangerous7 Yes They recover some
times, don't they?' occasionally a
woman RECEIVERS, yes What am Ito.
dor You had better send for her
parents. Was it so bad ~ that? All
else he had said did not strike the iron
so deep as this did. Ny impulse was
to fly back to her, take ner in my
arms, and defy death. But, no; i
must not alarm her; be said he would
he back III q few hours, and nothing
but Marin could come OF exciting her
then. ] telcgraphed Tor her people; /
sat beside her night and day. I saw
her fade away; I saw her die"
Here he breke down. ] begged him
not to continue then, bat he said it
Was 4 relief TO tell me all, my wife and
myself having loved her.