Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1888-12-29

SENDING THE ECHOES OF MY STROKES.
'.What else can be done with him?" asked
my persistent uncle. "The boy has good
head. There's something in him. Give him
Il chance. You surely wouldn't force him to
live his life without resources and tools with
which to aid himself. lisa shame"
At last it was settled that was to receive
IA thorough collegiate education, Uncle Zeph,
ssho was childless, paying half the cost of it.
Hero was q piece of luck, indeed; better
even than anything had expected. Itquite
renewed my faith in my only proyerb And
it had all come out Of what had deemed
stroke of the hardest l;indof luck. Take cour-
age, then, all of you, and don't think because
you can't see light ahead of you that there
is no light.
Well, wes graduated at last from one Of
the best colleges After that took a medi-
cal course and went to what was then con-
sidered the far west, Indiana, to practice
Patients came slowly, but l expected good
luck, as | had learned to do, and had
patience. if no patients
was just beginning to be little known
when | fell in love. The young lady who
had effected this state of my emotions was
Miss Alma Adams. She was very handsome
She had the dark eyes am so fond of, and
admired She was not rich, and was rather
glad of it, because wanted to win her and tc
do everything for her myself. think man
who is a man ought to feel that way. was
very much in love with her, and | thought
that she felt moro than kindly TO me. But /
wasn't sure. She was a queer girl. One
could never tell of what she was thinking. l
put off learning the actual state Of her heart
until | saw my way clear to a decent prac-
ticc. In short, till put some money in my
purse.
Miss Adams parents had in the family
niece about Alna's age, plain little body,
who was soIneH hat deaf and, therefore, some
thing of bore to selfish young fool like
me, who had only eyes and ears FOR the girl
he adored. But Laura, this cousin, was
good il she was exceedingly plain, and the
girls were very fond of each other.
At last my unspoken love became almost a
burden. I thought of but little else than
Alma. Rivals | had, to be sure, but hone
whom / really feared. Young Wilcox, son
Of the richest man in the growing young
town, hung around her constantly; and
George Carey, middle aged swell from ''the
east" was also devoted to her. But was
not afraid.
One evening as parted from her my man
ner betrayed more tenderness than l had
meant to express, though not more than
felt. In thinking of it afterwards ! was
happy i'll remembering that Alma had not
seemed surprised or annoyed at my express
sion of feeling. "ADd she must have under
STOOD" said to myself. AS walked to my
lodgings I determined to tell her outright
that loved her, and ask her to marry me
the very next month. The next day was
called away to the bedside of my dying
father. and did not return for two months.
Then was a comparatively rich man, with
my share Of his estate. That is, rich for that
time, not for the present.
returned to Crestfie,d on New Years day.
/ lost no time in going to see Alma Visions
OF this moment of happiness had filed my
mind for days. | met Laura just coming out
of the house. Full of childish delight at