The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-04-28
bpsv men do, when ono dav he realized
r.. Than six vccLs since he

busv men do, when ono dav he realized
lint !, was more than sis weeks since he
had heard from his child friend. Laura
Holt How old that the little soul
hai not written. - he thought perhaps
shc. too. has forgotten.
However. ~ hc had just got some
numbers Of a magazine in which a hort
story of his was appearing that month";
he puI n wrapper round one ana al
dressed il to Miss Laura Holt" and by
return of post there came for him n letter
IN a strange handwriting bearing the
post mark Of the town in which she lived
Av. but was il 20 strange Amyatt
stared at il for a full minute before he
opened it. his memory going back. back
back Oh, TO the DAYS of his boyhood,
gone never TO come again, never any
more. And then. when he tore the cover
and found that it contained a little note
in his friends round handwriting. that
memory straightway vanished.
dear MIR. John Dawes, it said
,thank you 50 much for sending me the
/ story Mother Is Just going 10 read 1t to
me. but | wanted to write to you first
You must have thought'i 1T odd ! didn't
write 80 long. have been very I'll, ard
can onlv sit up for a few minutes and
write with a pencil now | think | am
rather better. have been five weeks IN
bed already Ever your loving friend,
LAURA"
Naturally, Amyatt knew but little
-I...,t. II nl4Ilrap Iftf II
seemed 10 him that for n child of 8 years
old 10 be in bed five weeks at "A stretch,
with no immediate prospect Of getting up
again. was a very tad sign. and IN his
anxiety he appealed to the regimental
surgeon.
What's the matter with the child
he asked.
IL don't know
Then you'd better make the illness
shorter. or give it scarlet fever he SAID,
thinking that Amystt was merely stating
Il case for one OF his stories.
But it is a real child. the major oX-
planned
VERY bad look out then" returned
the doctor, decidedly.
Then Await wrote to the mother.
II shall he grateful if YOU will tell me
how my little friend IS. he said. 81
assure YOU if | had known her for twenty
wears | could not feel more anXlous than
her letter has made me feel tins morn
inc Yet ever when TIN. was gone, lac
sui could not take his thoughts away
from the dear little friend whom he had
never seen, lying PROSTATE for the
handwriting told him she must be indeed
very ill-On a bed Of slckue-- and pain.
In two days the reply came-w-Itten
in the same hand as the cover Of the
child's last letter, handwriting which set
every nerve iu his body t%hrObblng, every
pulse beating like a steam engine.
MY little girl is very, very ILL.,, Mrs.
Holt wrote, much worse since she
wrote 10 Won, and the doctors told me
last night that | must be ready 10 face
the worst. When / tell you that she and
/ are quite alone in this world. you viii
know what my agony IL. can't write
about il. can only thsnk you and bless
you for all the pleasure you have given
her, and beg you, utter stranger that you
are, to pray that this blow may not fall
upon me. Yours gratefully,
LAURA ST MARY Holt"
Utter stranger that you arel Why,
= c in his concern and distress, Amyatt
almost laughed out aloud. 4 stranger 70
her-a %strangerl Why. the letter, the
handwriting. the name, had all brought
back the self same memory that the cover
of the child's letter had called back only
the other dayl The memory Of WHAT
Well. Just this-of the only woman that
he had ever asked to be his wife, the only
woman he had eVei loved.
She had told him frankly and simply
that sic vas engaged to another man,
and Await had rushed away. never
asking. in his misery, SO much as his
rival name.
SO ii had been Holt And he vas
dead Yes. evidently he was dead, for
she had said that she and the child-the
child who vas dying were quite alone
ia the world.
But he could help her therel She
should be alone in the world 10 longer,
for he would 10 TO her-he would stand
between her and the world. he would offer
her ms strong arm and his true heart 10
guard hei from all evil, tokeep her so that
trouble should not come nigh her.
Az. but could he help her so that
trouble should not come nigh herr No;
no. alas! for when he reached her side,
her little child was-dead. John Strange
Winter in London Ladies Pictorial.
communication Between Deaf Mutes.
TIE modes Of communication between