The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1889-01-04

observed she stole noiselessly down
the stairs and out of the house.
II can net stay and see them mar
ried. should betray my feelings,
and Aunt Prue would despise me as I
despise myself"
This thought kept whirling through
her distracted brain as she rapidly
pursued her way to the little station,
about mile distant. She boarded the
east-bound train which was just ready
to move out. Her vague plan was to
go to the city and endeavor to secure
situation as family governess. She
trusted that her pocket money would
supply her wants until she could find
employment
Purchasing an Avening paper, she
eagerly glanced through the adver-
tisements. Her attention was quickly
arrested by the following:
'WANTED--Ap person with literary tastes as
reader for blind gentleman. Call on OF ad-
dress, PAUL ARNOLD, Blank Street, New
York"
Ora's hopes rose high. She loved
literature and had read aloud a great
deal to her aunt.
She spent the night in hotel. The
next morning, after forcing herself to
swallow few mouthsful of breakfast,
she called a conveyance and was driven
directly to the number indicated in the
advertisement
The building was perfect dream of
palatial beauty, with its broad marble
front and it's statuary, fountains and
flowers.
Ora was conducted into a spacious
study, where she found the blind gen.
tleman sitting before a typewriter.
"Be seated; I will attend in
moment - he said, continuing to
manipulate the keys of the instrument
with rapidity that greatly surprised
Ora.
when l stop in the middle of a SEN
tence," he said, apologetically. as he
turned from his work, II am apt to
forget the last word. This obliges me
to employ the eyes of another, which
never do when it can be avoided.
Now, what can 1 do for you P"
Il am here in answer to your adj
vertisement for a reader" said Ora,
timidly.
very well.
Then, read from the treasured volume,
The poem OF thy choice;
And lend to the rhyme of the poet
The beauty Of thy voice."
He smillingly held out to her a vol
ume of LOngfellOw's poems, that lay
convenient to his hand. ~
As Ora turned the familiar pages
she grew selfassured, and read Sc
lection very sweetly and expressively
You read with no ordinary appre-
citation" said her delighted listener
"And your voice sounds to me like an
echo from the past. What is your
name?n
"Ora Dalton, was the reply.
'Dalton" he fairly gasped the name
Then you are probably related to
Prudence Dalton. Tell me of her
But suppose her name has long since
been changed"
''She is my dear aunt" answered
Ora, warmly, land her name is Dali
ton still"
My child" said the blind gentle
man, with emotion, ''long ago, before
you were born, 1 was the happy pos
SCISSOR of Prudence Dalton's young and
trusting affection"
'YOu-yOu that heartless villainl"
exclaimed Ora, rising and starting to-
ward the door.
Stay until you have heard my
story and then you can judge me as
you willr' he pleaded.
Ora turned back and stood looking
at him as if spell-bound.
During what was intended to be a
short absence from Prudence" he re-
sumed, 81 was suddenly stricken with
blindness, the result of paralysis of the
optic nerve. Learning from the best
medical authorities that the case was
hopeless, and having no longer any
means of self-suppOrt, 1 returned,
heart broken, to the home of my pa
rents. / wrote no word of explana-
ton to Prudence, realizing that if she
learned what had befallen me nothing
would satisfy her but to share my lot
at whatever sacrifice. I resolved to
let her suppose that l had deserted
her. | hoped that she would then
soon forget me and learn to love an
other, able and willing to do all for
her that l hoped to do"
Ora ran impulsively to his side and,
throwing her arms about his neck,
burst into n food of tears.
IF my Prudence is as fOrgiving as
you are we may be happy yet" he
said, tenderly returning her embrace,
''for have lately succeeded to an in
dependent fortune"
There was a joyful reunion that
evening in the Dalton home. Ora was
so wholly pre-occupied with anticipa-
tions of the great happiness in store
for her aunt that she almost forgot
her own troubles and gave little
thought to the awkwardness Of her
position.