Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-09-28
Who WAS She?

I was the victim OF the Brazilian fever
and every one had given me up. / heard
the priest say at my bedside that I would
not live until morning. I was sinking into
q heavy stupor when the door opened and
a golden-haired woman in q width gown
glided in. She carried in her tand a curious
porcelain bowl OF water.
ing it to my lips.
1.-THE doctor forbids it" l murmured.
"Drink and fear nothing" she said.
Iobeyed and drained the vessel she held
toward me. "Good night and sweet
dreams" she added, and glided away as
mysteriously as she had entered.
The next morning I awoke refreshed and
invigorated. / asked to see the lady who
had waited upon me during the night, but
| they smiled and said it was a d~elirious
dream. In time I recovered my health
and returned to Virginia. It was ten years
after this illness that in riding past q fine
old country house that I saw a lady walk
down the path who stopped to pick a rose.
Her figure was tall, her hair golden, her
eyes black. Her motions were graceful.
| With q little exclamation OF astonishment,
I recognized the lady OF my dream, if dream
il were. She looked a little older-nay, a
good ten years older-but otherwise was
unaltered,
I know not in what words I communi
Gated this fact to my friends, but I know
ended by saying:
II must speak to her. She will remem.
ber,"
My friend uttered an imperative mega.
tive.
"She would think you q madman," he
said. Come on. You may get yourself
shot for staring at another mans wife.
They do such things promptly at the
south. I will find put who she is if you
like"
I assented eagerly. We rode on.
Talk to me as much as you like" he
said, "but never expose yourself to strang
ers. It is possible that this lady was il
Brazil in 1S-, and brought you some.
thing to drink. when you were alone. In
that case q doubt that troubles o will be
satisfied. You can, with all propriety, cal
on her and thank her,"
"But, though he spoke in this way, ]
knew he did not imagine it could be 50,
That evening we smoked our cigars in
Colonel LIS company, and my friend dip
lomatically introduced the subject.
"That beautiful house with the large gar.
den" he said, sis quite a feature of the
place. Who owns it," -
"a lonely woman, widow OF Mr.. w.
said the colonel. "She was a belle in her
girlhood. She might still be n if she
| choose"
perhaps we saw her in the garden
said my friend, beginning a minute de-
scription.
Exactly. 1t was no one else" said the
| colonel.
Ny friend paused a moment, and then
said:
"She reminded B. of some one he met in
Brazil. In TACT he almost believed her the
same person."
"No, no." said the old colonel. MRS. V.
has never left Virginia. We have known
| the family since she was two years old. 1t
is only the other day that we spoke ofthat
| and she lamented that she bad not trav-
| eled more"
/ felt a pang OF disappointment, but
found courage to say: II should greatly
like to be introduced to her."
The old colonel instantly offered to in.
troduce me.
"But, remember" eaid my friend, as WI
parted, "Dever tell her of your fancy. 1t
would spoil your chances with her, and
see it is a case of love at first sight,"
He was right, and l was very fortunate
very happy. I won this beautiful woman's
heart.
Her fortune I did not want, but it was
large. l had sufficient means and could
not be suspected Of mercenary motives.
We were married after q long and ardent
wooing on my part.
She loved me, but a second marriage
seemed wrong to her, and it was not until
she realized that hehad irretrievably given
me her heart that she would give her
hand.
Neither OF US had ever visited Europe.
We decided to cross the ocean during our
honeymoon. Before we went she showed
me her beautiful home and all her pos
sessions. Among them was q store OF old
China.
Suddenly she turned to the shelves of her
cabinet and took down a China bowl
transparent, covered with flowers and but
terfies OF quaint conventional form.
As she held it toward me, I saw again
the long, low-hung, whitewashed Brazilian
rcom-the crowd OF men playing cards at
an %improvised table-the figure of a woman
advancing toward me-. It was her atti-
tude that my wife had assumed. l uttered
a cry.
Are you thirsty" she asked.
ut is true, then!" l cried. You are the
woman who saved my life when 1 lay per-
ishing Of fever in Brazil2"
She began TO tremble. Setting the DO vi
| aside she threw herself into my arms.
"Long ago" she panted-''ten years ago
Il thought I held that bowl in my hand
and asked you that. 1t was night. do
NOT know whether I dreamt or whether /
was mad. In the dead OF the night /
thought a voice called me: Save the man
whom destiny has set apart for you!' Then
I arose and asked, 'How?'
There is on our plantation a spring, the
! water of which il magical in it's power to
| cure fevers. I dreamt or thought that some
| unseen thing led me to this spring. I car.
ried this bowl in my hand. I filled it. Then
I stood in a strange room-long, low white;
and you-you-you lay GA q pallet, hot
| with lever. And I said, are you thirsty?'
| and gave you q drink.
"The next morning I could have thought
| IT all a dream but that the bowl still wet,
| stood at my bedside. Now I have told
you this, do you think me mad or super
stitious7 I have longeds SO often to tell you
| this, but l dared not" ,
But 1 also had my tale to tell-the one !
have told you.
We ask zach other often: "What was
it? What did it mean? How is it to be
| explained? But no answer comes to US.
Whatever il may have been it brought
| us together, and 1 bless it from my soul,
for we are happy as few lovers are, my dar.
ling wife and I. And whatever it was, it
came from heaven. Nothing unholy had
/ any hand in it.