Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1889-03-27
o greet her, she bent and kissed Laura,

and then turned to me, saying:
You have won the sweetest heart in
the world, DR.. Mason. L congratulate
you. 1 know that you VIII return an
equal amount of good wishes when 1
tell you that have promised to marry
Mr.. Carey. we will be married next
month and go TO New York to live at
once.'
1 stood, as the novellsts say, rooted
to the spot.' The whole scene
seemed unreal. I, who a few moments
before was full of joyful anticipation,
now found myself engaged to marry a
woman whom did not love, and hear
ing the woman 1 did love tell me that
she was soon to marry one of my rivals.
At first L could not understand what
Alma meant. 1 thought that she and
Laura were enjoying some joke too
obscure for me. AT last the DeamIng
look in Laura's eyes enlightened me.
She, being somewhat deaf, had mis-
taken my warm greeting for declara-
ton of love, and responder adirma-
lively.
With Laura's arm still within mine
1 walked to sofa and sat down, she
by my side. l had not uttered a word
since | met Alma. Speech had utterly
forsaken me. And. indeed, what could
L say? Could 1 tell the trusting crea-
ture by my side that il was all mis-
take; that she had misunderstood me;
that L dill not love her; that L loved
her beautiful cousin? No; l was too
shocked and daZed to do anything but
sit there in silence, with the perspira-
tion standing in cold drops on my face
and my eyes glaring vacantly ahead of
me. l think | could have spoken had
II not been that Alma stood before me
looking placid and even happy in tell
ing of her engagement to MIR. Carey.
l accepted the situation IN desperation.
The whole face OF life had been sud-
denly changed for me and / saw moth
| ing but gloon ahead.
l thought myself a strong man, but
is 1T any wonder that l wept like a
child on my pillow that night? What
New Year that wasl Whittier had
my expected good luch gone?
put the best possible face on my
misery and went on in the dismal path
fate had marked out for me. Since
! could not have Alma, what did ii
matter whom L marriedp Ugly little
Laura would do as well as any woman.
| 1t was fortunate that she expected no
| extraordinary demonstration of affec-
I
| given it. My heart seemed frozen OF
dead. Yet 1 could not help seeing
that size seemed quite happy. HeT
plain face actually began to glow with
new life, and there were times when
she looked almost pretty. 1t occurred
TO me that 1 might forget my OWL
misery by trying TO make her happy:
| The idea was spark from the mind Oi
infinite love, for it Brought kind Oi
peace to my sick soul.
l threw myself into the role of prom
ised husband with all the energy
possessed. l suggested that we should
! be married on the same day that wa
fixed for the wedding OF Alma TO Mr
Carey. l can assure you that in thost
weeks l demonstrated, to myself a
least, that 1 had something of tn,
heroic in my nature.
Well, we were married. Alma and
her husband went away, and Laura aDC
went TO housekeeping as they SAY
OF newly married folk. L did my bes
to give Laura no cause to suspect thai
[ was unhappy. The quiet happiness
which shone day after day in her face
became JOY to me. 1t even rebuked
me, too. 1t was plain that she loved
he devotedly; and she was so unselhsl
IN her love, so wise, so sensible that
soon found myself admiring her. Il
the wish to do everything possible fOl
her IN order to recOmpense her for th'
love L did not have to give her,
thought of trying to remedy her defect
i've hearing. We went to Philadelphia
for that purpose. The best aurist IL
the city made an examination and al
once assured us that the trouble wa
~ Ion rla1s
would yield readily to simple treat.
ment. In two months Laura returned
perfectly cured.
bright woman my wife was, and SHE
seemed to grow SUMMER and sweetel
every hour. In less than six months
loved her thousand times more, Il
seemed to me, than l had ever loyet
Alma. When l began to realize 1t 4
blessed Fate over and over again fOI
giving me my own, even through sucl
incomprehensible ways. L might hav'
known it, L said TO myself. Il alway!
expected to have happiness IN my home
and might have been sure OF il
although the light refused TO shine TO
awhile
At the end of year I was 50 IN
fatuated with my lovely little wife tba
1 told her the story of how | came T.
marry her. That she regarded as th'
best possible proof OF my love for her
Then she confessed to me that she h4'
loved me almost from the hour wheI
she first saw me, but had imagine,
that 1 cared for Alma. Yet when
met her on that New Years morning
with such extraordinary cOrdiality hei
heart rather than her reason causeC
the misunderstanding. Yet she de
clares to this day that what she seemel
to hear WAS, Il love you. Come AM
let me make you happy all the days 0
my life Perhaps my wiser self spok
TO her in some silent, heartward wa
and 1 knew it not. At all events ! an
grateful that she thought she hear
these words il 1 didn't say them
did not see Alma for five years
Then | wondered how / ever cOul
have loved her. She WAS still beautiful
of course; but devoted to life Q
fashion and show, and was not at al
the woman 1 had imagined she wOuli
be. She never knew how she had fg
ured In the romance of my life.
You see, L Ialwaysexpected good luc
aud always got 1t, but not always in tn
way l had expected. After my blum
derIny marriage turned out 50 well
: never doubted my Spanish proven
again. 1t has never failed me through
, out my life, and 1 will be eighty i
December, If l were to preach a sci
J mon to young people every day in th
. week, think the concluding sentenc
: would always be: Expect good luc
and you viii get it, If L could send
New Years message to every soul o
the earth it would be TO expect th
good. Put 1t on your New Year
, cards. Write It in your letters. TIE
, it To the little people. Keep 1t ever !
mind. Believe in it and live by i
: The true philosophy OF life is in i
Expect good luck and you VIII get it