Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-09-05

forge. He bent his head, and sud-
den scorch, as OF tears, fell from his
aching eyes under their closed and
heavy lids.
"Some one at least pities me-" he
thought. "She whom loved is alone
hcartless. What is liberty, safety. to
me nowp"
With the next day his answer was
given to BONNER to transmit "Say
| thank my unknown friend" he said
gently; "but l am on parole. can
say no more"-and the great rough
kindly German was touched to the
heart by those brave simple words.
When he carried his message back
to Gretchen that night she heard it
with unparalleled wonder. "Lieber
Colt! she cried. chow brave he must
be, and how good. | thought the
French all towards"
There are good and bad in every
nation and land, little one" said her
lover. "But this man is indeed u
hero"
'He must be-" she said softly, and
Ninette in the little room within heard
and echoed the words, even amidst
her wild despairiug tears.
What shall do? What can | do?"
she thought in her agony. ut is |
who have given him to this fate.
Why can | not suffer for him?"
She lay there PROSTATE, in grief
that racked her with the sharpness Of
remorse, in the exhaustion OF a suffer-
ing she scarcely had strength to bear.
When the soldier had gone and Gret-
chen stole softly 10 her side with the
tidings of their i'll success, she lay on
her narrow bed, white and senseless
and still as death.
Ere the morning broke, she was in
the clutches Of terrible fever.
Days passed on.
In fear and trembling the good
woman and her daughter nursed the
girl. Medical aid they dared not
summon for fear of discovery. They
did their best; they gave her such
| simple remedies as they knew Of, but
obO 10y huNOllSNlOub VI CNCIJ OllOII
every remedy. She was tormented
only by incessant thirst, by the pres
sure OF deadly pain on her aching
! brow, as If an iron hand was weighing
down the restless, throbbing' brain.
ParoXysms OF delirium alternated with
the stupor of exhaustion, and she lay
| unknowing aught of the passage OF
time, of how hours and days lapsed
into weeks, and her danger increased
with each. At last the darkness which
had so long engulfed her reason began
to clear, slowly consciousness and
memory returned, the youth and
strength in her frame refused to be
quenched, and struggled back to life
again, when the life seemed almost
/ over.
Day after day and night after night
they kept their faithful vigil by her
! bedside. Each indication which
marked the slightest improvement in
her condition was noted with delight,
while the slightest trace of an unfavor-
able aspect was hailed with sorrow.
But their care and worry, their fears
and anxiety were soon TO end.
"She will live!" said the old woman
with tears in her eyes.
"She will live, the good God be
praised" echoed Gretchen gladly anC
gratefully.
The sick girl turned her great visit
full eyes on them with a wonder tha
awed their Joy and held them silent
Ills that thing to be glad OFF" she
asked, and turned her face to the
wall and wept the slow hot tears o
weakness and despair.
That others should be glad because
this living death of uncared for exist
ence was still hers, seemed
an once so sad and strange Yet
the gift was restored to her, the bur
den laid upon her thankless shoulders
to bear again until God in His owr
good time should remove it and bic
her rest!