River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1890-04-24


they will have TO take Mrs. Creighton To
the city, and put her IN hospitalp'
Not while l can nurse herr" Laura
cried. hastily gathering some articles OF
dress together, and packing sachel. 81
will go now. of course, / can not re-
turn, Rosa"
But you viii catch it You will die,'
Rosa cried, bursting into tears; land
mamma is out, gone to New York by
nine o'clock train, and won't be back till
evening. Oh, Laura, don't gol Wait till
mamma comes, at any rate"
Il must go now" said Laura, firmly.
Mrs Creighton may be even now dying
for want of a nurse. i can not wait,
Rosa. There, don't cry so, dear. have
been yaccinated. you know, and may not
catch the disease"
"Yes, you will, and be all spotted and
SCARED, and a perfect fright. What
will Max say to that? You shall not go. "
But Laura had packed her wrapper
and slippers, and what other articles
seemed useful and necessary, and was
rapidly dressing herself for the street
her very lips pale, but perfectly resolute
/ in their firm pressure. She kissed Rosa
/ again and again, as her little cousin
chung to her sobbing and entreating;
and then with a loving message to her
aunt, she started upon her errand- Her
| arrival was none too soon The fright
ened servants had left the house open
and in dire confusion, and the invalid
was tossing in delirious agony-calling
for water, burning with fever and fright
1 anaH At har Ou-ra mild 70
1t was too late for the kind-hearted
/ physician to demonstrate, and he could
only recommend some prudent precau-
/ lions, and be heartily thankful his
patient was in such good care. For, as
the weary days wore on, Mrs. Creighton
drew very near the border of eternity,
and there was long interval when the
shadow of the death angels wings
lowered in the room. But she rallied,
and as the fever fancies passed she knew
Laura, and knew the generous love that
had brought her to her side.
There was little doubt" the doctor
told her, that the removal to the city
hospital would have been fatal, and
she would have surely died of neglect
in her own home but for the heroic
impulse that had brought her nurse to
her"
And while she was still too weak to
rise Laura sickened. The young girl
was not dangerously i'll, but during the
fever she had no one to watch her as she
had watched her friend. and she tore her
poor face in delirium when there was no
cooling lotion to alleviate the torturing
burning and itching.
The months of absence were nearly
over, and Max was coming home. Laura
had never left Mrs. Creighton during
the four months that followed her ill
ness; and Max, detained by business,
was cOmforted by thinking of the two
he loved best on earth together and re-
stored TO health. Bot now, when the
soft spring airs were blowing, Max was
coming home Mrs. Creighton had re-
ceived telegram from New York an
nOuncing the arrival of the steamer.
The six o'clock train came putting up
to the station: and Max Creighton,
springing to the platform, ran to the
carriage in waiting, too eager to get
home to note a clOsely-vsiled lady in
black, who took her place in the train,
and was carried forward with it.
His mother was in the drawing-room
and after long, close embrace, Max
looked for Laura.
Where is Laura. mother?" he asked.
Il can not wait TO see her, to thank her
that | have not come back to find my
home desOlate-to thank her that l am
not motherless."
''She will be here presently, Max. Sit
down, my son, while | keep my promise
to her, and tell you to prepare for 3
great shock"
''She is disfiguredr' he said, in a low
voice.
Terribly, Her face is deeply Scared
and a deep red, while her eyes are
slightly drawn down on the cheek and
bloodshot. All her hair is gone, and
she wears a close cap"
las if i needed to be prepared for
such change, Max said, with a quiv-
ering voice-''as if the face of the wOm-
an to whom l owe my mothers life
would not be the face of an angel to me,
however it might be SCARED! Find her,
motherl Let ne tell her how my love
has grown deeper and stronger since we
parted"
Mrs. Creighton was rising, when the
servant entered with a note.
Miss Laura left IL, ma'am," she said.
ITO you, Max his mother said. ''She
has gone home, poor child"
But the note was 4 farewell. Ii was
thus Laura wrote:
1.-The woman, you loved. Max, is dead.
She died to you when a hideOus mask
was drawn over the face you loved so
well. There is no beautiful Laura to
welcome you home, and the disfigured
girl who loves you too well to become an
object of disgust to you bids you mourn
her as dead. Heaven bless you, Max,
now and ever"
She was not at Mrs. Hilton's, and
Max could find no clew to her hiding
place. Never in her beauty had he
loved her as he knew he loved her now,
when she had fled from him. A deeper,
nObler manhood in his heart made him
bitterly ashamed of the stress he had
placed so long upon mere beauty-the
artists OutpOuring over the lovely face
that had led Laura to believe 1t was
that alone he loved.
A year passed away and Mrs. Creigh-
ton was again in feeble health. Her
physician recommended mountain air,
a house was secured for the summer in a
LILLE village in Pennsylvania, near one
of the large seminaries. Here she was
gaining health and strength when Max
came 70 pass few weeks with her.
They were at church one sunny Sun
day morning, and were lingering in the
porch after the others of the congrega-
tion had departed, when Max asked:
who leads the choir here, mOther?"
The organist. She is a lady teach
I ing music in the seminary on the hill. :"
Does not her voice remind you Of
| Laura's?"
"Yes. have tried 10 see her face,
but she comes very early and | have
never met her leaving the church"
1T may be Laura. How can ] find
out?''
You can not forget herr his mother
| said. sadly.
Forget her, Never, 1t is the one
hOre of my life to find her, if only to
4 tell how she has misiudged me. | must
see her once. She must learn how
love her: understand that the disfgured
face is dearer to me than any beauty
can ever be-that every scar upon It's
loneliness is mute record of the
l Saerifiea made for nv r,otba- Car