Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-01-02

} He was in dead earnest, too. Well
: come inside. There's one good thing
i. about it anyway; there'll be some poOl
fellow the happier for it."
''No. Tom, am little tired, and
think I'll stay here. Tell my next
partner where to find me-"
i danced as much as ever, and was very
laxative going homo. 1 did not cry at
all, but lay quite still and wide awake
all night. The next morning 1 did not
look tired, either. l had glorious color,
and my eyes were unusually bright.
Two days later lay unconscious with a
consuming fever. Those were sad times
for mother, and there were days when
she held my hands in hers and breath
lessly counted the beatings of the vacil-
lating pulse. had not been delirious at
all, only one night had sighed contin-
ually, and keptCrepeating; Goodbye,
Percy" in soft, monotonOps voice until
day-break. For the rest of the time i
was simply unconscious. When 1 was
getting better, mother told me DR.. John
had been kind, as only such dear heart
could be, and kept her courage up I'M
f1aggingiy with his hopes and reliance
on my strong constitution. She also told
me incidentally that Silver Brooks air
did not seem to be agreeing with him,
he had grown SO pale and thin.
AS for myself l was shocked when 1
saw the changes disease had made in me.
Every body called me the prettiest girl
in Silver Brooks, and, though far from
being vain, still found good deal of
satisfaction in the bright, rosy image
reflected in my looking-glass. But now
my skin was of a dazzling whiteness,
and my eyes seemed to be all over my
face, while the light played almost mys-
! teriously on my yellow hair,
1.-The purity dear" old Mother Gerkins
had said, wiping the tears out of her
eyes with her apron. 1.-The purity dear!
All, but she's like the angel in the pict-
chure in the chur-ruch."
AS soon as / was out of danger DR..
Johns visits ceased. Weeks passed be-
for l saw him again, and then we only
met and bowed politely and passed on.
And so it happened many times, and the
slow summer dragged on again until
October
was sitting in my room one day,
writing TO distant friend, when l saw
the Brownlow man servant coming in at
the gate. How it happened 1 do not
know. In firm, clear hand was written
on fresh sheet of paper:
''Dr. John, please come to see me-"
And l rose, still without thought,
and making my way down stairs, gave it
to the man Che had come on a message
to mother) with the request to deliver
it right away.
In the evening when the sun had set
l wandered down into the garden to cut
some roses that were rich and sweet
with the dew of twilight. Mother had
gone out to a .neighbor's, and it was
lonely in the house.
l had stopped down low to train a ten
der vine that was straying about for
support, and when l rose, DR.. John stood
beside me.
'''You wanted me, so / came"
His voice was richer, sweeter than
ever, and came to me like mamma in the
desert. 1 had not realized before how
hungry was for the sound of it.
Eyes, yes; that is, /" My hands
CROPPED blindly for my head, and
pressed it firmly between them. A be-
wildering sense of it all came over me
of all | had suffered, unjustly, yet |
through my own fault. Had l but told /!
him that day when kissed him that he |
was all the world to me, that l loved |
him above my very life, ah, then all |
would have been we'll!
John, oh DR.. John, it has all been a |
mistake-right from the very first. l
love you, lyyou-with all my strength |
with all my strength love you"
l guess we were both little insane |
for the next half hour. Anyhow, sign
language was enough for US just then,
and neither spoke word.
but Tom Woods?" asked my great |
big-hearted lover, with little furrow
down the middle of his forehead.
/ laughed a little, and cried little
-and-well, don't care if did kiss
him. l guess 1 had all the right L
wanted!
so John, dear John, if we had not
both been so proud, it would have come
right long ago. That night when--when
you found us two together on-on the
balcony-John, please don't look at me,
l can't tell it at all, if you do-I-I-
John, we have been so very foolish, both
of us. II was only pinning his cravat,
john
DR.. John looked for a moment as
though he did not at all understand, and
then our eyes met, and we laughed as
neither of US had laughed for year, or
even in our lives, perhaps. And well
we might laugh, for there had been sad
ness enough. | found out, too, that
lovers don't mind pauses in the least,
and great while elapsed before DR..
John spoke again.
Little girl"
l looked up at him, and smiled and
shook my head.
Little woman" corrected.
''Ah, yes, little woman. But is it my
little woman-my own?" he said.
gave him sufficient proof that he had
not guessed wrong, and on a lovely day
in the new year DR.. John and 1 were
married.
l have found out since that he is a
dreadful tease, and he makes me give in
to him in every thing. But the only
real difference" we have ever had was
when we were going to name baby.
was mad for five minutes, and then
well-what can do? When 1 am angry
DR.. John just kisses me, and lit takes
two to quarrel" you know.-Richard
Dare, in Leeds Mercury.
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