The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1890-01-02

ma! uh' MAJ tndJe u Boou Ioho' iho
idea OF u spooning, Percy-you and |:
He was in dead e%trnest, too: Well;
come inside. Their IS n good thing
about IL anyway; here'll be some poor
fellow the happier tLr it,"
mo, Tom, l am a little tired, and I
think I'll stay here. Tell my noxt
partner where to find me-"
danced as much as ever, and was very
talkative going homo. I did not cry at
all, but lay quite still and wide awake
all night. The next morning I did not
look tired, either. 1 had a glorious color;
and my eyes we're unusually bright.
Two days later 1 lay unconscious with q
consuming fever. Those were sad times
for mother, and there were days when
she held my hands in hers and breath
lessly counted the beatiDgs of the vacil.
lating pulse. 1 had not been delirious ct
all, only one night l had sighed contih-
ually, and keptorepeating; Goodbye,
Percy" in a soft, monotonous voice until
day-break. For the rest Of the time I
was simply unconscious. When I was
getting better, mother told me DR.. John
had beeh kind, as only such a dear heart
could be, and kept her courage up un-
flaggingly 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 l
Jaw 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 d good deal Of
satisfaction In the bright, rosy image
reflected In my looking-glass. But nov
my skin was of a dazzling Wilderness,
and my eyes seemed to be all over my
face, while the light played almost mys-
~teriously on my yellow hair,
"Thc purity dear" old Mother Gerkins
had said, wiping the tears out Of her
eyes with her apron. 'The purity dear!
All, but she's like the angel in the pict-
chure in the chur-ruch."
As o as l was out of danger DIR.
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.
l was sitting in my room n day,
writing to q distant friend, when I saw
the Brownlow man servant coming in at
the gate. How it happened l do not
know. In a firm, clear hand was written
on q fresh sheet of paperi
"Dr. John, please come to see me-"
And | rose, still without a thought,
and making my way down stairs, gave it
to the man (he had come on q message
to mothcr) with the request to deliver
it right away.
In tho evening when the sun had set
1 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 neighbours, and 1t 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 l came"
His voice was richer, sweeter tina
ever, and came to me like mama in tn
ucSGTb. l. udu noJ TcullLtu bcioio INV
hungry 1 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 I but told
him that day when l kissed him that he
INNS oil tho urprlA tn me- that 1nunf
him above my very life, ah, then al
would have been well!
"John, oh DR.. John, it has all been 6
mistake-right from the very first. .
love you, onlyyou-with all my strength
with all my strength love YOU
l guess we were both a little insane
for the next half hour. Anyhow, sign
language was enough for us just thor
and neither spoke a word.
"But Tom Woods?" asked my grea
~big-hearted lover, with a little furro,
down the middle of his forehead.
] laughed q little, and cried a littl
and-and-well, l don't care If | did kis
him. l guess l had all the right
wanted!
80 John, dear John, if we had no
both been so proud, it would have com
right long ago. That night when-whe
you found us two together on-on tn
balcony-John, please don't look at m
| can't tell it at all, if you DOLL
John, we have been so very foolish, DO
of us. IL was only pinning his crava
John"
DR.. John looked for q moment
though he did not at all understand, a
then our eyes met, and we laughed
neither of us had laughed for a year., o
even in our lives, perhaps. And wei
We might laugh, for there had been sad
ness enough. l found out, too, tina
lovers don't mind pauses in the leas
and a great while elapsed before DR.
John spoke again.
Little girl"
l looked up at him, and smiled an
shook my head.
Little woman" / corrected.
"Ah, yes, little m But is it m
little woman-my own?' he said.
gave him sufficient proof that he ha
not guessed wrong, and on q lovely da
in the new year DR.. John and / wer
married.
/ have found out since that ne is
dreadful tease, and he makes me give i
to him in every thing. But the onl
real difference" we have ever had wa
when we were going to. name baby.
was mad for five minutes, and then
well-what can | do? When am angr
DR.. John just kisses me, and sit take
two to quarrel" you know.-Richar
n..o l.. I ,oIs, NTo,a,uu