River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1891-07-02

gether, showed between his parted
lips. The hand that held the paper
trembled. but he sat still
His wife slowly CROPPED her way
across the hall. lie heard the parlor
door open. He heard the door of the
little closet swing back, creaking
slightly ON its hinges. Then he heard
Martha fall.
lie ran To the open door of the parlor.
She was lying at full length. face down
ward. on the floor.
Martha. Martial" he cried: bu, he
stopped short. with his toes on the par
Tor threshold, his stubborn, infcxible
win 10th TO bend or break even TO give
aid to- the wife he truly loved.
"Marthy! o, Marthy!" nc called,
stretching his arms far into the room
toward her. 'Lordy, Marthy, come
here, and I'll do everything kin for
you. Roll over, if you can't walk,
Marthy -
He dropped to his knees, bent his
great body forward and tried to reach
her, but failed by several feet There
was a ludicrous side to it all.
''Marthy.'' be fairly shrieked.
She neither moved nor spoke, but
suddenly she gave pitiful groan.
Good Lord! What an old fool ber"
cried Jared, suddenly leaning back and
striking his breast with his clenched
fists. "A fool an a beast to let the
best wife any man ever had suffer a
second, when might help her! The
Lord forgive me!'
He bounded to her side as he
spoke, and took her limp and uncon-
scious form up in his arms, saying as he
did so:
It'll be Judgment on me if she
dies. The best wife in the world!
Marthy! Marthy, dear! What ais
YEP"
He seldom called her dear" He did
so now with great tenderness and gem
tleness.
"Marthy, can't We open your eyes?
See, dear; I'm in the parlor. I'll come
in it right along now. The paperin'
RELY sets it off. I've thought so from
the fust, but was too cussed stubborn
to say so. Oh, Marthy! What is the
matter?" For she did not even open
her eyes.
1t was seven weeks before she left
the bedroom to which he carried her.
| lie had been one of the tenderest and
most patient of nurses, but the word
! ''parlOr" had never passed either his
| lips or hers during all that time.
She had thought much about it, how
ever, but not with pride or pleasure,
because she had no hope that Jared
would ever enter it now, aud the wall
paper could not be removed.
/ He carried her out tenderly and gently
the first time she left her room.
Want IRE to carry We into the par
I Tor. Marthy?" he asked. after he had
her in his arms. Its sunny and bright
in there. I've got a good fire in the
stove and the-the-wall paper shines
beautifully"
She looked up with shining eyes and
the first flush there had been in her
checks for many weeks.
IF you trould carry me in and lay me
on the sofy awhile, Jared.
"Why-I-I-Oh. Jared! What does
! il mean? | thought you-0h, Jarcd"'
III ID lit AtAl Oul INTO NAAG
room and through the sitting-room to
the hall she saw that all the once bare
and cold and staring white walls were
covered with more expensive and beau.
tiful paper than she herself would have
| bought.
There was a warm, red and black
carpet on the hall floor. new carpet
/ for the sitting-room, new and pretty
chairs and tables here and there, and a
mirror i'm gilt frame between the two
/ front parlor windows that reached
nearly from the floor TO the ceiling.
When she caught reflection of their
faces in the Shining glass, she saw in
both kinder, gentler, tenderer look
than either had worn for years.. L.
Harbour, in n. Y. Ledger.