Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1893-02-25

left the shore for the wrecked vessel
There, lying insensible in sheltered
spot of the deck, they found in tlut!
mana tall, broad shouldered sail
or, with an immense black beard fall
ing over his bosom and his face pale
as though he had been a corpse.
They brought him to the seaside
tavern ;s.-I la.st l:1a IN an upper
h. boz ;ss12;i ssoti a1.@;;,,.li; him look
ing ct ne solemn sight Of life so very
1iea1, TIE y.s:c,:ge Of ticatt,,l.
al was done that could be, br.
still he q'iyeresl in tie balance, al,
when the sun went down was lyin-
just as pale and scnselrss upon his
pallet as when they took him from
the wreck.
There We're others who were al.aos,
as bad as he, and some must watch
with them all night.
Among them was Miily.
The long room where many ti,me
squealzing fiddle and clatsering piano
had set merry folks a dancing looked
like hospital now, with a TOW Of
beds adown it and steaithy footed
nurses stealing from pillow to pillow
one Or two feeble candles family
lit the room, and now and then q
moan OF the lnu5tering of one deliri
GUS with fever broke the silence.
That night one child died and was
borne away to another room.
But the sailor with the floating
beard like black floss silk had rot
changed for better OF. fer worse when
dawn broke.
Then the black haired French
woman. who had taken part III the
nursing, came to Miliy with some
thing in her hand.
rs madame q Cat1lelic2' she said.
No" said Miilly, i am u Prot
estantt"
1T is a pity" said the woman.
But madame is good-1uadanle will
understand. Around the neck Of
monsieur there he has worn holy
relic. 8 Perhaps the priest blessed it.
I have seen him kiss it often, and
removed it that it might not be lost.
Madame will let me tie it about his
neck; it may restore him"
Milly stepped back to give the
woman room, and then she saw for
the first time what she held in her
hand.
A broken tenpeEcc strung upon a
ribbon of faded blue. with the letter
NJ engraved on its surface That
tenpence John Turner had cut in
twain eleven years before. A holy
relic indeed The relic Of a love which
had endured so long in two unhappy
yet constant bosoEls
you say he kissed it often?" she
said.
Il have seen him, said the WON
an. And Mllly took it from her and
knotted the frayed silk about tn
bronzed throat with her own hands.
Then lneeling beside him she looked
into the pallid face and knew it.
The youth with smooth checks ana
red lips Ike 4 woman had changed
into this black bearded man. Care
had drawn lines upon the brow.
Wind and weather had tanned it.
Yet it was John Tu:ner-har John,
for had he not worn that broken ten
pence all these weary years?
A great food Of jvy swept over her
heart, and she turned to tie wonder
ng Frenchwcman, and from her bos-
o1n drew her own half Of the coin.
"Look!' she said.
And being & woman, she to whom
that other woman spoke knew what
was meant as well as though long
words had been wasted upon the tale,
sor there are lovers III France as well
as in America, ard they have parted
coins for love tokens ere now the
vide world over.
And in a woman's eyes, and her
bosom. and her changing
;heek, another woman can read Ey
he light from her own heart the Sc
ret that IS always our greatest joy
IL our intensest sofroW-.
So after that, without restraint,
Milly showered kisses on the pale
ids of that frozen face, prayed for
lis life, laid her pale cheek to his
and clung to HIM as she might in
hose OLD days when the faded ribbon
IN the broken tenpence was of a
bright, true blue.
And still be lay ike a static carved
If bronze floating death ward as it
seemed to all. And l,lIly's kisses
could not waken him nor her pray
rs move him, and there was no hope
or him in any breast but hers, so
hat it got TO be the talk OF the whole
1lace how The sea had brought John
Turner back to bis old love to die,
md how she never left him night OF
lay, but sat there with his hands In
lers and her eyes fixed upon his face
when the dawn broke and wnen the
;un set midnight and at noon.
Only-and here old gossips shook
heir heads and girls eyes b1imned
)ver with tears-only to see him die
It last.
But, dear reader, were that the
md of my story I would leave lc IN
written and leave you to guess it for
Tourself. John Turner did not die.
)ne bright evening he opened his
yes and turned them en- he face of