Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1893-01-26

~ Vim ~ IfHInNHtN NlHfH NN1ff fHN
ne svAf f|s lHeH4 HhH hla lAle thlt
~ ll,AHsb ~ ma ltaH \ t9fiAa
flsg hf8Hphl hlm ~ lhe sesala1
l4tw6 shd jala bim N an nJ1si
elsmhtf Aha slUod hfoHh1 blin li,5f
lhe n lhH Afelnh kInht N NE ~ vefy
hNaf lhH gefea N dtalh
AT Naa aohe fhaf tdttld ~ hul
tllii he uuitafef IN ihh lYalnnce. md
NheH ne eun wfhf dowh waa lflhe
llist ~ pale aHd seneeltss nton bla
tnlltl a wbeh they ttok bifn ff,itn
lhe wfeek
Thefe wete oliefs who wefe himoH
AA IND A. ne md sane tbuet wnlct
wllh lhcfn ell nieht
Among them was Mliiy
Tho long room wbete tieny 4 fine
AIienkine fddic ard clptteflne Piano
md set merry foiks . dancing booked
like a hoatdlsi nov With n row ~
beds addWh " bhd sttaIihy footed
nurses Stealing from piilcw ~ pillow
one IN tvs feeble candles faintls
IN The fwfn, and now and Then n
moan of Tho muttefing ~ ono dellfi
otis with fever broke Tho silence
That night One child died and was
bufhe away ~ another room
But the sailor With The floating
beard like black floss eilk had not
changed for better or for worse when
dawn broke
Then Che black haired French.
woman, who had taken part In the
nursing. came to Milly with some.
thing IN her hand.
''is madame n CatholicT she said.
No" said Milly, II am Prot
estant."
IN is n pity" said the woman.
But madame is good madame will
understand Around the neck u
monsieur there he has worn holy
relic. Perhaps the priest blessed It.
have seen him kiss II often, and |
removed IL that II might not be lost
Madame will let me tic II about his
neck II 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.
Il broken tenpence strung upon a
ribbon of faded blue, with the letter
M engraved on it's surface. That
tenpence John Turner had cut in
twain eleven years before. A holy
relic indeed The relic Of n love which
had endured so long in two unhappy
yet constant bosoms.
you say he kissed it ofteni" she
said.
II have seen him, said the WON.
en-. And Milly took it from her and
knotted the frayed silk about tha
bronzed throat with her own hands.
Then kneeling beside him she looked
into the pallid face and knew it,
The youth with smooth cheeks and
red lips like q woman had changed
into this black bearded man. Care
had drawn lines upon the brow.
Wind and weather had tanned it.
Yet 1t was John Turner-her John,
for had he not worn that broken ten
pence all these weary yearsl
A great food Of Joy swept over her
heart, and she turned to the wonder
ing Frenchwoman, and from her bos-
onl drew her own half of the coin.
"Lookl" she said.
And being a woman, she to whom
that other woman spoke knew what
was meant as well as though long
words had been wasted upon the tale,
Tor there are lovers in France as well
rs in America, and they have parted
coins for love tokens ere now the
vide world over
And in woman's eyes, and her
bosom, and her changing
cheek, another woman can read by
the light from her own heart the Sc
ret that is always our greatest JOY
,r our intensest sorrow.
So after that, without restraint,
Milly showered kisses ON the pale
ids of that frozen face, prayed for
ais life, laid her pale cheek to his
md chung to him as she might in
hose old days when the faded ribbon
)n the broken tenpence was of
bright, true blue.
And still he lay like Il statue carved
,f bronze floating deathward, as it
seemed To all. And Milly's kisses
'ould not waken him nor her pray
,rs move him, and there was no hope
'or him IN any breast but hers, so
hat II got to bo the talk of the whole
place how tho sea had brought John
Turner back to his old love TO die.
md how she never left him night or
lay, but sat there with his hands in
hers and her eyes fixed upon his face
when the dawn broke and when the
'un set =, midnight and at noon.
Only-and here old gossips shook
heir heads and girls eyes brimmed
'ver with tears-only 20 see him die
4 last,
But dear reader, were that the
nd of my story would leave it un.
written and leave you to guess il for
'ourself. John Turner did not die.
)no bright evening he opened his
Yes and turned them ON the face of
lilly, watching So faithfully beside
rs pillow, and asked family,
rs this heavenf
To Milly at that moment il seemed