Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-07-09
WAS IT WRONGa
Ry ETHEL NJ. coLsoN.

| get themP" l told her and sne salu,
with great sigh, 81 think could die
happy IL anyone should ever send me
flowers like that. But with sad little
smile) no one ever will, you know-no'
till I'm dead"
1 kissed her and passed on, all the
sadder because I feared that the event
she spoke of 80 calmly was nearer than
she thought, and all day her mournful
words haunted me. Poor Maude, how
sweet natured she was, in spite OF the
cruel deformitY which contrasted SO
strongly with her lovely face and flute
like voice. She had been born all right
(she once told me that il nature had
made her a cripple she thought she
should have doubted Gods love, or that
there was a God, but as her trouble was
only the result of an accident she felt
1t was all right but one day when she
was nearly q year old little cousin had
| come to play with her sisters, and,
chlld-like, had longed to nurse the baby.
1t somehow happened that she was left
alone with it,and not content with hold
] ing it in her arms, she began to toss 1t
in the air as she had seen her father
do. Her aunt's sudden entrance star
tied her, and the baby fell through her
outstretched arms to the floor.
And so my sweethearted friend, with
a nature as wild as partridge, and a
soul longing for all kinds OF outdoor
! life, was condemned to spend the most
of her childhood in a plaster case.
With and through all her troubles she
| kept up her CHEEKY spirit, and her only
lasting trouble was the thought that the
love, which at heart all women desire
| and long for, would never be hers. One
by one she saw her sisters married, and
gradually her love for their little ones,
together with all the other children in
the neighborhood, came to be her chief
| interest 10 life.
But day by day she grew weaker, and
the doctors, while disputlng the cause
\ of her falling strength, agreed that
slowly and surely she was going "the
way of all men," Poor, dear Maude!
That night as lay in bed thinking Of
| her an idea came TO me and early next
morning l paid visit to the florist, puF-
chased the lovele3t box OF flowers |
could afford, and ordered them sent to
Maude. On a plain, white card I wrote,
in my most mannish hand, "a message
of silent love-" aud tucked it in the
| box.
Just as I finished doing so, and while
| I was still arguing with my conscience
as to whether the little kindly decep-
ton was right or wrong, who should
walk in but Maude's family doctor, and
somehow or other told him all about
| IL.
'Poor little soul" he said, softly, and
| turning to the florist he more than
doubled my modest order, directed that
the flowers should be sent to the same
address as mine, and hastily left the
shop after paying, as l discovered later,
| for the whole lot, mine as well as his
own. Not until several hours had pass
ed did l remember that as the flowers
| had all bee put up together my ro-
mantically inscribed card must have
still remained with them.
Three days later Maude sent me a mes
| sage TO the effect that | must go and see
her at once, as she had something won
deriul to tell me. Full of curiosity, l
hurried over, and low and behold she
was so completely changed, so radiantly
happy, go perfectly beautiful, that l
hardly knew her.
"Maude wants to tell you all about 1t
herself" said her mother ia answer to
my eager question, as she opened the
door to me, Ego right up to her room"
and as l obeyed her instructions she
murmured: "She is so happy, and L
really think she is going TO get well
| now"
And in truth my friend looked but lit
tie like an invalid, as she smiled and
blushed at sight Of me, with her happy
eyes, and that divine color. The room
was nearly filled with flowers, and see
ing nv astonished gaze, she broke forth:
"Oh, you needn't look surprised, my
dearie. its all your doing, and he says l
Il shall always have lots OF flowers"
she finished with another glorious
blush. "Who is hep" Inquired quick
ly, although, in truth, began to sus-
pect who it might be.
"Why, the DOCTOR" she answered,
with happy little laugh, and forthwith
she told me the whole story
The doctor had not visited her the
day she received the flowers, 1t seemed,
but when the next morning he did APP
pear, she had deightedly told him The
being a very old friend), about the
lovely, lovely flowers some one had sent
her. 81 used TO think I'd be willing TO
die right off If such thing ever hap
pened to me" she interrupted herself to
saw; "but now want to live more than
ever, and he says l am going to get
we'll" The doctor had listened atten-
lively, and when she babe him look at
them more closely In order that he
might admire them still more he had
discovered what she had failed to find,
nv foolish little scrawl. "Oh,
what is that?" she asked excited e
", seeing him looking at it, and
he silently handed it TO her. "Oh, how
silly," was all she said, but she blushed
so beautifully and looked so sweet that
the doctor las he afterwards told mel
made up his mind then and there that he
loved her, and Immediately told her so.
And she ''never said nay" When the
first ecstacy had partially subsidized she
| OWNED that he had sent the flowers,
and she insisted that he tell her all
about them, which he willingly did.
But when she deightedly pressed that
ridiculous card to her lips and told him
that it "was sweeter than all the flow
ers" he omitted to mention that, until
half an hour ago, he had never sus-
pected It's existence.
And surely no engaged maiden was
ever so blissfully happy as this little
cripple. ITO think that anyone should
ever love me that way" she kept re-
peating; me, with my crooked back
But he says he doesn't mind, and it'll
be a set-off against his age, land he's
only IS, anyway, so l don't care any
more"