The morning call., 1893-06-27
WAS 1T WRONG :?

udy carrying Il glorious UuDcu OIL roses
somebody had just given me. when l met
my little hunchback friend. Her face
lighted at sight of my flowers, and she ex-
claimed. sob, where did you get them?"
l told her. aud she said. with a great sigh,
81 think l could die happy if any one
should ever send me flowers like that, But
with sad little smile) no one ever will,
you know-uot till Pm dead"
l kissed her and passed on. all the sadder
because feared that the event she spoke
of so calmly was nearer than she thought,
and all day her mournful words haunted
me. Poor Maude, how sweet-natuTed she
was, in spite of the cruel deformty which
contrasted so strongly with her lovely face
and fiute-liks voice. She had been born
all right (she once told me that if nature
had made her 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 righO. but one day, when she was
nearly year old, little cousin had come
10 play with her sisters, and, child-like,
had longeG TO nurse the baby. 1t somehow
happened that she was left alone with it,
and not content with holding it in her
arms, she began to toss it in the air as she
had seen her father do. Her aunt's sudden
entrance startled her. and the baby fell
Aud SO my sweet-hearted friend, with a
nature as wild rs q partridge, and Il soul
lon ging for outdoor life, was commanded
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 little ones, together
with all the other children in the neigh
DnrhoOd. came 10 be her chief interest in
life.
the doctors, while 0isputing the cause of
her failing strength. agreed that slowly
and surely she was going THE way OF all
men," Poor dear Maude.
That night rs | lay in bed thinking of
her an idea came to me and early next
morning | paid visit to the florists, pur-
chased the loyeliest box Of flowers ! could
afford, and ordered them sent TO Maude.
On plain, white card l wrote, in my
most mannish hand, "a message of silent
love-" and tucked it in the box.
Just as i finished doing so. and while l
was still arguing with my conscience as to
whether the little kindly deception 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 lie more than doubled
my modest order, directed that the flowers
should be sent 10 the same address as
mine, and hastily left the shop after pay
lug as | discovered later. for the whole
lot. mine rs well as his own. Not until
several hours had passed did | remember
that as the flowers had all been put up to-
gether my romantically inscribed card
must have still remained with them.
Three days later Maude sent me a mes
sage to the effect that l must go and see
her at once, rs she had something wonder
full to tell me. Full OF curiosity l hurried
over, and, 10 and behold, she was so COM
pletely changed. so radiantly happy. so
perfectly beautiful, that l hardly knew
her"
Maude wants to tell you all about it her
self" said her mother in answer TO my
eager question as she opened the door 10
me, "go right up To her room, and as
Obeyed her instructions, she murmured,
''She is so happy. aud really think she Is
going 10 get well now.
Aud in truth my friend looked but little
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 seeing my aston
ished gaze she broke forth. "Oh, you
needn't look surprised, my dearie, It's all
your doing, and he says that IL shall
ishe1. with another glorious blush. 'Who
is he?' | inquired quickly, although. in
truth, | began to suspect who it might be-
"Why, the DOCTOR" size answered, with
a happy little laugh, and forthwith she
told me the whole story.
The doctor had not visited her the day
she received the flowers. it seemed but
when the next morning he did appear she
had delightedv told him (he being very
old friend about the lovely, lovely flowers
some one had sent her. Il used to think
I'd be willing TO die right off if such
thing ever happened to me-" she inter
rupted herself to say; "but now l want to
live more than ever, and he says | am
going to get we'll" The doctor had lis
tened attentively, and when she babe him
look at them more closely in order that he
might admire them still more he had discnv-
cred what she had failed to find, my
foolish little Scrawl. "Oh. what is that"
she asked excitedly, seeing him looking al
it, and he silently handed it to her. ''Oh,
how silly" was all she said, but she
blusbed so beautifully and looked so sweet
that the doctor Gas be afterward 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 suDsided she OWNED
that he had sent the flowers and insisted
that he tell her all about them, which he
willingly did. Bat when she delighedly
pressed that ridiculous card to her lips and
told him that it was Sweeter than all the
flowers" he omitted to mention that until
half an hour ago he had never suspected
its existence.
And surely no engaged maiden was ever
so hlissfully happy as this little cripple.
ITO think that any one should ever love
me that way" he kent repeating; "me,
with my crooked back But he says he
doesn't mind, and it'll be setoff against
his age (and he's only So, anyway, so l
don't care any more"
Whether she would have talked of his
virtues and her own happiness until conf
pletely exhausted is an open question but
presently The" came up the stairs, and,
seeing how excited she was, said quietly
(but knowing how tender he looked:
Now. now, little girl, you mustn't talk so
much" aDd-well, you most of you know
how new lovers act.
Now, l was as pleased at their happi-
ness as any third person could possibly
be. and yet l could not help feeling a little
sad, for [ knew l should soon miss two
dear old friends Maude | had loved for
nice 10 me as confirmed "oid bachelors"
always are to their girl friends-when they
are nice at all, and here they were decid-
ing to live in California!
Some ten minutes later. when they had
again become conscious of my eXisten &c,
l rose to depart, and as the doctor walked
down the stairs at my side he asked me
never to tell Msude that l had written the
message on the card. she likes to think
l did it," he said alphabetically, land
there's no harm in letting her think SO, is
tEere?"
shook my head and his hand at the