The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1894-12-28

|
pected good luck gone?
l put the best possible face on nv
misery and went on in the dismal path
fate had marked out for me. Since | could
not have Alma, what did it matter whom
l married? Ugly little Laura would do as
well as any woman. 1t was fortunate that
she expected no extraordinary demonstra-
ton OF affection from me. Truly could not
have given it. My heart seemed frozen or
dead. Yet Icould not help seeing that
she seemed quietly happy. Her plain face
actually began to glow with new life, and
there were times when she looked almost
pretty. 1t occurred to me that | might
forget my own misery by trying to make
her happy. The idea was spark from
the mind of infinite love for it brought a
kind OF peace to my sick soul.
threw myself into the role of promised
husband with all the energy l possessed
| suggested that we should de married on
the same day that was fixed for the we'd
ding of Alma to Mr. Carey l can assure
you that in those weeks demonstrated, to
myself at least, that had something g of the
heroic in my nature.
Well, we were married Alma and her
husband went away, and Laura and I went
to housekeeping" as they say of newly
married folk. did my best to give Laura
no cause to suspect that l was unhappy.
The quiet happiness which shone day af-
ter day in her face became joy to me. 1t
even rebuked me- too. 1t was plain that
she loved me devotedly; and she was so
unselflsh III her love, so wise, SO sensible
that soon found myself admiring her. In
the wish to do everything possible for her
in order to recompense her for the love |
did not have to give her, thought of try
ing to remedy her defective hearing We
went to Philadelphia for that purpose.
The best aurist in the city made an exami-
nation and at once assured us that the
trouble was caused by slight obstruction
which would yield readily to simple treat
ment. In two months Laura returned per-
fectly cured.
Then l began to notice what very
bright woman my wife was, and she seem
ed to grow SUMMER and sweeter every hour.
In less than six months l loved her
a thousand times more, it seemed to
me, than had ever loved Alma. When
I began to realize blessed Fate over and
over again for giving me my own, even
through such incomprehensible ways. Il
might have known it," said to myself
Il always expected to have happiness in
my home, and might have been sure of
it, although the light refused to shine for
a while"
At the end of the year was so inflatu-
ated with me lovely little wife that l told
her the story of how came to marry her.
That she regarded as the best possible
proof of my love for her. Then she con-
fessed to me that she had loved me almost
from the hour when she first saw me, but
had imagined that l cared for Alma. Yet
when met her on that New Years morn
ing with such extraordinary cordiality her
heart rather than her reason caused the
misunderstanding Yet she declares to
this day that what she seemed to hear was,
II love you. Come and let me make you
happy all the days of my life" Perhaps
my wiser self spoke to her in some silent,
heartward way and l knew it not. At all
events am grateful that she thought she
heard these words if didn't say them.
did not see Alma for five years. Then
| wondered how l ever could have loved
her She was still beautiful, of course;
but devoted to life of fashion and show,
and was not at all the woman l had i'm
agined she would be. She never knew
how she had figured in the romance of my
wife
You see, always expected good luck
and always got it, but not always in the
way had expected. After my blunder-
ing marriage turned out so well | never
doubted my Spanish proverb again. 1t
has never failed me throughout my life,
and | will be eighty in December. If
were to preach a sermon to young people
every day in the week, think the con-
rluding sentence would always be: ''Ex
pect good luck and you will get it. If |
could send New Years message to every
soul on the earth it would be to expect the
good Put it on your New Years cards.
Write it in youl letters. Tell it to the lit
tie people Keepit everin mind. Believe
in it and live by it. The true philosophy
Of life is in it. Expect good luck and
YOU will get it,"