The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-04-06

and surprise her with tho flowers and n
kiss.
Softly 1 opened tho kitchen door.
There was no sign of any preparation
for dimer-evcrything was III order
Perhaps Nora has cried herself sick, 1
said to reassure myself. l went to the
bcdroom--cverything i'll order there, but
the room was empty. Ncrvously l hur-
ried through every room, looked into
every closet, went down cellar, out to
the coal shed, up to the attic l didn b
expect to find her i'll any of these places.
L was sure she had gone away, but I
must look for her somewhere
II went back to tho bedroom again
and there found the note she had loft
for me pinned to my pillow
Poor little tear stained lctterl Hero
1t is, worn i'll tho folds and yellow with
age-this is what she wrote:
Don't think it is because / am angry Mt
what you did this morning that go. cannot
stay because cannot make you happy. You
will Mt least live in peace without me. love
you, my husband, and always will. Think Of
me sometimes and of how much / loved YOU
But, no; If 1t makes you sad to think OF me, for
get me. God bless you. love you. Mona.
"That was ALL 1t gave no Glow. Was
sne living or dead!
IF living l was determined to find
her. searched for her everywhere, adj
vcrtiscd, travclcd-all in vain. Nearly
three years passed, and not word had I
heard from her. had almost come to
the conclusion that she was dead Dur
ing that time it was that my hair turned
white.
was working as Il reporter OH Il
New York morning paper, gathering
news and searching for my wife.
"Onc bitter cold night the last week
i'll january l was sent to report a fire
that had broken ont i'll Il large tenement
house i'll one of the poorest quarters of
the city. The greater part of the build
ing was i'll flames when arrived The
fircmcn saw that it would be useless to
try to save it and were directing their
efforts to getting out the frightened i'll
mates. did what could to assist them
III rcScuing the poor wrctchcs
At last, when we thought they were
all out the smoke cleared away from Il
part of the building, and by the light of
the flames that lcapcd up we saw the
figures of two women i'll window. One
OF them had Il bundle i'll her arms and
was preparing to leap to the ground. I
motioncd her back. In moment IL fire
man moved Il ladder to the place ascend
cd and returned with one of the women.
little huuchback. The other, the one
with the bundle, claspcd it convulsivc-
ly, tottercd and would have fallen to the
ground but for the fireman who had
just reached her. Quickly he descended,
bearing her unconscious form.
Guess she's about gone Get n
place ready for her, quick! Let me lay
her down. he shouted.
"Of came my overcoat, and the fire.
man laid her on ii.
Il stopped to see if she was badly
burned, and also to see what was in the
bundle. a little child about years old,
round eyed and frightened, looked at me
from the wet, stcaming blanket that
was wrapped around it. A pretty little
thing, l thought as discngaged it from
the blistercd arms that ciaspcd it. The
woman was badly burned about the
body. l drew away the towel that she
had around her head and saw-my wife
pale and worn, but still the Same fca-
lures, the same clustering brown curls o.:
her forehead. My wife, given back to
me like this! Frantically called for
help, for doctor. There happened to be
one i'll the crowd.
''Hc looked ut Nora s burns and shook
his head. There was no hope. She
would probably never open her eyes
again, but she did. The great dark eyes
looked up ut me, and the lips murmurcd:
" 'Maudic-baby.
81 held the baby over her. She smiled
family and said:
" 'Maudic-perhaps-
Tell him-I -lovcd-I-
But her eyes closed, and her head
fell against my breast She was dead.
Did she recognize me in those few
moments? God only knows Icould not
tell
1.-The crippled girl who was with her
in the window, and whom she insisted
on the fireman rescuing first, told me
how she had met Nora i'll the hospital
over two years before, when Maudie
was born, of Nora's kindness to her and
Of her weary struggle for bread, and she
1t was who found and gave to mo her
wedding ring and n tiny locket with my
picture i'll it that was fastened around
her neck when she died. She had never
parted with them, no matter how great
her poverty was. New York Adyer-
tiser.