Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1894-03-23
VOL. 49, mo. IL.
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Of German rolls.
The next day another picture was
left. It represented large workshop,
with men sitting at tables, all busily
engaged over some mechanical work.
Underneath was written the figures 80
shillings.
With unskillful fingers she drew an
outline of coat and waistcoat and
needle and thread and posted it at his
door as she went out, but she had to
come back again, she was SO i'll, and all
day she lay there alone waiting for
what was the only friendly signal in
the world to her-the scrap of paper of
the foreign artist.
She heard it pushed under the door at
last and feebly rose and CROPPED for it.
Her head was throbbing SO that she
could scarcely see that it contained
whole line of portraits an elderly man
and woman and younger faces, among
which was his own, his family doubtless.
She made rough outline of her hat,
with sharp oval for a face underneath.
She was too i'll to get it down to him.
She pushed it out and trusted that he
would fetch it. She heard him in the
morning come up again, and then she
heard no more, for the fever seized upon
her, and when next she woke to con-
seriousness she was lying on a hospital
bed. For days she was too weak to
speak or think, but when she was able
one of the nurses asked her if she would
like to see some papers which had been
brought to the hospital for her, and the
nurse spread them out before her.
The first was of man following
stretcher through the streets, then the
same man sitting alone in solitary
room with his head bowed upon his hand
and weeping; the next, the same man
at door, evidently asking questions of
a porter within; the next, the man was
beside bed on which lay deathlike
figure.
Has he been to see me?''
'Yes; it was when we thought you
were dying he came every day, but we
could not tell him anything. No one
could speak his language, but at last
we found it was Wendish, from the bor-
de1s of Saxony and Bohemia, and one
Of the doctors here got him a book in it
by which he could study English. You
will see by the sketches.
The next one represented the man
with the book in his hand.
The next showed the man in a train,
and then on board steamer, and then
in another train.
Jeanie dropped the papers.
"He is gone!' she said, with a little
weak cry. 'Oh, why have I got any
better?''
''There is another picture" said the
nurse, and she unrolled it for the trem-
bling girl.
The man had arrived at the little vii
lage Jeanne remembered in the first
sketch; then the interior of house was
shown; coffin lay in the middle OF the
room; an old woman, two girls AID
three men knelt around it.
Ills father is dead,'' said Jeanne.
And she turned to the next. The man
was at the hospital door.
''Oh, he is coming back!' she cried.
"See, this is the last, :" said the nurse,
and as she held it up she laughed. 1t
was the man on one knee before girl
jeanne in her outrageous hat-but
there was in little sketch up in the
right hand corner, as if it was yet in
the distance, the same little village with
the pine forests around, the two figures
the man and Jeanie-walking arm in
arm up the village street. The nurse
held her sides for laughing.
TITS the funniest thing ever saw in
my life!" she said.
Jeanne gathered her papers together
with some dignity.
81 don't call it funny" she said. 81
think it was just the incest thing
that ever was done to any girl"
my loofe!" said voice at her side.
And there was the man. Jeanie gave a
little cry.
''My loofe!" said the man again. "lt
is my first English to you, and it will
be my last. My loofe!' And Jeanne,
with all the dreams of her girlhood back
upon her, put her arms round his neck,
and sobbing said, And | don't even
know your name, but don't care for
anything in the world but you. New
York Tribune.