The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-07-19
soon eet tired Of thines, wini.

"Yes, do" was the answer. II am 90
easily bored. 1 am quite tired OF this
| place" M
aYou will have to stay here q little long
| or" he said, land then you will be free to
| 10 where you choose wish could die
| quicker for you, Winifred."
Mrs. Reffold looked up from her en-
broidery.
"You are better"
"Yes, you've helped good deal to make
me better, he said bitterly. 'You have
| been q most unselflsh person, haven't your
| You have given me every care and atten-
| ton, haven't your"
"You seem to me In very strange mood
today" she said, looking puzzled. II
don't understand YOU"
| Mr.. Reffold laughed
Poor Winifred," |" he said. "If It is ever
your lot to fall i'll and be neglected, per-
haps then you will think of me.'
"Neglectede" she said in some surprise.
"What do you meanp I thought you had
everything you wanted. The nurse brought
excellent testimonials. was careful in
the choice of her. You have never COM
| planned before"
He turned wearily on his side and made
no answer, and for some time there was
| SllelCS DtUWttu UHeIu. IHcI Ht WtUCIcu
| her as she bent over her embroidery.
"You are very beautiful, Winifred, he
said quietly, but you are selfish wom-
an. Has it ever struck you that you are
selflsh?"
Mrs. Reffold gave no reply, but she made
| resolution to write to her particular
| friend at Cannes and confide to her how
very trying l.cr husband had become.
II suppose it is part of his illness, - she
thought meekly. But it is hard to have
to bear it,.
And Mrs Reffold pitied herself pro-
foundly. She stitched sincere pity for her
self into that piece of embroidery.
"I remember you telling me, contin-
ued Mr.. Reffold, "that sick people repell-
| ed you. That was when was strong and
| vigorous But since have been ill have
often recalled your words. Poor Wini-
fred! You did not think then that you
would have an invalid husband on your
hands. Well, you were not intended for
| sickroom nursing, and you have not tried
| to be what you were not intended for
! Perhaps you were right, after all. F"
II don't know why you should be so un-
| kind today" Mrs. Reffold said, with pa
| thetic patience II can't understand you.
You have never spoken like this before. ~
mo- he said, ''but have thought like
this before. All the hours that you have
| left me lonely have been thinking like
this, with my heart full of bitterness
against you, until that little girl, that Lit
tie Brick, came along"
After that it was some time before he
| spoke. He was thinking of his Little
Brick, and of all the pleasant hours he had
| spent with her, and of the kind, wise words
| she had spoken to him, an ignorant fell
| low. She was something like compan-
| ion.
So he went on thinking, and Mrs. Ref
| fold went ON embroidering. She was now
| feeling herself to be almost heroine. 1t
is very easy matter to make oneself into
heroine or martyr. Selfish, neglectful?
What did he mean? Oh, it was just part
of his illness She must go on bearing her
burden as she had borne 1t these many
months. Her rightful position was in q
| London ballroom, instead of which she
had to be shut up in an Alpine village-a
hard lot 1t was little enough pleasure
she could get and apparently her husband
| grudged her that
His manner to her this afternoon was
not such as to encourage her to stay in
from her drive on another occasion To-
morrow she would go sledging.
! That flash of light which reveals our
selves to ourselves had not yet come to
Mrs. Reffold.
She looked at her husband and thought
from his restfulness that he had gone to
sleep, and she was just beginning to write
to that particular friend at Cannes to tell
her what trial she was undergoing when
| Mr.. Reffold called her to his side
"Winifred, he said gently, and there
| was tenderness in his voice and love writ
ten on his face, ''Winifred, am sorry if
! have been sharp to you. Little Brick
says we mustn't come down like sledge
hammers on each other, and that is what
/ have been doing this afternoon. Per-
haps l have been hard am such an i'll
ness to myself that must be an illness to
Others too. And you weren't meant for
this sort of thing, were you? You are a
bright, beautiful creature and l am an
unfortunate dog not to have been able to
make you happier know / am irrita-
BILE. l can't help myself; indeed can't"
This great, long fellow was SO yearning
! for love and sympathy.
What would it not have been to him if
she had gathered him into her arms and
soothed all his irritability and suffering
with her love!
But she pressed his hand and kissed him
| lightly OH the cheek and told him that he
had been a little sharp but that she quite
understood, and that she was not hurt
Her charm Of manner gave him some salts
faction, and when Bcrnardine came in a
few minutes later she found Mr.. Reffold
looking hapricr and more contented than
| she had ever seen him. Mrs. Reffold,
who was relieved at the interruption, re-
ceiyed Bernardine warmly, though there
was certain amount of shyness which
she had never been able to conquer in Ber-
nardines presence There was something
in the younger woman which quelled Mrs.
Reffold. 1t may have been some mental
quality, or it may have been her boots.
Little Brick, - said Mr.. Reffold, isn't
1t nice to have Winifred here? And have
been SO disagrceable and snappish."
'Oh, we won't say anything about that
now" said Mrs. Reffold, smiling sweetly.
but I've said am sorry" he contin-
ued. And one can't do more"
NO" said Bernardine, who was amused
at the notion of Mr.. Reffold apologizing
to Mrs Rcffold and of Mrs. Reffold posing