The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-05-15

~ OA4A AO " Il I'LL
both of our lives"
well" she replied, more calmly,
How much time will you allow meY'
i think" said he, that you can de.
eide m-well, say five weeks"
80 1t was agreed that he was to have
the answer In five weeks During this
Willie came seldom. Nellie missed
MIN so much. The days seemed long
and dreary. One week, and he must
have her answer.
What must I say ?" she would often
ask herself But to save her life she
could not decide. Only three more
days. Willie would be sure to come
today and zee if he could not read her
eyes. He came, but the same mystic.
rlous face greeted him. Nellie saw the
hopeless, despairing look he cast at her
when he said good night, y and turned
away sick at heart.
Five weeks have passed; the much
dreaded day has dawned; still she has
no answer for him.
He will come at half-past seven,
and l have no answer. How I do wish
l could die before seven"
How near she came, there is no one
who can tell. She prepared dinner as
usual, and called her father and Ben
to eat, though she never tasted any
thing, but waited on them while they
were eating. Her father noticed the
tired, weary look on her face and said
You look i'll, child. Are you not
WELT"
II have a pain at my heart" replied
Nellie, land l feel tired. lam going
to take a nap after dinner and will feel
all right afterward, I reckon"
"Well," continued her father, I am
going to town this evening, and will
let Ben stay with you"
"All right, papa, DEAR" said Nellie.
So when her father was gone, Nellie
gave Ben permission to go fishing, be-
cause she wanted to be alone to think
more than to sleep. She sank down in
the easy chair in the sitting room and
began thinking. The pain at her heart
increased every moment, and she
realized that unless she found relief
soon, that death was inevitable.
All Nellie's life she had been a good
girl, and she did not feel the least
afraid to die. She said to herself: mo
one is here, and no one will come, SO 1
must die alone. 1 must write father a
line or two and tell him good bye"
This is what she wrote:
"DEAR, COOP PAPA:-''I think 1 am
dying, so I write to say goodbye to
you. You have been such a good papa
that I know I can never thank you
enough. am glad I have lived with
you so long as l have, though it is not
very long. You will please bury me
in some nice sunny spot and have some
flowers put on my grave. Goodbye,
papa, dear. Your own dead
NELLIE"
"OhI Mr.. Ryner," she said, half
aloud, You must have your answer"
Quick as a fash she wrote:
DEAR Nh. RYNTR:-You know to
night you were to hear my answer. l
will not live to write it, it seems, for /
am almost gone; but I will try. Gould
I have lived, l would have said Yes,
for I love you more than l do my own
life. You are all this world to me. But
you will some times think of me, will
you not, and always remember my love
for youG When you get this, come to
me at once. Yes, come and look on
the mortal remains Of your Nellie aud
say to yourself: she loved me, for
she tcld me co. Kiss my pale lips and
remember that were I alive I would
return is with fervor.
When the Heavenly angels are guarding the
As God has ordained them to do.
In answer to pray ers [ have offered to Him,
l know there is one watching you;
Aud may its bright spirit be with you through
To guard you up Heavens bright stairs,
And meet with the one who has loved you so
And remembered you, love, in her prayers
Yours in death,
NELLIE SANFORD
After Nellie had written these two
letters, she put the one to Willie in an
envelopeand directed it to him, adding:
I'm haste"
Willie's aunt, Mrs. Jasper Ryner,
vas a very clever woman and very
fond of Nellie, and often came to sit
with her. Soon this evening she came,
but she saw a sight which cont the color
from her face. When she entered the
sitting-room, she found Nellie prostrate
the sofa, cold, white and motionlees
with the letters crushed in her hand.