Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1894-03-22
Won are stayinu with friends THEREOF

..You are staying with friends therein
s'No: / have no friend TO go to-"
"Are you quite alones"
quite
He was silent for a moment, seeming
greatly shocked by his discovery. Then he
said:
but YOU have friends"
'sNone but Mere Lucas and"-
He held ont his hand quickly, and as it
closed on mine smile broke over his face.
"And me be said "oh, if my ear and
reason deceived me the sense of touch
would tell me whose hand this is hold.
Let us give up this game of crooked ques-
lions and cross answers and be ourselves.
Have faith in me, little friend y
For some minutes we sat thus, with our
hands locked, and neither spoke. Some
such feeling Of mingled JOY and sympa-
thetic sorrow as choked my utterance may
have silenced him. Perhaps he was wait
ing for me to confide my sorrows to him
TO pour out the history Of past troubles
that he might give me comfort. But l
dared not answer that silent appeal, and
the tear that slipped from my cheek and
fell upon his hand as bent over it was all
the confession / could make.
as there nothing | can do to help youW
be asked in tone of deep agitation.
"Nothing-n6thing more than you have
done. No one can help me. need no help
now. The worst is past. Better days must
come. Then may tell you more.n
II want to know no more than that, " he
answered impressiyely. If the worst is
past. we will cease to think Of it, Let us
go in the garden, he added in a brighter
tone as be rose to his feet. "The sun ought
to be shining today
He took my trembling arm.
"You know the way?" he asked.
ayes: | walked across the lawn yester-
day"
Il knew it." he murmured. something
touched my arm and ] felt that you were
near. l have been expecting You to come. "
He said this, / thought, 10 encourage me,
but the radiant happiness in his face sur
prised me- though | knew the vigor and
fortitude OF his character. One would not
have imagined but for those poor closed
ewes that he had lost the most precious
gift of nature He pressed my arm to his
side and spoke some wise words of assur-
ance, adding;
1--WE have both met with misfortune
/ little friend
II think too much Of my own,
! milne" he said to turn my thoughts, sis
/ not so great as You would think. At first
/ II was hard to bear-the world seemed 50
/ empty. But am learning to see now with
/ out my eyes, and | find multitude Of
I beautiful things that had before escaped
| my notice. | never weary of sitting here
/ and Misunderstanding out where all the
/ sounds come from and making better ac
/ ouaintance with the hidden world
/ "And in the evening you have Miss Bel
! to read to you and play
/ Eyes. She is a good, amiable girl, won
! derfully patient and untiring.
! There was great whir Of wings over oul
/ heads, startling me for the moment, ant
| then six or eight beautiful pigeons tiuttereG
/ down and settled ON Iaras' shoulder and
/ outstretched arm. He gave them hand
! full of maize from his pocket, and they clus
tered about his hand with outstretched
wings to take tho grain,
do they come down to Miss Bell like
| thatr' / asked, with envy,
"They will come to any one who ha.
! something to give them, . he said, smiling
=, wondered if he regarded me in the SAINT
light. ...
! | held out my hand timidly to the pretty
! fluttering birds, but they had swallowed
the last grain, and they took to their wing
and few away in body.
/ could bear it no longer. The pain at my
heart was greater than | could endure.
II must 20 away, too, said, choking
down my grief.