Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-03-21

and think can manage, if you will
let me do it in my own way. First. I
shall take your place in tia store"
"You can not do the work.
81 can. And you can keep house.
/ shall expect warm meals at regular
hours"
"a blind mans housekeeping"
"Oh, you shall have an assistant"
ga servant? We cannot afford one"
''No dog"
Laura
"Yes. dear-it will be ever so larlly.
Haven't we always envied the blind
men who stood on corners with dog
to guide them?"
''And hand organs to grind. and
tin cup to carry" Harlow was posi-
lively laughing.
81 will carry the tin cup, dear, and
fill 1T, too"
Brave little girl 1 thought my
life was ended. Laura, can you
bear ito"
st will be perfect picnic" she
said, with tears running down her
cheeks-but she managed to keep
them out of her voice.
1t was a perfect picnic in more ways
than one. 1t always rains at picnics,
and there was rain of tears for this,
but also an intermittent sunshine that
soon dried them.
1t was decided at the store. when
Harlow's blindness was announced,
that he was to have a vacation until
such time as the firm saw fit to sup
ply his place, and for the present his
salary was to be continued.
That is what his misfortune did for
soulless corporation drew
them on: to a deed of
beautiful charity. Then friends
came in to offer assistance, which so
far was not needed. They came tear
full and full of conventional sym
pathy, and went away wondering and
rather plqued
1.-Two children who do not appre-
ciate the gravity of the situation"
said one sympathizer, with a sniff.
"Why, she talked about it as if sud-
den blindness was real blessing,
said another.
But no one saw how eXquisitely pa
thetic the situation really was. The
two "children," as they called them,
clinging together to the wreck Of
their happiness, both willfully blind
together to the awful realities of the
situation, but keeping up their cour-
age by fiction in which they were
the principal actors.
They were getting used to the stir
alton in this romantic way, and Laura
had their lives planned out. She was
to be the working member of the
firm, and come home at night full of
news for him, and they could still
take long walks together on Sundays
after church, and he was to have a
guitar, and learn to play; she had
always laughed him out of it, but
now it would be his one resource.
But what is there for ME to do
while you work, Laura"
Learn to wait, dear. like Milton in
his blindness They also serve who
only stand and wait"
Brave little woman, he said,
when will it end?'
'Oh, soon enough, dear, picnics
never last long. Well get so used to
it we wouldn't have it different if we
could"
Then she went upstairs and cried
herself to sleep.
The next morning she was awak-
ened by a joyous shout.
Laura! The sun is shining! | can
see. Thank God. / can see"
1T was true. The clot had gone"
the painless pain was ended. Like a
man who had been once tried for his
life and acquitted it could never be
done over again.
"There won't be any more of that
picnic" said Laura, almost regret
fully, although it had been such an
awful strain to live up to for twenty
four hours.
mo, thank heaven" said Harlow,
81 won't have to keep house"
And we won't need the dog"
"Well we haven't got him yet, sc
he's no great loss"
Nor the tin cup
Yes you can carry that, and we'll
| see how soon it will be full"
That's picnic" answered Laura.
sit shall be our bank"