The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-11-09
FORGETMENOT.

There shs sat, the poor, demented girl,
on one of the stone benches that adorned
the bare courtyard of the great asylum for
the insane.
Young she was and beautiful-beautiful
in spite of the pallor Of her cheek and
brow. Her hair was golden and hung in
tangled masses about her shoulders. Fer
eyes, blue as the sky above her, were be-
dimmed with tears that dropped one by
9ne on a bunch CT forgetmenots which she
was holding in her hands and on which
her gaze was fastened.
A mingled feeling of pity and curiosity
took possession of me- "Who is she?''
"Why does she grieve?'' "Why is she
here?"
ASK her yourself said the keeper
who had thus far accompanied me- and I
approached her.
At the sound Of my footsteps she started
and shrunk to one side, as one who expects
punishment, but when she yentured to
look at me all fear and grief seemed to
pass from her face, and with look OF
hope and happiness she said, with smile:
81 know. You have come for me. You
have come to rescue me from a pain that
is slowly, slowly killing me. Oh, you are
SO good, so kindi And, you see, must
leave here today-now, for I must be there
tonight
"Where?' I asked in a voice trembling
with compassion.
"Where?" she repeated, with a wonder
ing look from those heavenly blue eyes.
| "Whero but with him?'
"With him?"
"Daniel-Robert Daniel Oh, but you
know"
may, but do not know. Tell me who
is Daniel Your husband, your lover per
| haps?'
"Oh, no." There was a look of sweet
innocence on her face. "Not my lover,
surely, for he belongs to Joanna
"Joanna?'' 1 repeated, astonished.
ayes, " she gently replied, mot mine"
"And he expects you to come to himP"
Eyes, for six long months has he been
waiting for me day by day"
''And where does he wait for you?"
CAT the Pere La ChRise, that's where he
is. And do you not know that he IS dead?
And bis grave; have you not seen it? Oh,
it is so white and beautiful, and SO rest
ful. His name On the marble shaft, and
on it stands the marble urn from which
| the little birds drink when the water has
gathered in it after a rssin. They nutter
round and round i5apd sing and sing, and
that is bc&utiful-oh SO beautiful! All,
| but you HAYS not been there and you can
not understand. I see you, toe, believe
| that all is over when one dfos. But it is
| not so. After death you live and think
and hear and feel. You smile and shake
your head. You do not know. You have
never put your ear close to grave and lis
! tened. I did lot know until that night
ca1ne-that night They had put flowers
| on bis grave, SO many, SO many, and they
| were white as snow and shining, shining.
| They drew me nearer and nearer, and
| put my hands into them, and my head
! rested for a moment against the cool mar
| Bic shaft, vhen-do not laugh at me-
| heard a E2Grn1ur, soft singing, a voice
/ that reached me at last and softly spoke to
| ne Joanna, is it your All fear passed
from me. I rcad his name on the stone
| shSft: DIniei Robert, aged 20, and TN
| derstood at once. he who spoke then was
| calling for her Re loved, ard is there not
saying that loves FIRE burns tieTcest at the
age of 20? She whom be called Joanna
/ had sworn to visit him after death, and
she had broken her promise. But he wait
ed ana waited and whenever he heard steps
above him he loHgingly called, Joanna, IS
it your Oh, the pity of it. No one ever
| heard; no one ever answered. But I, I
| could not leave him there alone. I an
| sv7ered him, and lied to him, for l said,
| 1t is I, Joanna. Was I wrong i'll doing
that? Yet he did not know, he believed it
/ to be his joanna, who had come to him at
| last. And he spoke to mo in 8 language I
| had never heard before He told me Of the
| happiness of 1evo; OF these bygone mo-
| mcnts of bliss. of she cup OF delight that
only lovers are allowed TO taste Of. and L
answered him az Joanna would have an
| swered. for how could tell him the truth
and break his heart, when he was SO alone
down, down in the cold earth.
"And so 7 came again, day by day, and
sat above him and listened TO his words Of
love and happiness But one day we were
parted. The stiffness around me was
broken by the footsteps of many peopIe,
and l felt that they had come to take me
away I put my arms about the pillar
with his mans ard cried aloud in the an
guish OF my heart, but they were stronger
| than l, and they tore mo away from his
grave and brought me here. And they are
so cruel for they viii not let me go to
him, and I know chat hs is waiting for
mo and counting tho hours, the days, IN
! til I return"
With low cry of despair she had flung
herself at lay feet pleading, "oh, take
me to him, take me to him, or ke will
have to die out there alone without mol"
my child said "a gently as I could,
II cannot take you with me. I cannot
help you
Tho terrible helplessness and misery ex-
pressed in her face actually startled me.
still I felt forced to repeat, my poor
child, 1 cannot help yeu.''
'sThen all is over and shall see him
nevernore." And ia pAroxysrn of grief
she fell sobiing on tho stone bench, still
tightly holding the little bunch of forget
roDots in her right hand. Suddenly her
sobbing ceased, and rising abe addressed
me, speaking Ilurriediy:
"Ah, very well. L cannot go, but you
will go in my place. Take these forget
menots and 10 to the Pere La Chalse. You
will soon find his grave with his name en-
graved on tho marble pillar, and the urn
above it. And when you have found it
yeu VIII place these flowers on it and say
to him, Joanna sends these forgetmenots.
You will de this for ne?'
Il will -
81 thank you, Oh, thank your And
after tenderly kissing the little bunch of
| f4oz-e-S she basfTad them RI me