The Van Buren press., 1895-12-07

| she laid her soft cheek against her
husbands and laughed with delight.
The comedy was almost finished, and
yet. strange to say, the author felt
; strangely tired and depressed.
"He put down his pen and looked at
his young wife. II was winter, and
they were too poor to efford coal fire.
But small oil stove sent out CHEEKY
radiance, and the shabby black dress
his wife had worn so long and uneom-
plainingly seemed to catch golden
radiance frons the glow.
For the Inst few months the hus-
band had been too busy TO look very
| closely Mt his young wife. Every mo-
ment that he could snatch had been de-
voted to his comedy, and even the few
little excursions they had enjoyed to-
gether hnd been given up for the sake
of the masterpiece.
But suddenly the light of the oil
stove seemed to reveal something new
In his wife's face.
s.How pale and thin you look, my
darling he said. with a sudden tighten
ing at his heart. What have you been
doing to yourself9 You seem a mere
shadow
sBut she only laughed, ana said he
was foolish and imaginary.
AZ always am pale in the winter.
she answered with little shiver. But
when the spring comes shall be quite
fat and rosy. And then you will have
made such henps of money with your
comedy we can afford to go away some
where, and you can give up that hor-
rid Office you hate so much
".But we must be prepared for dis
appointment he said, trying to smile
hrayely You know all the celebrated
writer's had their first works rejected
"He saw the sudden change on the
thin. bright face, and he fastened 70
kiss the shadow away.
of course. the comedy will be taken
in the end, he resumed, hastily, patting
his wife's hand. But you mustn't be
too east down. darling, II the first man.
ager apply to sends it back
That night marked the beginning
of the terrible calamity that was about
10 fall upon the young husband. The
comedy was finished and taken to the
stage door, directed In his wife's hand
for luck as she said-to the great
aetor-lnanager ola well-known theater.
For the present there was nothing to
do but to wait for a reply.
60 and order the new clothes, dar-
ling the young wife insisted, with q
strange persistence. Mr. Thespis will
send for you. and you must look your
hest
1T was the morning of a gloomy,
foggy day, and the husband was about
TO set out TO his office.
As his wife spoke she staggered, and
would have fallen but for her husband.
In terrible alarm he carried her to the
bed and hung over her in anguish.
sHer face was CHASTITY pale, and for
the first time in her life she had tainted
dead away. The unhappy husband
rushed downstairs for the landlady.
aud with the help of some stimulant
they brought her hack to consciousness.
"The doctor was called in. In spite of
the young wife's assurances that she
was quite well again and was only feel
ing little tired.
"He looked gravely at the wasted
form lying on the bed, and then brought
out the stethoscope.
THE husband watched his face in
mute agony. But he could read moth
ing from the kind eyes that were bent
once more on the patients countenance.
"'Plenty of nourishing things, beef
tea and port wine, and, when the wealth
er is brighter, a change TO a warmer eli
mate. You'll soon be set up again. he
said. oheerily. And don't tfret about any
thing, my dear child he added in a
tatherly way.
Presently the two men went down
stairs into the landlady's parlor.
The husbands eyes sought the doc
tors face.
"It's only the effects of the cold
weather, DOCTOR he said, feverishly.
'Thse's nothing radically wrong with
my wife,
And then the blow fell. In the kind
est words. but in unmistakable terms,
the doctor told the truth.
"'YoUr wife is in a very preearious
state. Her constitution has been seri-
ously undermined by poor living. and I
regret deeply to have 10 tell you that
she has not many months to live. If
possible. keep from her any trouble or
disappointment. In her weak state the
shock might be fatal
''(iod alone knows the agony of the
husband when his brain realized the
meaning Of the doctors words. The
joy Of his life was to be taken from him
and he was TO be left TO bear the burden
alone-
''But for his wife's sake he knew that
he must hide his crushing grief. AT all
costs. she was TO be kept free from
trouble. and. as far as lay in his power,
he resolved 10 brighten the few months
that stin remained TO her life.
The days slipped by, and his keen
eyes noted The ever-gruwing weakness
Of his beloved wife. She was forced to
keep her 6ed for the greater part Of the
day, and the landlady was called in &c
ret as nursc,
Are you expecting letter. asked
tie landlady one evening, catching the
husband on his way upstairs 70 his
Wits room There's that poor dear
/ frvtting her heart away every time tbs
Postman knocks. Why doesn't the
letter GOMEZ" I've heard her say many
aud .nany time. and then when she