The Wilmington daily Republican., 1895-12-28
F0RGETMENOT.

the bare courtyard OF the great ssylum for
the insane
Young she was and beautiful--beautifu
In spite Of the palior Of her cheek and
brow. Her hair was golden and hung In
tangled masses about her shoulders. Her
eyes, blue as the sky above her. were be-
dimmed with tears that dropped one by
one on q bunch of foreetmenots 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 shef"
why does she grieyes' why is sho
here?'
"Ask her yourself" said tho keeper
who had thus far accompanied me, and 1
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 ut me all fear and grief seemed to
pass from her face, and with a look Of
hope and happiness she said, with smile:
II know. You have come for me. You
have come to rescue me from pain that
Is slowly, slowly killing me. Oh, you are
SO good, SO kindl And, you see, must
leave here today-now, for must be there
tonight
"Where?" asked In voice trembling
with compassion.
"WhereY" she repeated, with wonder
ing look from those heavenly blue eyes.
Where but with him?"
"With himf"
"Daniel-Robert Daniel. Oh, but you
know"
NAY, but do not know. Toll me who
Is Daniel. Your husband, your lover per-
hapss'
"Oh, no." There was look Of sweet
innocence on her face. "Not my lover,
surely, for he belongs to Joanna"
"Jonnna9" repeated, astonished.
"Yes, )" she gently replied, mot mine"
"And he expects you to como to himp
'Yes, for six long months has he been
waiting for me day by day"
"And where docs he wait for youP''
"At tho Pere La Chaise that's where he
ia. And do you not know that he Is dead?
And bis grave; have you not seen itf Oh,
1t is so white and beautiful, and so rest
full. His name on the marble shaft, and
on 1t stands tho marble urn from which
the littlo birds drink when tho water has
gathered in it after a rain. Thoy flutter
round and round it and sing and sing, and
that is beautiful-oh, so beautiful All,
but you havo not boon there and you can
not understand. l sec you, too, believe
that all Is over when one dies. But IL 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. l did not know until that night
camc-that night They had put flowers
on his grave, SO many, SO many, and they
wero whito as snow and shining, shining.
They drew me nearer and nearer, and
put my hands into them, and my head
g..
bio shaft, when-do not laugh at me-I
heard murmur, soft singing, voice
that reached mo at last and softly spoke to
me. Joanna, is it your All four passed
from me. I read his name on the stone
shaft; Daniel Robert, aged 60 and un-
derstood at once. He who spoke then was
calling for her he loved, and is there not
| saying that loves fire burns fiercest at the
| ago Of 20P She whom he called Joanna
had sworn to visit him after death, and
sho had broken her promise. But he wait
cd and waited and whenever he heard steps
above him he longingly called, Joanna, Is
| it your Oh, the pity of it, No one ever
heard; no one ever answered. But l. l
could not leave him there alone. an
swcrcd him. and ] lied to him, for l said
| 1T is ], Joanna Was 1 wrong in doing
| that7 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 language l
Ind mover heard before. He told me OF tho
happiness of love; of those bygonc mo-
ments of bliss, of the cup of delight that
only lovers arc allowed to tasto of, and
answered him as Joanna would have an
swGrcd for how could l toll him the truth
and break his heart, when he was SO alone
down down in the cold earth.
And so l 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 mo was
broken by the footsteps Of many people,
and felt that they had come to take me
away, | put my arms about tho pillar
with his namo and cried aloud in the an
Fuish OF my heart, but they were stronger
than l. and they tore me away from his
grave and brought me here. And they arc
SO cruel, for they will NOT lot me 40 to
him, and l know that Lo is waiting for
mo and counting tho hours, the days, un-
til return
With u low cry of despair she had flung
herself at my feet, pleading "Oh, take
me TO him, takn mo 10 him, or he will
lIayo to die Uut there alone without mels
Ny Child, said as gently as | could,
II cannot take yuu with me- cannot
help yan
The terrible hclplessncss and misery ex.
pressed in her face actually startled me
SAN l felt forced To repeat My pool
Child, / cannot help you.
Then all Is over and shall see him
nevCrmorC. And in paroxysm Of grie
sho fell sohhing on tho stone bench, still
tightly holding the little bunch of forget
menois in hcr right hand suddenly hol
sobhing ccased, and rising she addressed
mo, speaking hurredly:
"Ah very wCll, ! cannot go, but you
will 90 in my place. Take these forget
mcnots and 60 to the Pere La ChaisG. Yal
will soon find his grave with his name en-
Rrayed on the marble pillar and tho urI
above it. And when you have found /
you will placr these flowers on it and sa
TO him, Joanna sends these forgetmenots
You viii do this for mei''
) II will. "
&" 1 thank you, oh thank yonl" An
after tenderly kissing the little bunch c
flowers she handed them TO me.
left her and went--at tho risk of hcin
laughed at l will tell the truth-I'wen
to Perc La Ghaiso and walked among tn
graves until had found 1t, her grave wit
the marble shaft, and Daniel Robert
engraved on 1t, and tho urn above, aroun
which the little birds fly and sing.
. And reyerently laid the forgetmennt
r. on his grave, aud bowling low my head
It whispered, JOANNA sends these forgctm
a nOts -
o a long, deep drawn sigh answered m
Had he heard my message, or had sight
=, myself2 / know not From tho FrenC
- For Washington Post.
Inapt.
= Yes, said the young physician Of ari
L tocratic lineage four family has mott