The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1895-10-01


turned W Burnside and resumed his
Professional duties. lie had heard
nothing from Annie since she left
burnside, but his old love was strong
and constant, as the young riiaidens
of the village had discovered To their
thagrin, for the handsome yotipF doc.
tor was THE object 81 many signing.
seeret love.
Another year passed, and, one day,
while stopping at the Palmer house,
Chicago. he awolte from an Afternoon
siesta when It was almost dark. He
sprang up, and was about to begin to
dress for dinner, when some one sing
ing in the adjoining room attracted
his attention. The voice sounded very
familiar. Harry stood spell bound.
1t was so like Annie's, and the song
was one they had learned during those
happy years when they were frequent
ly In each others company. Soon the
song ended, and then the clear, rich
notes were heard again. This time it
was the soprano part of one of their
old duets.
Fired by some impulse, Harry waited
until the tenor was wanted. and then
began to sing, too. To his delight the
song was continued, and f.u'shed by
his mysterious partner and himself.
OF course the next thi ng was to con.
vince himself that it was she.
AS he knocked at the door of the
next room a tall, handsome man pass
ing him, opened it and went in, wait.
ing, holding it open for him also to
pass Harry gave one glance, and then
abruptly turned back and went into
his own room, caught up his handbag,
and in another hour was on his way
home.
What had he seen? Annle h Is Annie,
seated beside bed, on which lay a
child, whom she was trying to soothe
to slumber by singing. OF course she
was married, this was her child, and
the gentleman, so politely waiting for
him to pass, her husband
Mr. Ashley had died abroad abou
two years and half after he parted
Annie from Harry. Led on by one or
two fortunate speculations, he had
periled his whole fortune on a real
cStdtc III hdnSdS Slty anu
beggared himself. Humiliated, despair.
ing, he had sunk beneath the blow,
leaving Annie in strange city alone.
Mrs. Evans, lady whom Annie had
met in Kansas City, plying her for.
lorn condition, had taken her under
her protection to bring her home, and
it was while they were on their way
east that Annie, being left alone for
few hours W it'll little Master Evans,
had sung to beguile the time and at.
tracted Harry's attention. Mr.. Evans,
her kind friends husband, was the
husband Harry had SO ra shly supposed
to be hers Had her impulsive lover
waited but mo ment, he would have
seen her spring to meet him, and fay
senseless to the floor.
Two years more have flown by.
Harry was seated in the parlor of the
hotel at Babylon, Long Island, when
he heard noise in the hall, and then
loud cry for doctor, Stepping out,
he found crowd in the passage, and
saw two men carrying lady up the
stairs.
whats the matter? / am doctor!A
he cried.
"Oh. go up to her. said man near
him. shes hurt, and so is her hus-
band. It's Mrs. Evans companion,
and they've all been thrown out of the
carriage"
Long before this sentence was
finished Harry was in the room where
the sufferers had been carried. The
first object that met his eyes was the
man whom he supposed to be Annie's
husband. lying senseless on the sofa,
while on the bed near lay another
figure, the lady he had seen on the
stairs; but her face was turned to thu
wall.
"Oh, sir" said the lady, springing to
meet hi m, ''are you doctor? Oh! tell
me, is my husband dead?"
Her husband. Was Annie dead, and
this her successor? This was Harry's
first idea. Professional services, how.
ever, were imperatively demanded, and
he soon restored Mr.. Evans to con-
sciousness. His injuries were not Sc
rious, and he was soon sitting up on
the sofa. In the meantime, her worst
apprehensions relieved, Mrs. Evans
was caring for the mysterious lady OF.
the bed, and now called upon Harry.
The first glance was enough to bring
forth his skill, for he recognized Annie.
Mrs. Evans was wringing her hands
and weeping, as all her efforts to re-
store consciousne ess failed. Here the
injuries were more serious; a high
fever and delirium succeeded the long
fit of insensibility, and Harry heard
more than once the loved voice calling
him to come back, AMI crying:
Harry! Harry! to leave me after SO
long separation!'
Mrs. Evans told him all of Anniet
troubles, and he blessed her again and
again as he found how true and kind =
friend she had been to the orphan. He
was standing one day by Annie's bed
side watching her She was asleep.
and he knew that II she woke, now
that she was conscious of things
around her. he might hope for her re-
covery. As he stood there, almost
counting her deep<regular breathing.
she slowly opened her large, dark eyes
and fixed them upon his face.
Harry, she whispered. s.you have
come at LAST
He bent over her and said, gently:
Ny darling, have come, never TO
leave you again Try to sleep again
now. / will stay beside you-
She tried to draw him down to her.
and as his lips touched hers she closed
her eyes again. while an expression of