Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1895-08-11
AFTER THE STORM.

There is one matchless hour in a
mans life. Every sense of his being
surrenders to its delicious intoxicating
influence, and all the world seems to
be reveling in a carnival of JOY. Sound
becomes music. commonplace things
become beautiful and sight and feeling
| conspire together to intensity the illu-
( sion. This hour is when Tor the first
/ time the woman he loves yields up her
| confession of love for him, and for the
/ first time gazes soUlfully into his face
a wealth of love, trust and happiness
beaming from her dear eyes. Then 1t
is not what he has been or will be, but
what he is and what is his that con-
Germs him.
Howard Verdery had had this hour,
! but so recently that the joy OF 1t stu
fingered with him like 4 glad echo.
| He could not quickly realize that she
/ loved him as fully and completely as
he would have her love him. 1t had
/ come about so gradually, by such nat
ural. human stages-just in the way
| that such things must come about ne
/ imagined that it was hard for him TO
| realize that it was true; but what a
/ glorious thing it was for him.
He felt that he had in him the raw
| material for a splendid manhood. BY
/ Helens hands it might be woven into
a substantial texture that would defy
\ such petty temptations to evil as he
| had yielded to in younger days, not be-
| cause of lack of strength, he felt, but
| because he was young, unknOwing, un-
| formed. Those were fine days, and
/ there was little in them 70 regret He
| had had his season of wild college dis
| sipatiOn: it was no worse than that of
| the average man-not half so bad as
| some. But that was over Years and
Helen had opened a grand field for him,
| and he knew he would be purposeful
and manly. She would help him by
| her ready wOmanly sympathy, her
good judgment, her fine wOmanly tact.
| What an ideal woman Helen wasl How
congenial, how sweetly disposed, how
nOblel
Helen is my conscience" he thought.
ct never feel bad or unworthy except
s-hen am with her. She takes such "a
/ fine view of things. and she is so strong
i'm living up to that view. / couldn
do an unmanly thing in my heart and
mind and character.
His father was delighted with the
news. as We're his mother and sisters.
! They crowed about him and told him,
! three at a time. how glad they We're.
"Why. my boy, I'm proud of you, proud
of YOU" said his father, hearty look
/ ing man of fifty, a fair type OF the sue
cessful business man. you don't know
/ how happy YOU have made me. You have
| removed the most serious apprehension
I of nv life. for 1 was afraid You might
/ do something fOOlish-there's no ac-
counting for a young man, you know.
/ Even the steadiest of them sometimes
| lose their heads where young Wo-
mans concerned. I have been young
man myself. Howard. But you have
| acted sensibly, and your futures as
| sured Helen will be a great help TO
YOU. In a few years l will have to re
tire from the business altogether, and l
will leave il in your hands. My boy,
do YOU know that You have never pleas
| ed me so we'll in your life?
And the two father and son, shook
| hands with great warmth.
Helen has always seemed like a sis
ter" Agnes said. 1T will be so lovely
| for her to be that, in fact.
And everybody congratulated Yer
derry. lucky Verdery, and the young tel-
low. i'm the glow of his happiness, felt
that life was just beginning for him.
H.
1t was the best of days. Young Yer
derry in the cOnceit that fortunes IA
yoritism had bred in him, chose TO fam
CIV that nature had ordered the day be-
cause of the significance mat it bore to
his life Ii was Thanksgiving Day,
and il was his fathers idea that 1t be
observed with reference TO his engage
meut.
And now the day was drawing to a
close. Most of the guests that had been
invited TO make the occasion what 1t
sbould be had departed. Helen was
among the few who remained.
..You should be very happy said the
elderly Verdery for the tftieth time.
.You have everything to make you so;
I'm fact I have never seen young peO-
nile start out more auspic.ously. II tine
nrosDects. good wishes and the quality
rhev call love can make pair OF young
sters happy. I'm sure You two viii not
fail to be- My blessing, my children,
my blessing.
I'm sure we shall be- said Helen.
"There's nothing TO prevent, except we
might 0uarrelI m sure We'll never do
tb9+ we understand each other too
v-au for that. III there should ever be
any trining misunderstanding neither
of ms would let it betray us into ugly
words. We would wait, sure that II
wouId come all right We have al
ready adopted a system of dealing with
Zach other in perfect honesty, and 1t
has worked so admirably that l feel II
viii be q great success when we are mar
riad We tell each other everything
everything. don't We, Howard!
~Why. yes" said Howard, every
thing. 7 never felt tempted to keep
hack ANYTHING but once, and that was
when I met Jack Chambers. my old
friend Jack. the other day. and-Weil
Won know. Jack will indulge -auu
Tive toid her all about IT, But II
wasn't so wicked. was it?'
No. when we consider it was Jack,
said U7len. But if it had been any
one else-well. l should have said you
ought not
Nobody but Jack could have induced
me Helen" Howard declared. He's
a great hearted fellow. and its not mar
as bad for him TO drink all he wants