The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-01-30
,ainine through the slender old ilngors

raining through the slender old fingors.
But q wave Of recollection was sweep
ing over her. Sho felt once more the
soft touch of baby fiugers,. and looked
deep happiness that she had felt be-
cause it wore its fathor's look and
smile; the bitter desolation Of the
empty cradle and their Joy in the
second little guest; their daily ankle
ties, the poverty that they had faced,
their petty privations and their simple
joys; tho way they used to read to-
gethor, tho way thoy used to talk to-
gether, the happy plans that they had
laid for this wedding trip" whom
they should be rich-it all came back
to her with feeling Of utter, terrible
loneliness in the present. She could
Going hastily To the fire, she stirred
the Goals and put tho teakettlo on
again, with q pathetic instinct for his
comfort, and thon, throwing shawl
ovor her head, sho plunged out into
the night. She dared not go far, lest
he should como and find hor away
"Henry, Henry !" she called, wildly;
but no answer came. Tho tears rolled
down hor checks, and she wrung her
hands desperately.
80 Cod" she gaspcd, "send him to
| mo 0, send him to mo soon !"
She ran down the road to the river,
but she head no sound save the rush
of tho sullen waters.
| ooh, whore is hc--whoro is he ~
she moancd helplcssly !; and then,
ran back to the gate and stood watch
| ing for him thero, with the rain beat.
| ing down mercilessly on her gray head
Tho dawn Of day brought to lish
the wide dcsOlation for which the
spring of '91 is well remembered
Trees had been tom up, cottages swept
away, many lives lost. On the east
bank OF the river rescuing party
from Eel Campo came upon an old
phnton, partly wrecked and turned
upside down, with u acarefully-knittcd
afghan caught in one of it's braces
They dared not tell hor: but she know
it from the talk Of some passing schoo
children, and all day she sat alone, not
speaking, not thinking, her hcat
bowed in her hands. Tho clock struck
onc-two -thrco.
" He said he would come at three,
she thought, in Il dazed way, lifting
her eyes to the clock.
There was Il step on the gravelly
walk outside that made her hear
stand still. The latch lifted, tho doc,
opened, and DR.. Rutlcdge stood there
tall, gaunt and gray as ever, but more
beautiful in her eyes than an angelic
vision.
kit ran away and left NO." sale
he, laconically, with grim smile owe,
the ubsurdity OF such Il proceeding OF
the part Of his well-rcgulatcd and re-
spectacle old stccd.
But his wife could only bury hcl
face in her trembling hands and thcr
She felt :hc same protecting arms
about her that had shielded hcr from
troubles for forty years, and the same
gentle voice that had so often com.
fortcd her in days gone by was whiSp
cring II deep prayer Of thankfulncss
that, in their old age, they whose lives
had been so long united, were not
separated the one from the other.
1t was evening before their trip was
oven thought OF, and then Mary, wise
| and prOVidcnt rs ever, said a:
Henry, dear, the horse is lost and
the buggy ruined. We shall need all
our money to get us started again
and to help others that arc worse oil
than we are. We can't go yet. You
will not care very much, will you, now
that VIC have each other?"
And good old DR.. Rutlcdgo came
nearer using violent language than
ever before in forty years.
Tho wedding trip be- hanged y
saip he.
And SO that journey is still in tho
future.