Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1896-04-05

saw her father she got up to leave US
together. l was glad, indeed, 20 have
him TO myself Cor few minutes. We,
at any rate, understood each other He
had his faults, dear fellow. and l often
got impatient with him, but he loves
me-he thinks the world Of me-he
doesn't question my judgment and crit
icise my conduct as the children do. |
was going TO tell him about Lily, and
about what luke had said to Phyllis,
but when he took me into his great.
strong arms | was TOO overcome TO utter
a word. l could do nothing but weep.
Nor could he. We thought how we had
t0iledfand shaved to make our precious
boy the man he was-hOw we had
nursed him through the baby illnesses
and pinched ourselves to send him TO
public school and the university. and
been so proud OF his beauty and his tai
ents and his achievements, and looked
forward with such joy TO the name he
would make in the world, and now
we were to lose him, after all, just as
we were looking fer the reward Of our
love and labors-and in this truly awful
wayi Tom said it was quite certain now
that he would die. Blood poisoning had
set in; there were swellings in some
muscles of mis- body to prove it-a ia
tai symptom, as every one knew. 1t
only needed to spread to an internal or
gan and the machine would stop at
once
And the sooner its over the better"
Tom sobbed and the poor chaps suf-
| ferings are at an end. All, Polly, old
girl, little we thought of this when he
was born. and we were as vain as two
peac0cks over him, Do you remember
the Christmas dinner. and the speeches,
and how he was brought in and handed
round to be admired?'
But we had to compose ourselves as
best could, and go back to the dread
full duties, he to see that the doctors
had a proper lunch before they left,
to renew my watch in the sick room
10 see the last of my dying boy.
On my way / came upon Jane, the
[ cook, hurrying along the passage with
a basin OF hot broth. Harry was not
/ allowed meat food, so | stopped her to
ask what she was doing with it.
Taking il to Miss Blount," she re-
( piled, and ! fancied she did not speak
quite so respectfully as usual. That
poor young lady hardly touches her
meals, and it did go TO my heart to see
her look so i'll. ! thought perhaps a
drop of soup would tempt her
Now | don't want to get the charac-
ter-which ] am the last person to de-
serve-of being a hard woman. / am
not one of those vulgar creatures that
che reads Of in novels who don't know
how to treat a governess properly. To
me Miss BlOunt was as much of lady
as myself, and I had always made it
point of considering her in everything.
Besides, il was not the time for animos-
tiles All was changed in view o.
Harry's approaching death She could
not injuTe him any mOre.So | took the
little tray from Jane and said to her
Go back to your kitchen and attend to
the doctors lunch. l will take the
broth to Miss BlOunt and find out what
is the matter with her"
The girl was in her bedroom When
she saw me she jumped ND as scared
! as if had been an OgreSs come TO eat
her. but when ] first opened the door
she was kneeling against her bed, as
II saying her prayers. Certainly she
did look i'll. She had very nice COM
plexion-no doubt poor Harry had no
ticed it-and her eyes were good. but
now her skin was all like tallOw and
! her eyes all dark and washed out, and
they had a curious empty expression
! in them that | did not like at all. pul
the tray on the drawers and went up to
her and laid my hand on her shoulder
| - ~of Ii p1 I could
sneak, Il have brought you little
nice broth. And you must take it al
once, while 1t is hot, to please me-
She did not so much as thank me, but
| juts stood and stared in a dazed, fixed
way. like a deaf mute. So / did not
! fee! inclined to bother myself further
about her, and turned to 80. AS soon
as | did that however, she spoke to me,
calling my name. Even Ter voice had
a sort of lost sound in it, as If she were
! talking in her sleep.
Mrs. Braye." she said, there's some
thing l have been wanting to say 10
you"
What is it?" inquired.
"If Mr.. Harry gets we'll I will not
marry him-to blight his career. ]
never have injured him, and never
will. l would die sooner
Wen. it seemed rather late to think
of that. Still it showed a nice spirit,
and I liked the way she spoke Of him.
She really was a lady in her way. and
poor thing-she did look the picture OF
misery. am a tender hearted wo-
man. and | could not but feel pang OF
pity for her.
"Ah. my dear" I said, there's no
question Of marrying or not marrying
now, He's going fast, and nothing
matters any more" Then l kissed her
i kissed her affectionately, and babe
her lie down and not trouble about
IjIv's lessons. and told her that when
ever there was q change in Harry's
condition l would let her know.
The change came few days later
not suddenly. but creeping inch by
inch. and it was not the change we had
all anticipated. Ny splendid boy Just
as he had struggled and triumphed at
foot ball and cricket so his magnif-
cent strength fought with and over
came the poison in his mood before it
could deposit itself in vital organs. II
was marvellous. The very doctors ac-
customed to miracles. could not believe
their senses when they counted his
pulse and looked at the little thermom-