Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1897-03-04

her eyes held happiness as she sat by
the schoolroom table, with the piled
| up work basket neglected before her,
and read the words again and again.
! And the days and the weeks and the
months and the years passed on, and
! the pile of love letters which came to
the girl grew in bulk. Sometimes they
were respondent, sometimes cheerful,
sometimes hurried, sometimes tender
and sometimes the treasured space was
overfull of descriptions of new friends
or strange places. But the letters never
failed to come, and the man never failed
to long for the riches which could bring
him to the girls side and make life
happy for them.
And the girl longed and longed that
she might meet her lover, if only for
day; that they might look into each 9TH
er's face, and, renewing hope, might
start afresh. Some cynic told her that
love was fieeting, question merely Of
propinquity; but that cynic had not
really meant to bruise the girls endear-
ing heart. Besides, the cynicism was
not always true, for this girls love
was strong as ever-stronger. Why
should not the mans be the same? He
was better equipped for fighting doubts
and fears. But the waiting was bitter
ly long.
At last, when endurance was becom-
ing n habit, there came shock-a shock
Of Joy. Just business matter, just
money, just repentance to the amount
Of five hundred year out of an erst-
while unforgiving uncle. But 500
year to little governess, to a waiting
lover! 1t was ecstasy.
The schoolroom was as paradise that
morning; the voices of the children as
angels songs. For the waiting, the
drudgery, the anxiety were over. Bills,
lay within blue envelope; JOY was in
scribed in straight lines of copper
plate caligraphy. But the girl uttered
no word of happiness; it seemed too
wonderful, and she wanted to realize it,
and think.
A deed of gift. An anonymous deed
of gift-that would be the thing, the
girl decided. She would not keep one
penny Of it back. There seemed some
thing calculating and mercenary in set
ting aside part for herself; besides, it
deed of gift of 6 500 year to BERTHE!
1t was worth all the waiting and the
pain and the work. This was her re-
ward.
So the girl carried out her secret
plans with a light heart and happy
brow, and the joyful message went
across the sea to the man, in the copper
plate caligraphy of the lawyers clerk;
while the girl herself-in the willful-
ness Of near bliss-sent over the sea
also just scrappy little letter, the
most matter-of-fact she had ever sent,
cheerful and friendly, telling of outside
pleasures and daily trifes, of little
picnic in the wood and village concert
% little letter which would bring back
a loving remonstrance in the midst of
the tale of good fortune, and which
would be joke against her afterward
when the happy secret was known to
the full. And she smiled as she sealed
and sent it on its way. And then she
waited.
There were four and twenty days of
the waiting, and the girl never forgot
them-never quite lived down the strain
of the painful joy, the rapturous an
guish, rs she pictured her lovers pleas
ure and endured all the minutes which
were bound to pass before she would
receive sign.
what will he say? Will it be won
der? VIII it be only happiness? Will
it be-himself?"
At last it came-the first sign of her
sacrifice. 1t was O letter, rather short,
because written in a hurry by a busy
man; and the girl was able to read it in
the ten minutes which were hers before
morning lessons:
Dearest Ursula This letter will be only
a scrap, I'm afraid, but know that you
will forgive that, and I will make 1t up
next time. Truth to tell, am dreadfully
pressed for time. I've had a little windfall
left me in rather an odd way, and I've ac-
cepted 1t. Some one has taken fancy to
me, l suppose. (You can understand that,
can't youD So / am going off on a good,
long tour, to see all the places I've wanted
so long to See-Italy, Greece, and don't
know where else. It's jolly to have
little money at last. Rather a large party
Of US are going-the Gleesons, the mother
and daughter I've written about sometimes
and some friends of theirs know fairly
WELL so 1 expect we shall enjoy ourselves.
SO glad you are having such good time,
my dear. Picnics and concerts are pleas
ures which seldom come my way. I will
write again as soon as can, but am un-
certain when and where we halt. Yours,
in haste, BERTHE"
"a little windfall!" "And have ac-
cepted it,"
The woman's limbs shook and her
face became awful as she read. Then
she shivered; and then the children
came in to lessons
One more letter crossed the sea from
the woman to the man on his wander
ings. The word "good-by" was writ
ten across a bare sheet of paper, and
the man considered that he had been
uncivilly treated, and he felt very sor-
ry for himself; but he never looked on
the woman's face again.
The silly tale leaked out in time,