Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1897-12-23
here God pity YOU y

ratified of the whole off it. With the
last words, he strode across the floor
and took his frail sister in his arms.
He was sobbihg like a child, but
she was calm, pale, fearless. He was
frightened, and, partly recovering his
composure, looked at her.
"Do you understand, Nellie, what |
said?"
"Yes, brother
"But-but there are no tears IN
your eyes.
MY sorrow is too deep for tears;
nv heart is broken. Poor Jim IT.
"Be brave; bear it for the sake of
the boy; you have him to live for;
it is hard, but we must not murmur
81 am not murmuring, Dick.
a will bring mother over and she
and I will stay with you tonight
said the young man, alarmed by the
strange calmness of his sister.
GAS you please you need not hur-
ry; mother is feeble and cannot walk
fast.
1--WE will be here in the course of
half an hour
The two were standing and he once
more placed his arms about her.
"You will try to bear up, Nelhe2'
Eyes; don't distress yourself for
me.
Still filed with misgiviug, the broth
er hurried out from the sorrowful home
to his own, where the grief was hardly
less.
The stricken wife was sitting down
in the rocking chair, paying no heed
to the knitting lying on the noor'
She folded her hands and looked into
the cracking fire on the hearth whose
crimson glow was reflected against the
plump stocking Of little jim, sweetly
dreaming up stairs. The clock ticked
loudlv in the corner. the wintry winds
moaned round the corner Of the house
and the blaze on the hearth glowed
and danced as if there were no such
things as sorrowing hearts in all the
wide world.
Thus she sat, hands folded, form
rigid and eyes upon the flames
She had never believed that such
thing as broken heart could be, but
she believed it now and wondered how
it was that this frame Of ours can bear
a load of sorrow that is like a noun
tain itself.
Again the latch of the gate clicked.
She heard it as though it were
mile away, and with dim conscious
ness of what it meant, said half aloud:
Mother and Dick are coming to
stay with me, but they cannot cheer
me; | would rather be alone with my
grief and with God"
A knife point seemed to be thrust
into her heart. She pressed her hand
against it and gasped. She turned
her eyes to the door and attempted to
walk but could not.
"Is it a dream can it be true2
1t was not the footstep Of her broth
er, but one she had heard so often
that she could not mistake it among
thousand.
1t was firm, heavy, strong and hur-
ried, as if the man was impatient. She
held her breath, and never once took
her eyes from the door.
She saw the knob turn, it was pushed
in forward and a powerful, bearded
man strobe toward her, with arms
outstretched.
"You did not expect me, did you,
Nellie?" he called, as he caught her
in his embrace.
20 JIM my own husband, and she
swooned away.
When Dick and his mother arrived
little while later, they saw the wife
seated on her husbands knee. one
white arm around the neck Of the
bearded engineer, who was smiling
and talking as only man could talk
when once started.
"You see, | arranged surprise Tor
Nellie tonight; l knowed how bad she
wanted me to be home on Christmas
eve, so got Tom Rushton to wait for
me at the Junction. He hasn't any
close relatives and doesn't believe in
Christmas. At the Junction / got off
and Tom took my place in the cab Of
No. II. I had to wait long time for
the down train, which was late, and
didn't hear anything about the scci-
dent till they let me off at Mooreville.
l was afraid you might have heard Of
it, so l made all haste home. Poor
Tom and my fireman are with No. II,
and twenty feet Of icy water is flowing
over them. God pity them r and all