The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-12-21

confess she hardly looks. more
than eighteen. / met her at my cunts.
where b spends b greater part Of
the time. Her mother is lead and her
father having married again, she feels
a. liberty to run about as much as she
sees MT; her W mother and my aunt
were most devoted friends. and ti,;s
house has been her second home. She
Is very bright and happy ii DISPOSE
tim. and simply refuses to barber care
or anxiety OF any kind in her heart.
Oas can come home tired in mini ana
body ard find almost instant res. IN
l.er bright, happy face. She Is always
willing to cheer and sos.ie one by try
irg to distract ones attention, pu. she
will allow no mention Of .shop'-sha re-
fuses TO hear anything about sorrow
and rain; they certainly have always
een to Ter life unknown quantities
and it IS to be hoped they ever may be,
Some;in es / almost wish I might turn
to her 1oI sympathy in my work. too,
but II can't expect the earth, can
one?
Il vculd have told you CT this soen-
er. cut I could not bear to force such
matters upon you at q time when you
coul1 not be expected to be in sym
patHy with them. I have FULLY made
up my mind about Dicks patience and
perseverance had about been crownel
with success until this last letter tells
me that he has given up all hope that
you a ever look upon him as any
thing but a friend. SO for the rest Of
his days he is willing to remain your
devoted slave, instead of accepted
lover Poor Dick: he is one of the bes,
fellows, and I am awfully sorry for
him.
IT nona ro{H;n~ ry;11 - ~ g..
terfera with our correspondence during
taa next four or five months-at the
end Of which time I hope to see you,
oh. 5oy!-for I simply "a At do without
Your sympathy and advice; I feel as
if I needed them more now than ever.
By the way Fred is obliged to take a
business trip to you pat of the world,
SD has Promised me to look you UP and
bring me a good report of everything
in the village. AS you may imagine, I
shall lcok anxiously for his return.
For to-day, dear old girl, good by.
Yours afectionately. Wallace.
February Il.
MY Dearest Margaret: Fred has
just returned, and I need not tell you
I am delighted with eve -ything he has
told me about home, with the excep-
tion of his account of yourself OF
course 1 questioned him very closely
aoouI you, but he was very re.i :en1
about answering me. At last I fel.
confident that all was not well, n
insisted that he should answer me
sira,ghtrorwardly. He said Of Course,
that you had consulted him profess
Si0Ealiy, AND that 1t would be a brea IN
of confidence for him to reveal wat
had been told him confidentially; hus,
after much discussion and trouble I
hava found ont this m,1oh-thaf Won
are very much out Of health, and have
been advised to lay aside all work fo-
aWhil", SO as to try to be ready to do
you duty as matron Of st. Agnes IEos-
pital. All this has made me Sc uneasy
that L have made arrangements to
take a. holiday for a week or two and
sur. ey things for myself. I must have
a talk with you about many things
now and then, when I am settled down
permanently near you once more, 1
shall keep my Eye on you and see
that you keep yourself in check
Dick says you have grown much
worse during the last few weeks.
Bur 1 will write no more as I shall fol-
low this letter in a few days. AS ever,
Wallace.
A dreary, cold February day found
me once more on my homeward way.
I was filled with Impotence to reach
my journeys end-an unaccountab bic
feeling, half longing and half dr"ld,
had taken possession of me, making
me both restless and impatient. I tried
to read, out found that impossible; all
kinds Of dismal and depressing
thoughts would drive all other impress
sions from my mind. The miserable
sensation as of impending disaster had
II I'll ;f- II III ,,Na~ Voo on1 ,rof,rn1 oh
solutely to be thrown off. But not be-
accustomed to much personal trouble,
I did not thing seriously Of this depres-
sion as a foreshadowing of evil, and
after laying all the blame on the
shoulders of the weather man, I CAV
myself up to rest as one can expect
or a sleeping car.
! In due time my own little village
was reached, and I lost no time in get
ting to the deal ones I was so impa-
tent to see. In going to my mothers
home, I vas obliged to pass the new
ST. Agnes Hospital. The grounds still
looked very familiar. Even the old
bench under the apple tree where Mar
garet and I spent our last hour tOgeth-
| er nearly four years ago was still there
but the house was a good deal enlarged
| and altered. I knew that the building
was not yet opened formally, and the
only part occupied was by Margaret's
own private apartments. It was with
| difficulty that I resisted the Temptation
to rush at once to my dear old friend
but it was still quite early, and
thought it BEST to leave her undisturb'
ed for a few hours. So I made my
other calls first-mOther, Dick. and
Margaret-these were the ones whom
had hurried home to see.
Things had changed a good deal ever
in this quiet place, but still more
things seemed very natural, and
could almost imagine myself a little
boy again. I learned that the matroI
of St Agnes saw no visitors until afte,
II o'clock, so it was not until five
minutes past noon that Dick and
wandered back to the village. Asian
ed as 1 am to nave to confess it, 1t wa!
with a trembling hand I touched tn
bell. It was answered by a very nea
maid, who told me that Miss Hazeltin'
was engaged at present, but would Sc
me shortly. AS we were sitting in tn
waiting room we could see her paSSins