The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1897-11-19

lotiHiilS SicctS Vi "lllt spray anu tuc
sparse spicy woods along the south
road, where she and Elmer George had
been wont to walk hand in hand, after
the fashion Of island courtship. Her
heart went out, in spite Of herself, to
follow her lover, who would never un-
derstand, now, how much she loved
| him, and who might, in the rebound of
his anger, turn to some other sweet
heart. That was in the beginning of
| her exile. and then came the yet more
cruel day; when lie had disappeared
from knowiege and perhaps from life.
The girl found herself utterly giving
way under loneliness and inconsistencies,
and the more she fought the weaker
she grew \ little cough, that did not
trouble her at nights much, because
she had come to sleep little anyway,
and a loss of appetite that she hardly
noticed, because she had never cared
much about what she ate since she left
home, were very noticeable to her
cousins, and worried them in way
she, in her Indifferent langnor, could
not understand The dJc;o: came.
and they tcased her with medicines and
tonics, and food that she tried to sw;,l-
low to please them, and found like ashes
in her mouth. And, finally, when the
news came that she was to 90 home,
she was so tired and lanyuid that she
haadly cared, after all-,xcept to feel
that she had failed to do anything that
was expected Of her "A | what would
ma say?
Lacretia Elvira had prepared to say
4 great deal. But what she had not
prepared for was the sight of that
white, exhausted, pitiful face, and the
poor wasted little figure that William
Luther lifted into the cut-under. with
the tears gathering in his eyes. Only
quarter of mile to the wharf. vet
EuriIla Henrietta could not walk the
distance that, Il year ago, she had trip
ped over like 4 ferry. And when she
was tenderly Y carried through the store
in her fathers arms, and laid down on
the old s,ttee in the kitchen, Lucretia
Elvira followed, with nothing to say
with room for no feeling in her heart
but one, that this was her only child,
her one pride and delight, and that she
was slipping away beyond life itself.
There were no tears in her eyes, as
there had been in her husband 's-the
stroke went too deep for that: but
when she knelt by the settec and gath
cred her daughter up in her arms, the
sick girl realized, wonderingly, what
Il supreme anguish was in her mothers
heart; and how the strong nature shook
unto it.
Don't mind it So, ma she whisper
ed, weakly. ''Tain't your fault; I'd
Il been sic! anyway. I'm going to
get well. now I'm home, so don't YOU
f. et!"
But in her heart EuriIla Henri, tia
knew she was not going to get well.
And her mother, with the full keen
ness of mother-love, wakened oncn fNr
all, knew it too. She rose eac.l -. -
ing and lay dow II each night more and
more remorse;ul and unhappy. In
vain William Luther, who was of a
cheerful and childlike spirit, strove to
comfort her with his own faith in his
daughters recovery. She did not dis
abuse him Of his confidence, but for
herself, she faced the worst. and her
own share in it. The sick girl felt the
depth of her mothers contrtion when
she asked her tendarly; one day,
Wouldn't You care to see Mis- Pratt,
to-morrer, fyoa like" Eurilla knew
that the two wpnrn had not spoken
since Elmer George went away and
that Lucretia Elvras pride was like
iron: and she recoyniZ II the grandeur
of the sacrifice even while she accept
ed it. I'D like it ma: but ii it's any
way hard to YOU, don't want it," But
her tone betrayed her as She spoke
for wo lll she not hear about Elmer
George, and be rs If reconciled to him
once more through seeing his mother?
Lucreta Elvira said no more, but
cir led up her lOins and went down the
island road. In an hour she came
| back with Mis- Pratt. What had pass
ed between them no one knows, but
Mis- Pratt eyes were red and Lucrc-
tia's mouth WAS set tighter even than
usual. The visitor sat by Eurila
Henrietta all atterno III, and staid to
| ltI--.lH.i t)slU>ii- -iltti t.lil SIT tl ne
nearly every day. She and Eurilla
/ talked about Elm II Gnorrr-hiS boy
/ hood. his various straits and doin9s.
! his ways. and his ideas about things
everything that two loving hearts
could rem embar abplt the ole who
! was dearest to thcm and, alas! lost to
them both. Bat his sweetheart did
not feel that as keenly rs his mother:
perhaps because when she thought a.
bout it, lying o. her pillows, with the
autumn sun shining golden on the red
dening leaves ohtSide, she looked out
over the sparkling, infinite stretches Of
the ocean, and saw herself going be
yond it, soon, to where he was waiting
for her.