The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-03-13

heart. and she loved me. And because l
loved her 1 endeavorcd to euro her of
these little imperfoctions.
1t was difficult piece of work. Sharp
words were spoken on one side, tears
shed on tho other, and the upshot of the
matter was that one day my wife left
me and returned to her parents. They
wrote me II long letter, expressing re-
greet that my wife could not 1.-Two with
me and advising that we had better
separate.
might have applied for n divorce
but could not bring myself to do it, and
the other side took no steps for legal
separation.
My life became dreary and sad and /
believe l was on tho short road to hypo-
chondria
Mouse came just in the nick Of time
and saved me from that fate. l gave
him all my love, and he was all the
world to me.
But my present dilemma was duo to
the coming of the little castuway.
Mouse, Mouse" I said more than
once, what have you done?'
There were days when l dreaded to
go hone-two sickbeds, nothing to eat
for myself; forsOoth, cheerless, lonely
home
When l sat down by Johanna's bed,
she tried to console me as best she could.
but her cheerful words fell upon deaf
cars.
One evening i'll March again wcnd-
ed my Way homcward | thought OF
Mouse, of johanna, of the trained nurse,
and was i'll the worst possible hulnor
Opening the door with my latchlkcy,
hung my ovcrcoat on the rack and made
more noise than was necessary in tax
ing off my rubber shoes Iwcnt into the
dining room, and
Had johanna been prowling about in
spite of the dcctor's express orders to
remain i'll bed? The tea steamed over
the alcohol lamp. There were fresh bread
and golden butter, ham, cold roast beef;
the evening papers We're nicely stacked
on one side; on the other, my box of CT
gars, the ash tray and the matches.
just as Johanna was wont to arrange
things i'll the good old days, before hap
less Mouse interfered.
went into the next room, where
Mouse was kept. The lamplight was
mufiled, but i'll the semidarllncss 1 rec
ogn1zed the form of the trained nurse
bending over the baby's crib.
'"Tho trained nurse! Was 1 dream
ing? knew that head, with the dain-
tily nodded check the rich blond hair,
gracefully arranged at the back.
had kissed it many times A step,
and WAS near her. "Annar" | cried
My wife,
L caught her i'll my arms. She pressed
her head TO my breast and Whispered:
"Richard, forgive mcr'
1t was not Il dream. 1t was sweet re-
ality. Again the lovely woman in NV
arms whispers:
Can you forgive me, Richard?"
can only kiss her again and again
and listen to the story of her coming.
Johanna had written her i'll what Il
plight l was. She had told her about
the coming OF Mouse, the child's illness
and her own, and my helpless condition
Ill the face OF all this trouble And then
Johanna had lccturcd her about the
great virtue of forbearancc and other
Wholesome truths with regard to the
married life of two people who i'll reali-
ty loved each other
The old woman S words went STRAIGHT
to Annals heart. She came, and held
her Ill my arms and begged her to stay
forever.
BY this time Mouse had been aroused
from his peaceful slumber When he
saw me- he stretched out his little arms
and L took him and laid him into those
Of my wife.
viii you be Il mother to him." l
asked.
Il will love him as you do" an
swercd the sweet woman by my side
And thus peace has once more come i'll
TO my house
And the cause of it all was-Mousc.
Blessed Mouse From the German
For st. Louis Republic.