Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-03-04
After THIRTY YEARS.

- ] EIt ibttitt AFtttSs
When pretty Hester Warren
married Ezra Banks, who wal
twenty ears older than she, and I
shy, silent man out of touch Will
village life, everybody said tha
she made "a mistake that she would
soon regret. Yet, though villag,
eyes kept keenest watch upon them
village prophecy Was for once a
fault. Testers girlish beauty
changed into comfortable millle.
aged comelinesS, AMI Ezra grew
siti and rbeumatic, Yet th,ir de
votion to each other was unchang
g ,; indeed, after Mamie, their only
child, married and left home, ii
seemed as if the pages Of life had
blown back tor them and theA were
once more lovers, aul the world
was for them alone.
That was before Ezra had typhoid
fever. Through ais long illness
his wife nursed him tendeIly, bli
he came from it broken down Old
man, with his ears forever sealed
10 all the c0mm0n sounds to which
his !ie had oe-n SCI. Hr vas slow
IN recegIzlnghis wife d thrGOc or,
the knnwledge broke har,hly npOn
him. He colld see his wlfe's NJ.
move as she smOOthed the bed
with her soft, wrlukled hand, bur
he could hear no word. Then turn
ed hlS dull eyes, with pi'ifnl LOOK
OF psiu darkening them, toward
the doctor, He too, vas speaking.
but The deaf ears could each ne
sound His weak, peev'Sh voice
Jared sdddenly upon their talk.
hy dol't >e speak SOS | c."
hear ,e, sud o mu uOling sol
His wife started, aud hen cast "a
ouirk ig,nloiiug glance at the
doctor. Sh leaned down oyer tn
beo; hei face was in the shade"
aud her hu,b Z, Il cpuld uOl Sc her
e O..
- you hear me now, dearV
Tue words Iechei him t,irtl
and iron "a dlsrIne-. H struggled
VITA the sou lis inmate or two
before the, re-Ol, ed themsrlVe
lutn words.
OF course near yr.' h Sal
trettully, 'Oull why dOn1 Nou s.'eab h
upl | aiu'tSc SICK, lie II
The words we're clearer now.
though sIll far Oft.
You have been very sick, bat
are getting better fast. 1t has It
be quiet for you, you know dear
but you will soon be up, nov.
The old mau shut his ewes wear
Ily, the effort had been a beAv
one Tor him. His wife turned Il
The dOcter, her eyes shipinl
through her tears.
Il can make him hear she cried
L knew | could. l didn't bellev'
Ezra could get where he couldn'
hear me. AMI he needn'C eve
know nOw.'
The doctor looked at her aD'
said nothing. He was a youne
man, aud it seemed very pitiful Il
him.
But he had not understood tn
cd mans strong constitution. II
a few weeks he was about again
a. we'll as ever, apparently, saw
for the sealed ears. His wifi
cdatteIed to him IN her old fashion
aud kept out OF sight the medicine
he took for for her strained voice
she cautioned the neighbOrs wht
came to sac him, and thought tha
ne did not know. But she WAS mis
takeu; there were other sounds
many of them - that had bee
woven Into a lite of nearly sevent
ears, and in place of these ther
vas a great vacant stiffness; an'
he knew all.
One afternoon she found hlI
sitting IN the bIg wooden char /
the kitchen, studying his oil
twisted hands. He gave her
tremulous smile as she came ir
I'm most broken up, Hester b
said.
Don't I she cried, don't Ezra!-
| I can't bear il! We're both gettlD
older, bat that's all 'ris,'
He shook his head sadly.
no, 'tain't, Hester-Pve been
eaoino il for a long time, YOn'l