The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-06-23
Happy at LAST

| soIu Suc udu S0ufeQ on the HOTlos ana,
| assuredly, judging from the shas3, bitter
remarks which often passed her lips. one
would not imagine that she found the
world full Of sweetness and light. The
| kfngstoWn people would have opened
their eyes wide ould they have seen the
| old maid one winter evening. when, bav-
ing returned from q walk, she threw her
self on her couch and sned q flood Of
| tears.
can never forgive him, or learn 10
| cesplsc the man who spurnsd my lover
she murmured. "Ah, Dick. Dickl l never
will cease to love you," Suddenly sire
rose and dashed away her tears and a
Ditter. hooking smile played about her
| lips.
There Is man in the wide word
| worth tear-but he least of all" she
said hercely; 'and never viii think ot
| him again." Alas, poor Rebseea! She
knew too well how little she eould keep
her promise to herself. for the very sight
| OF Dick Waldron, white-haired and stoop-
ed though ne was, was enouh set her
heart strings to tingling.
her story was one not uncommon in
New England village life. When prepare.
tons were going on for her marriage TO
Richard Waldron, Rebecca's mother, who
was a widow, fell i'll. Richard, who had
been waiting a long tine for Rebecca
l
formed without delay, for. as their new
home would be within sight OF the Stoner
place, Rebecca could still be with her
mother and oversee a nurse. But the
mother selfishly objected. 'She knew
that Rebecca would not be the same TO
her after marriage; no one else could
nurse her as well, and she wouldn't be in
their way long. She would go gladly as
soon as she was called up higher" etc.
So Rebecca, sick at heart but not dar-
ing, raised as she had been. to resist pa
rental authority, offered Dick his free
dom.
He stormed angrily at first, but seeing
her pain and distress at last said to her:
Heoecca, you are spelling two lives, 1
fear, by your mistaken notion of your
duty, but I must submit. But when YOU
are free you have only to write to me
for l cannot stay here-and call me back.
whenever you send I will come, for 1
VIII never love any woman but you, and
Will be faithful to you always"
All might have gone well had II not
been that Mrs. Stoner again selflshly in
terfered. ''Rebecca and Dick must not
write to each other, II would only keep
Rebecca's mind in a tumula, and she
would not stand in their way long She
was ready to go to heaven at any time.
she had never harmed a living creature
and more canting talk like this, which
did nothing to heal Rebecca's sore heart.
As matter of fact, the old lady held
onto life with a tenacious grasp and lived
five more years of helpless invalidism,
selfish to the last.
When at last Rebecca was free she hest
tated about recalling Dick, whom she still
fondly loved What IL he had married
since he had left her: men were incon-
slant by nature, she argued. Yet the re-
menbrance of Dicks face and his words
as he bade her ood-by forced her TO
believe in his constancy. Another doubt
assailed her-she had changed during five
years attendance in the sickroom, and
had lost much Of her giriish charm; per-
haps he would not care for her.
Finally her love conquered, and she
wrote him a letter which would have
brought him, a happy. eager lover, to
her side. But in some unaccountable way
the letter was lost in transit. Dick never
received the message calling him back
to Rebecca, and she supposed, as he did
not return, that he spurned the love she
offered. Naturally she was almost heart
broken. lost her faith in man and never
wrote again. He, on his part receiving
no word after the death of Mrs. Stoner
supposed Rebecca's love had cooled and
rallied at the Inconsistency, of wamon. But
ne never wrote, even to upbraid her
Years passed and he finally returned to
live IN his old home, but, though he
and Rebecca passed each other daily,
there was never speech between them.
They were now middie-aged and each
lived alone.
One night Rebecca ina restless mood.
started out for a walk She had gone as
far as Dick Waldron's cottage when she
thought she heard a groan. She stopped
then, with fast beating, heart, ran up to
the door and listened. The groan was
repeated, and, hesitatiIg no longer, she
pushed open the door and entered. Almost
on the threshold she stumbled over mis-
PROSTATE form. In a moment she was
on her knees and lifted his head upon
her breast
"Dick, my darling. are you hurt?" she
whispered, passionately kissing his closed
eyes and rubbing his cold hands. Aroused
by her words he struggled to rise. but fell
back. But he knew her. "Ah, Rebecca,
you have been cruel to me- he MUIR
INJURED. Then, almost undez his breath,
he said:
when pain and arguish wiring the
brow. minstering angel thou"
81 fell and broke my leg and crawled
30 the door for help" he began 20 ex-
plain. but tainted away.
When Richard waldron recovered con-
sciousness he found the doctor beside him
instead Of Rehecca. Miss Stoner saved
your life, 1 firmly believe" the doctor
said.
f. Il know she did. echoed Dick. But he
meant something the doctor could not I'M
derstand.
The next day Rebecca received an ur-
gent note from her old lover begging her
to come to him. She could not refuse.
fer. as she told herself. he might be dy-
ing. When she saw him, pale and suffer
ing. but smiling gladly because she had
come, the sharp eyes softened and the
hard lines about her mouth seemed 10 dis
appear and her heart beat with wild
hope that after all a new day Of happ.-
ness was about to dawn for her.
All that had seemed so incomprenensi-
Bile to them was now cleared up. although
the missing letter was never traced, and
the village people were shocked the next
day to learn that Rebecca had married
Dick Daldron when he was sick In bed.
Took advantage OF his helpless situa-
ton" some openly declared. Others de-
rided but some sympathized
Rebecca heard this statement. but she
did not care. Dick had begged her to
marry him at once. and she felt she owed
II to him-as we'll as to herself-to com
ply, and 80 she nursed him back to life
and the happiness they came so near
missing, and it was still sweet. although
II came so late.