Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1899-09-23
A WONAN'S VENGEANCE.

was a nagEcr. He saw evidence of her
temper displayed upon her father. But
he loved her. and that was enough He
married her.
| know this is not a pleasant story, and
readers need 90 no further unless they
are interested in curious psychological
fact. | myself am Il believer in hercdity.
l am sure that somewhere in the past
this woman had an ancestor with
sharp tongue, which she had never tried
to bridlc If there is sympathy for the
man who inhcrits IL consuming thirst for
drink, why not for the woman who has
had bequcathcd to her bad temper,
which she took with her hair and eyes?
Luclla had everything to make her hap
Ply. from the standpoint of any rcaSona-
bic being, but she never ceased COM
planning, and mt last the good nature and
fortitudc of her husband deserted him,
and he turned, not as the worm turns,
but rather like raging lion, and Luclla
held her peace in sheer establishment.
81 wish you were dumb" he said in a
voice OF concentrated wrath and scorn
Il wish | might never hear the sound Of
your voice again"
he ovcrstcppcd boundaries. he went too
far, but there was this in CXtcnuatiOn--
his words came from the lips and not
from the heart they sounded far worse
than they intentioncd, and they recoilcd
on himself even before he had seized his
hat to leave the house. He turned to see
their effect on Luclla and found, to his
horror, that she had tainted.
Then he called himself brute, sent for
friends and doctor and hung over his
wife, PROSTATE with grief and remorSc,
until she opened her eyes and recognized
him.
He begged her forgiveness, but to all
his cntrcateS she only shook her head
feebly until at last. when he pleaded for
one word, she made a motion which indi-
Gated II wish to write, and, with n horri-
bic fear taking possession of him, he
gave her paper and pencil, and this is
what she wrote:
you have your wish. You will never
hear my voice again. | am stricken
dumb
1t was noiscd about in the community,
and people talked, old people especially,
of what they called "a visitation of God"
The doctors had another name for it.
They called it acute paralysis and said it
was reflex and would pass off presently,
but they wrr" wrong in their prognosti-
cations Luclla went about her work
again-thc light household duties which
devolvcd upon hcr-but no word came
from her mute lips. Allan, who was be-
side himself with grief and disappont-
ment. urged her to learn the labial Ian
guagc-indccd offered To forcco speech
for her sake and learn the lessons of ST
,,-itl Il, L "a.
to the suggestion. And then began the
inartyrdom of Allan Davis.
Luclla could hear perfectly. so that her
husband and friends were not constrain-
ed i'll their speech. but any word she had
to say, any message or answer in their
conversation coming from her, must be
written. She was always provided with
the means of communication, and writ
ing tablets of the dainIirSt sort were
scattered around the house like some new
bric-a-braC of speech.
The devotion of Allan Davis to his af-
ilictcd wife was something marvellous.
He never wcaricd of loverlie attentions,
and he never demanded the slightest rec
ognltlon of them. lie spent every hour
of his existence not employed in his bust
ness in dcviSing pleasures for Luclla, and
on those unfortunate days when a dumb
devil of i'll nature asserted itself he met
her mute rcproachcs with Il self abasC-
ment that was neither unmanly nor ser
vile, but ChriStlke. His bonny brown
locks turned gray, his laughEg. boyish
face took on the shadows of early age
but his spirit remained serene and pa
ticnt, and the love he held in his heart
for this woman grew brighter and more
fervcnt toward the end. And the end
came before the fire of youth had quite
turned to ashcs-thc end for Allan Davis
1t was II simple case Of influenza mt
first, with no suggestion of danger, until
one day tn" doctor looked grave and the
next he said to Luclla, Your husband
will die
He watched her sharply, but no CULVER
of an cyclid told him what he wanted to
know. She wrote n question on her
tablet:
GLOW Soon!'
AT any timc-tonght, perhaps" an
swcred the doctor, and again he watched
her narrowly. Did he surprise Il flash of
joy in her cold eyes, Il strange tense
drawing of the lines around her severe
mouth? 1t might have been his magma
ton; but, at amy rate, he was glad for
Allan Davis.
watched with her husband alone. lie
had been sleeping and dreamed some
thing that awakened him with wild
start and made all things look unrcal-all
except his wife, who bent over him with
a new Solicitudc in her face. He saw it
and was grateful.
Il am going to leave you, dear" he
said i'll the slow, precise tones of those
who are nearly done with human speech.
''Will you not let me take with me as my
last glad heritage word of forgiveness
for the great wrong | did,"
Luclla looked at him, and an unmis-
taxable CLEAN of triumph shone in her
eyes and expressed itself in her move
ments as she seized her tablet and wrote
something upon it in plain, distinct let
tiers. Allan saw the look, and the hope
that had sustained him so many years
seemed now about to he realized, and he
lifted his head eagerly to read for the
list time that beloved handwriting
But God. more merciful than his crca-
ture, had anointcd his eyes with II film,
and with the written words he SO longed
to see held before him by an unfaltcriug
hand he loosed his hold on earthly love
and hate and despoicd the last sting of Il
terrible revenge.
For this was what Luclla had written
for her dying husband to read;
'Sincc You are about To die. | will tell
you that | have never for one moment
been incapable of speech. | assumed
misfortune to punish you as you dcserv-
ed. | have succeeded. Exchange.