Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-09-14
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Happy at Last
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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1 Rebecca Stoner was regarded as the
1 typical old maid of Kingstown. People
4 said she had "soured on the world" and,
assuredly. judging from the sharp, bitter
remarks which often passed her lips, one
| would not imagine that she found the
| world full of sweetness and light The
| KingstOwn people would have opened
their eyes wide could they have seen tho
| old maid one winter evening, when, hav-
ing returned from a walk, she threw her
self on her couch and shed flood Of
tears.
Can never forget him or learn to de-
spise the man who spurned my love?"
she murmured. "Ah, Dick, Dick! / new.
err will cease to love you'll"
Her story was one not uncommon IN
4 New England village life. When prepa@
ritions We're going on for her marriage to
Richard Waldron, Rebecca's mother, who
was widow, fell i'll. Richard Waldron,
who had been waiting a long time for
Rebecca, insisted upon the marriage be.
ing performed 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 sel6shly objected. She knew.
tii"e AtepScSa Wouiu NV pe Tie same 70
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 free4
| dom.
He stormed angrily at first, but, seeing
her pain and distress, at last said to her:
'Rebecca, you are spelling two lives,
fear, by your mistaken notion Of your
duty, but must submit. But when you
are free you have only, to write to me
for cannot stay here-and call me back,
Whenever you send, I will come, for d
will never love any woman but you and
will be faithful to you always"
All might have gone well had il NOT
been that Mrs. Stoner again selfishly iN
terfered. Rebecca and Dick must not
write to each other. 1t would only keep
| Rebecca's mind in tumult, and shd
would not stand in their way long. Shd
was ready to go to heaven at any times
| she had never harmed living creature.
she would gladly free them Of her press
ence, and more canting talk like this
which did nothing to heal Rebecca's sore
heart.
| As matter Of fact the old lady held on
| to life with tenacious grasp and lived
five more years Of helpless invalidisms
selfish to the last.
When at last Rebecca was free, she
hesitated about recalling Dick, whom She
| still fondly loved. What il he had mar.
| ried since he had left her? Men were ins
constant by nature, she argued. Yet tho
remembrance of Dicks face and his
words as he babe her goodby forced he's
| to believe in his constancy, Anothee
doubt assailed her. She had changed dur-
| ing five years attendance in the sick%
room and had lost much Of her girlisR
charm. Perhaps he would not care foR
her.
| Finally her love conquered, and She
wrote him letter which would hava
brought him, happy, eager lover, to her
side. But in some unaccountable way
the letter was lost in transit. Dick neyer-
received the message calling him -i,fck to
Rebecca, and she supposed, as he did not
return, that he spurned the love she off
| fered. Naturally she was almost hearts
broken, lost her faith in man and never
wrote again. He, on his part, receivina
no word after the death of Mrs. Stoners
supposed Rebecca's love had cooled and
rallied at the Inconsistency Of woman. Bud
ne never wrote, even TO upDrald ners
Years passed, and he finally returned td
Hive in his old home; but, though he and
Rebecca passed each other daily, thera
was never speech between them; They
were now middle aged, and each lived
alone.
| One night Rebecca in a restless mood
started out for a walk. She had gone al
far as Dick Waldron's cottage when She
thought she heard groan. She stopped
then, with fast beating heart, ran up to
the door and listened The groan was
repeated, and, hesitating no longer, shs
pushed open the door and entered. Al
most on the threshold she stumbled over
his PROSTATE form. In 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, Rebeccas
you have been cruel to me" he murmurs
ed, Then, almost under his breath, he
said:
when pain and anguish wiring the
brow, a ministering angel thou.