Kootenai County Republican. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1899-1903, 1899-09-01

Gordon an envelope containing 4 E2J
bank note to be given To Savfie and
Elsie when a certain happy event might
be expected TO take place. Savile. good
soul. was unable TO speak when he sheok
hands with me. bat understood hiH..
There was no need to say anything
Then the steamer Dugong blew TT
whistle In minute the score or so Of
bushmen and stockrnen. with the entire
population of Burketown, hurriedly re-
crossed the gangway and stood upon
the wharf. Soon we were steasning
down the tortuous river. In couple of
hours | WAS sitting upon a deck chair.
with Ncrah beside me. The cool ssi;
sea air was blowing ON my cheek. and /
felt strangely we'll and happy. The sea
had always exercised powerful fasci-
nation for me- and it exercised some Of
its old wistfni glamour for sne now ~ i
listened 10 the swish and splash Of the
waves breaking and coursing along the
sides of the old Dugong. But at length
the vain regret forced itself uDen ms
that l could not now look upon old
ocean : mystic face as il heaved in the
moonlight. here with silvery flashes Of
phosphoreseent fire and there with a
yawning gulf of somber blackness How
often l had longed when In the sad
voiced lonely brsi, tn ms ur,cs fiiurr
within sound of its ever changing and
mysterious whispers. And now my wish
vas granted But, alas. might listen to
the signing of winds and the soothing
splash Of waters. but IL was written IL
the book that l was no more to look
spon that dear familiar face
Then felt the gentle pressure Of the
hand that lay in iriua and knew that
some one was at hs; old tricks Of mind
reading
You should nut think Of surh
things. she insisted. .'but when you
do remember they are none the less real
because you don't see them. l think tn
I. hear-to feei-theni Is ever SO mtc.
grander. often shut my eyes ON pnr-
| po-r to do this. =
| That's net the onl thing which
| troubles me. rejoined almost queru-
! lonsly Iii i the future the hnrrifie
uselessuess and hopelessness Of the fu-
| ture :
| That's rather hard upon me. isn't
| itf'' she commented.
1T would be .e4 times harder upon
You, ! answered. 'if | allowed yon %
throw away your life on blind man
Listen to me. Dick. she interrupt
! ed, and the words came from her calm
! iy and proudly. as if from conscious
! ness of her own strength. but not with
/ and trust Il understand perfectly wny
you speak like this. but yon don quife
know me yet Whether you get back
your sight or not won make any diff
ference--only perhaps I'd love yon het
ter as you are. Do You think "A woman
only narries man for his eyesY II
there anything the world can give a
woman in exchange for her lover
There's nothing, Dick, and yon know
it Didn't you tell me once that you
loved me better than your own lifef'
The girl had caught mp one Of my
hands and now held il between hes
own. She had come SO close 10 nis that
could feel the silky toneh Of her lair
upon my temples. She was very strong
III that which makes woman wnnian-
ly. Ny resolutions wayered. | should
not have been made of hc-h and blood
had not experienced secret sense of
..harkfulness n. 90 far ns had esi.,ne
that which my sense Of justice demand
ed and failed to shake the girls con
stancy.
81 Il tell you what, said. "in the
meantime We II leave thingS just rs they
are. In six months or 10 from now yru' II
be with your father IN England BY
that time I'll either be recovering my
siyht or be hopelessly blind man.
You II have lots Of time to think over
matters before then, ~ that shonlh You
have come to see things in different
light Won II be- at liberty 10 do just M
you please. aud no one will be 10 blame.
Agreed. she cried gladly. with tho
confidence Of one who has no fear Of the
results. and we sealed the compact In
the simplest and best Of ways.
And now | viii hurry over the in
evitable parting scene. AZ Thursday Is
Land the squatter and she who had be-
come every day dearer 10 me tranaship-
ped into one Of the A. T.. :. n buats
and went southwark. Jack and
caught the s.snewsri board mail the
Dacca, and went westward
In six months from now Norah and
Ill be- with you. said the squatter as
he wrung my hands ON parting. ..for,
see. my affairs mnst be arranged down
south first. Remember. II you have lort
your sight. you We won that which u
ten thousand times more precious you
know what You've benn.e ed Ike q
square man In the past. and. what
ever comes of il. I'm not going ~ in
terfere in the future. Norah is lis
what her mother was, and / IN prond Of
her Keep your heart up. my boy.
As 70 my parting with her. l think II
Is one Of those things that IL is as well
10 say nothing about What can one
say Suffice it that her last words to
me as she held my hands were. '.Wh hat
ever comes. have patience.
To l.. ConfInn ns-d -