Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1900-04-24
THE FACE HE SAW


With a very homely face; she, tall, thin, |
of yellowish complexion and of sickly |
appearance.
Benevolent people had placed them in |
a blind asylum years before. There |
they were brought up
As children they had played together, |
and were contented and happy. The
pleasures of the world were as strong |
10 them as it's daily miseries. They
knew that quiet comfortable house, its
large garden-and nothing more. There
they belonged They could know moth
ing Of what was going on outside. One
thing only was clear to them and that
was-that they loved each sther.
4 hot summer day.
The two sat ON a bench in the garden
chatting.
paul, am so glad"
con what account, Anna?"
"Ah! Don't you know? To-mor-
ToW-"
Eyes. Tomorrow the famous oculist
viii be here
"And he viii make us both see."
"If be is really able to accomplish
that"
you are joking. OF course, he will
be able to do it, That is his business"
''Then, at last, l shall be able to see
your lovely face. OF that am glad
"And Of nothing else?"
Nothing"
paul" said she. laughing quietly,
fiow do you know that have a lovely
face r.
Because have seen you twice al
ready-in dream. You had golden
hair and wings as white as snow"
"oh! if that were only true"'
ct is quite certain"
WAS ! so beautiful she asked. seiz-
ing him by the hand so beautiful?
But when | reflect Paul, ! think it
weGld be even better fos us TO be true
to each other than to be able to see
That would be lovely. Don't you think
sO9'
IL know not" he answered thought
fully; and then both were silent.
The eyentful day had passed. The
operation on the eyes had been perform
ed. IL not all delusion, it must prove
a success.
Neither of you must take the band
age off the eyes for fourteen daysr
Such was the doctors order before he
left.
On the next evening. after the sun
had gone down, the two were again
seated in the garden. clinging close to
each other.
paul when will we first see each
other?"
''In fourteen daysw
81 know, but that is much too long
Eight days would certainly be long
enough"
"Less time than that perhaps; but
we have the doctors order"
81 cannot endure TO wait so long.
What if the operation has been fail
ure. and we have rejoiced in vain!
What then?"
He was silent
"For all that. we could"
s'Anna!'
"Only for a moment. dear Paul. 1t
will surely not be wrong"
"'You will, Notwithstanding
"Only for moment. We will put
the bandages on again Immediately.
You need not be at all afraid. Please,
please
Rather let us wait. We have suf
fered many years. Let us endure ii
few days longer"
"No. cannot wait. If you love me.
do if, or will myself alone"
He hesitated n while, but at length
answered calmly: "We win do it."
'When?"
Tomorrow morning early-here at
this bench
.Thanks. You win come at the ap-
pointed timer
yes"
Goodnight"
Goodnight, hope you viii have
good SLEEP"
Morning twilight.
Paul has ben long out of bed. He Is
I'm dread OF the next hour Anna. of
course, is beautiful, but he2 Who knows
how ugly he may be? Perhaps he Is
handsome also. but he can never ap-
pear before her in this dreadful uncer-
tainty.
'o6 with the bandage"
He tore it loose and threw 1t on the
table. His eyes were still closed He
ran to the cupboard and searched there
antll he found a small mirror. He then
went 20 the window, where he seated
himself and waited. His heart beat
violently; his bead was in glowing
heat.
In feverish anxiety he sat there. his
slghtless eyes fixed on the little glass.
which his fingers held in firm clasp.
IL must now decide his fate. In few
minutes he would have certain kRowl-
edge
Clear daylight came.
lie felt the light, opened his eyes
slowly and stared at the mirror. trem-
bling all the while with torturing ex-
pectatiou. No. no. no, But see, What
Is thata Could that be himself? An
old. pock-marked, ugly face! He?
Those pale. sunken cheeks, that red,
1ousled hair. those decayed teeth that
iong neck2 II could pot be possible.
M: L must not be!
He closed his eyes, leaned far out of
the window. opened them wide and
looked again. His image was still there.
unchanged. Still he would not believe
&C. In horror he kept on staring at the
glass until Ii became clouded. Then
n veil seemed drawn slowly over his
eyes. Ii grew mere and more indis-
tinet; darkness gathered all about him,
and suddenly everything was black He
saw no more.
Despair seized him. He thought he
had become insane. He threw the mir
ror away, stamped with his feet and
struck himself In the face Anna would
see him. and she would be horrined.
She would forsake him-ugiy and blind
and she would so away into the sunny