Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1900-07-03
His First Love.

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her few sentences with Godfrey. happy
because she had seen him again, but witt
troubled suspicion shadowing her con
tentment that his illness was coming te
her too. She had been quite well al
through this week until to-day, but to-
day her head was aching, and her limbs
felt heavy.
Before going to bed she told one of the
servants that she feared she was going
to be i'll, and the woman was kind, and
did what she could.
Il don't want my aunt to know any.
thing till morning." Margaret told her
and then she went to bed, and the woman
attended her through the night, and in
the morning took the bad news to Mrs
Helstone.
"Oh, my darling, am sorry for thisr'
she cried at TIE sight Of her.
Il am so sorry, too. had so hoped
should not have caught it," Margaret
said, almost deprecatingly. 1t seemed
even already as if she spoke with diff
Guilty. She put her hand up to her throat,
as if to help herself. You need not tell
Godfrey, need your" she asked. with an
effort
Il have not told him yet" Mrs Hell
stone answered; but as she turned away
presently she knew that she should be
forced to tell him in very little while.
DR.. Carson came in the course Of the
morning, and looked at his new patient
with a graver face than he had turned
on Godfrey.
Yes, 81 is very ILL.," he said to Mrs.
Helstone, plainly "And she is a deli
cate girl; she will need all the care that
you can give her." he added, after a mo-
ment. Il think had better send nurse
to you You have your son still to look
after"
Godfrey hardly needs me now" Mrs.
Helstone answered.
Godfrey was very well this morning,
and rose an hour or two after breakfast,
and lay reading on his sofa. He broke
into an exclamation of sorrow and self
reproach as his mother told her bad It'd
ings, and then turned his face away.
Mother tell her am sorry to the bot
tom of my heart" he broke out present.
ly. 'She is such an angel that she will
never reproach me, but tell her that |
don't know how to forgive myself. Tell
her so, with my love. And, mother, you
must not stay with me now. / need no
more nursing. You must go and do what
you can for our poor girl"
Mrs. Helstone went back to her niece's
room with a heavy heart. She had not
told Godfrey how much worse Margaret
was already than he had ever been at
ALL she hardly ventllred to tell this even
to herself, but yet she knew that it was
so
And, indeed, she was ill enough. The
fever was so high already that her mind
was wandering. She did not know where
she was; she lay muttering incoherent
sentences to herself. Mrs. Helstone tried
to give her Godfrey's message, but she
only opened her pale eyes blaukIy and
stared without comprehension in her
aunts face. There was no improvement
in her all day, nor any through the night.
1t went on for four days and nights, and
then on the fifth morning Or. Carson told
them that they must prepare themselves
for the end
''She is sinking" he said to Mrs. Hell
stone. 1--WE won't give up all hope even
yet, but l am afraid we shall not save
her"
They had been four terrible days-days
of such anxiety as Godfrey had never
before known. If it had been in her
power his mother would have kept him in
ignorance of the extent of her own alarm,
but it had not been long in her power to
do so. He had questioned her til! she
had to confess the truth And then,
day after day and hour after hour, as
poor Margaret's hold on life grew feebler.
he had sat alone in his room, believing
that she would die and telling himself
that, il she did, he should have killed
her
On the evening of the fifth day his
mother came to his room and said some
thing to him with break in her voice
Il think, if you are to see her again y
she told him, you must come tonight y
Mother" he answered her. almost
with a cry.
And then suddenly she fell upon his
neck.
''Oh. Godfrey" she said, 'she is dy-
ing-opr Margaret, who has loved us
both"
He rose up hurriedly and took her in
his arms. They kissed one another in a
pain too great for words.
Il would give everything 1 have in the
world would give my life for her." he
cried
He had never seen her since that pleas
ant morning, when she had stood in The
garden below his window, and told him
how glad she was that he was getting
better. A thousand times during these
SAD succeeding days he had thought of
those few last moments; and now, with
the remembrance in his heart of the hap
by look that she had worn that day, he
came tonight into her presence again and
stood beside her bed.
The fever had worn itself out by this
time, and she was lying white and still
enough.
'She is not asleep" Mrs. Helstone
said You can speak to her" And then
Godfrey. with the color gone out of his
own face, bent over her, and in low
voice spoke her name.
Margaret" he said.
Her hand was lying outside the bed
clothes. and he put his own upon it. H,
sat down and leaned over her.
Margaret, do you not know me%' hC
asked. with thrill in his voice thai per
haps the poor girl heard
She opened her eyes and looked at him
Was this the sight she wanted most t
see? The white lips quivered; she gazeC
till her eyelids closed again nor weak
ness. and vet. weary as they were, the!
remained shut only for moment, enC
then once more the poor dim eyes looket
at him till a light of faint recognition
kindled in them at last, and his nam,
came from her lips in low, pathetic CT.
the sort OF cry disemb8died soul nigh
give. who saw some face il loved coming
/ TO meet Il in the other world.
The sound made Godfrey's heart stan'
still. and yet it touched him profoundly
too What could he do but let her so OF
gazing at him? He bent down PRESENT.
aud kissed her hand; in his intense pit
and self-reproach minute afterward b
/ kissed her cheek.
My poor Margaret, my dear Marga
retg" be said 10 her, not once only, bu
/ again and again.
! He believed she was about to die be-
fore his eyes. and IL he could have save
her st this moment by any sacrifice b
would have done il. But he could nc
! save her. he cried to himself There wa