The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1900-06-08
A
SHORT
STORY

into MS patients arm. To his sur
prise Mary was not at his side to help
him, and when he turned to look for
her she was standing near the lamp,
gazing with fixed eyes and parted lips
the light.
Richard, Richard, look here!" she
exclaimed excitedly.
Richard looked. It was the little
daguerreotype he had picked up in the
mans room and slipped into his pocket
almost without looking at it. =
ooh, that's only likeness of some
body that found in his room as we
were leaving, and thought had better
take with me. Put it on the mantle
piece; he may want to have it again."
But. Richard, do you mean to say
that you don't recognize it? Why,
good heavens! don't you see it's like
ness of mother?"
"Of your mother?" he exclaimed,
snatching it from her hand. He held it
close to the lamp, and had to turn it at
several different angles before he could
catch the faded tints on the shining
silver plate from which they seemed
obliterated, and when he did so he
could not repress loud exclamation of
establishment.
1T is she, sure enough! No one
could ever forget those long curls!
And I've seen her in just such bonnet
all round her face-I'm sure a hun
dred times! How extraordinary! How
on earth can he have come to have it?"
"Why, Richard, how can you be so
stupid? don't you see it's Jack! our
lost Jack, whom we have believed dead
so many years! Oh, Jack, Jack, is this
the way we find you again? Poor, poor
fellow, what miseries you must have
passed through! But We will try and
make it better for you now. Open
your eyes, dear Jack! it is I, your lit
tie Molly, and We shall be so happy to-
gether again. Oh, Richard, make him
come to; do your best now if you never
did BEFORE"
She was down on her knees beside
him, trying to raise his head on her
breast, chafing his hands and covering
his unconscious face with kisses.
''See the air is reviving him already"
said Richard. "Now, Mary, control
yourself; don't speak to him till I tell
you; I have something to say to him
first. Put out the lamp and sit down in
that chair, away from the window.
Come, now" turning to the patient,
who had just opened his eyes with two
or three deep signs. "Sit up. Sergeant
Wentworth" g
Eyes, Colonel!" cried the sergeant,
raising himself mechanically, and lift
ing his hand in military salute. Sud-
denly his dazed eye cleared and he
looked round with keen, suspicious
glance. "Why, it's the doctor! How
do you know MY mean," he SIAM
mered, suddenly conscious Of having
committed himself, my names In
gram, not Wentworth"
Come, come, Jack Wentworth, don't
turn away your best friends. 1 know
all about you, and here is your little
sister Molly, just waiting to spring
| into your arms. Don't tell her you
don't remember her; she has been talk
ing about you ever since we were mar
! ried, and even after she had a boy of
her own, whom she would insist on
naming after you"
ooh, Jack, Jack!" cried Mary, run
ming into his embrace; chow do you
think could ever forget you? Don't
tell me you have forgotten me! Oh,
Jack! what dreadful times you must
have had! But We'll make you forget
all your sorrows now"
molly, Molly, it is really your"
cried the hardened soldier, actually
bursting into tears. Forget you, nv
little pet? Why, you were the one
memory that kept me from blowing
out my brains dozen times! And the
one thing that made me save my plum
der and scrape and starve in the midst
of plenty-for am rich, Molly, though
I don't look twas the hope of being
able to find you one day and share my
winnings with you. When 1 made my
way home to the old place in York
shire and found all the family were
gone, and the only thing I could hear
of you was that you had married doc
tor and were living no one could tell
me where, just started of in search
Of you, and for three weary years
have tramped nearly every road in
England looking for you. It's not like
ly that I'm going to say now I don't
remember you, my little Molly"
He turned to Richard with out
stretched hand. II hope you'll forgive
me for what said just now. You have
treated me with the greatest kindness ]
ever received from any one, and re.
paid you with insult. But was really
not sane where that belt was con-
cerned. You were quite right about
it. I got the jewels at Burmah; Lord
what a do 1t was! will tell you the
story one Of these days. don't know
yet myself what they arr worth, but /,
is something fabulous. The possession
Of them made regular miser Of me
but / was thinking Of, Molly all the
time. Now have found her, and the
half Of them are hers, and as for the
rest. why, II you can put up with the
humors Of q crotchety, testy old broth.
Ar-fn.law think TIL end NV uanAor.