Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-02-15
it, she asked for her desk.

1t, she asked for her desk.
Then Gregory sat down in the lamp.
light on the other side Of the curtain
and heard the pencil move on the pas
per. When he looked round the cur.
tain, she was lying ON the pillow mus
ing. The open letter lay at her side.
She glanced at it with soft eyes. The
man with the languid eyelids must
have been strangely moved before his
hand set down those words: '.Let me
come back to you! My darling, let ME
put my hand round you and guard you
from all the world! As my wife they
shall never touch you. I have learned
to love you more wisely, more tender
~, than of old. You shall have per-
feet freedom. Lyndall, grand little
woman, for your own sake, be my
wife!
"Why did you send that money back
rightly DONE"
She rolled the little red pencil softly
between her fingers, and her face grew
very soft. Yet
z "It cannot be-" she wrote. ri thank
You much for the love you have shown
me, but cannot listen You will call
me mad, foolish-the world would do
sO-but 1 know what need and the
kind Of path must walk in. cannot
marry you. I will always love you for
the sake of what lay by me those three
hours, but there it ends. must know
and see. I cannot be bound to one
whom love as I love you. am not
afraid of the world. will fight the
world. One day-perhaps it may be far
Off shall find what have wanted all
my life, something nobler, stronger
than /, before which can kneel down..
You lose nothing by not having me
now. am weak, selfish, erring wo-
man. One day shall find something
to worship, and then shall be-
Nurse" she said, take my desk
away. l am suddenly so sleepy. I will
write more tomorrow" She turned
her face to the pillow. It was the sud-
den drowsiness Of great weakness. She
had dropped asleep in moment, and
Gregory moved the desk softly and
then sat In the chair watching. Hour
after hour passed, but he had no wish
for rest and sat on, hearing the rain
cease and the still night settle down
everywhere. At quarter past u he
rose and took last look at the bed
where she lay sleeping so peacefully.
Then he turned to go to his couch. Be
fore he had reached the door she had
started up and was calling him back.
"You are sure you have put it up"
she said, with a look Of blank terror at
the window. ut will not fall open in
4 the night, the shutter you are sure RI
He comforted her. Yes; it was tight
lily fastened. 81
4 Even If it is shut" she said in a
whisper, 4you cannot keep it out! You
feel It coming in at O'clock creeping,
creeping, up, up. deadly coldp' She
shuddered.
! He thought she was wandering and
laid her little trembling body down
among the blankets.
IT dreamed just now that it was not
put up" she said, looking into his
eyes, "and it crept right in, and was
4 alone with it,
'"What do you fearY he asked ten
derby.
"The gray dawn" she said, glancing
round at the window. ST was never
afraid Of anything, never when l was
a little child, but have always been
afraid Of that. You will not let it
come in to me?"
mo, no; will stay with you" he
continued.
But she was growing calmer. 'Nos
you must go to bed. I only awoke
with q start. You must be tired. 4
am childish; that is all.", But She
shivered again.
He sat down beside her. After some
time she said, '..Will you not rub my.
feet?.
He knelt down at the foot Of the
bed and took the tiny foot in his hand.
1t was swollen and unsightly now, but
as he touched it he bent down and
covered it with kisses.
"It makes it better when you kiss 1t.
! Thank you! What makes you all love
me sol" Then dreamily she muttered
to herself: mot utterly bad, not quite
bad. What makes them all love me
SOP
Kneeling there, rubbing softly, with
his cheek pressed against the little
foot, Gregory dropped to sleep at last.
How long he knelt there he could not
tell, but when he started up awake
she was not looking at him. The eyes
We're fixed on the far corner, gazing
wide and intent, with an unearthly
light.
\. He looked round fearfully. What
did she see there-God's angels come
to call her, something fearful? He
saw only the purple curtain with the
shadows that fell from it. Softly he
4 whispered, asking what she saw there.
And she said, in voice strangely
unlike her own:"I see the vision Of q
poor weak soul striving after good. It
was not cut short, and in the end it
learned, through tears and much pain,
J that holiness is an infinite compassion
for others; that greatness is to take the