Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1900-08-29
THE LIE THAT
WAS NOT TOLD

S---c-s-c s-c-eS.-e-s-s-c~s-e
lis IL good to tell LIEF" Tony
laughed. Yes; sometimes. maybe.
Listen"
He threw his head back and gazed
Mt me through his half closed lids.
VIII not use his broken English. for
II was not much broken. and he was
good story teller. Said Tony:
Her name was Marcia She was
blind. She lived here in this house.
In Folk street. You know the little
window, high up near the top? 1t was
there. The rent is cheap. From the
window one cali see St Peters and the
lake-the lake where the sun shines
ali day long, like in big. wide mirror.
Only little Marcia, who could not see
IL, just sat quietly and dreamed OF Il
or listened to the little birds. the spar
rows. that fly around the edge OF the
roof, and the rattle from the street
the noise from the cars and wagons
Late at night her brother Luigi came
home. He was cook.
She was not always blind And that
was good. She could regret-it Is bet
ter than nothing. Dust in her eyes
did II. They got red and swelled up.
They burned and festered. and before
the priest was called the work was
dOne-she was blind
That was when she was Is and pret-
~, with eyes that were blue and gray.
blue that was soft, gray that gIittered.
AS said. she was pretty. Her lips
well, her lips were made to be kissed.
Her hair was brown-that Is. brown
with gold. All. she was pretty Well,
when she was 2O-that was long time
ago. How long? Well. IA year. two
years, | guess. but Il seems longer.
Luigi came home one night and
brought Terese -Terese. who was dress
cd in black. And this is what Luigi
said:
Sister, carisima mia. here is Te-
rese. She is poor and unfortunate like
thyself- Thee must be good friends"
Now. Marcia could not see the black
the black OF Terese's dress and the
black OF Terese's hat-the grim and
somber black. Besides. when one is
blind there is hut one misfortune. and
that is the greatest I'm the world.
Therefore poor. blind Marcia caught
but one idea I'm the tumble OF her broth
er's words. And this Is what she said
as she smiled and held out her hands:
Thou art blind. 1t is too bad. Hast
thou always been blind?"
In the most simple way In the world
she said IL. And thus II happened that
Terese became blind-Terese. whose
eyes were the best in the wOrld-for
when Luigi. smiling. opened his mouth
TO speak and saw Terese place her fln-
ger 10 her lips and sign him to stop, he
stopped, as you or / would have done,
or any one else. (For a woman is al
ways right. at least so any woman
| will say. and sometimes II is SOL Then
! Terese drew the blind girl into her
arms and kissed her.
mo. little one" she said "I have not
always been blind. But, like thee, as
! Luigi has told me. l have been unfortu-
nate. and think we will be the great
est friends in the world
And then she looked at Luigi, whose
face wAs white. and smiled and whis-
! persd:
Love is blind foolish
| SO that Luigi grew red again with
the blood that came trooping into his
face and tried 10 seize her hand Only
Terese drew 1t back and laughed.
And the poor little blind girl who
felt the movement and heard the
laugh. but did not at all guess what Il
was about. smiled sadly and said in a
way one could not exactly explain,
"Ah, thou art happyw
/ j might have said IN the beginning
that II commenced just that way.
: Terese came TO live in the house with
Marcia and Luigi. Only she didn't
have "A room with little window from
which one could see the lake. And
they were happy-all three. Terese
worked. Every morning Luigi guided
her down the stairs and to work, so he
said. and every evening little boy, for
two pennies a day, brought her back,
80 she said. Then she and Marcia sat
at the window and listened for Luigi.
And this continued for awhile-until
this thing happened. that Terese came
home one evening with a lighter step
than usual.
"Nadre sAnctisk MAy' she szAaa -
AAR bsnt over Marcia aAd kizesd her,
What thinkest thou, little oner'
The blind girl grew pale and her lips
trembled as she turned her face up
ward wonderingly.
"CRnst see" she whispered.
Terese laughed.
"No. no. little one; not that" she
said. 'but have something for thee"
And she dropped a necklace OF gold
and blue beads about the little ones
neck.
81 am glad" said the blind girl SIM
ply. but a tear glistened In her eye, and
when she bent her head II dropped upon
Terese's hand. 'I am glad" she re-
peated.
"Ah, little one, art glad and yet
weep?" cried Terese. lis IT the neck
lacer'
mo. nor cried the little one. She
dried her eyes and smiled as she hp-
sered the necklace. sIt is not that,