Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-11-27

color flying over her lace; and then
she stopped and lightly kissed me and
flew out Of the room
The thought of losing her was too
much for me and Yelled out savage
cry that brought her back in terror,
saying that would die il | lay not still.
Then stay here!" l said hoarsely.
lf You 80 away IL will get out of
bed" Though God knows j could not
nave sat up to save my life. Come
close to me--and--and talk" Some
thing in my face must have drawn her,
for she came and lay upon the coun-
| terpane. and lifting my head put it
upon her arm. And so she talked, her
itir head close TO mine, whispered
4 quietly such words as | WOULD no more
put TO paper, even if l could, than l
/ would tell the thoughts OF ,ny inmost
! soul to any one but God. No one can
be held TO speak OF this one hour of his
life. ii is his for All time and only his,
his to think on in after years, in times
4 OF stress and trouble. 10 dream on year
by year! Ana 1t shah go out TO no
! other, for it is true and sacred and be-
1 longs to him alone.
SO thus j lay, closing my eyes from
weakness aud comfort, yet must
1 quickly open them again. because l
feared she would again be gone. And
/ by and by something in her words set
my head a-going, and looking at her
asked, scarcely by means of words
how came there.
Il did not know dear! We thought
you gone. dared not ask. No one
gave me hint, till one day came a
messenger TO me from my brother in
his camp asking if you We're dead and
saying where and how they left you"
/ And for n space She could not go on.
4 tlll, looking again, saw q far-oif light
IN The depths oi her eyes, different from
anything | had yet read there. l have
4 sald il u dozen times here, yet must
say it again. Never have I looked into
sach eyes, so different With every fly
ing mood, so much Il tell tale of her
| thoughts.
And then caught one evening at
dinner hint that finally led 10 my
| nearing from his own lips of Captain
Atherton' s7-of -your-dear. My
dea1---of that morning at Corlears
Hook Again she lay still. Again L
/ opened my eyes and she went on: He
/ mad such Il strong, manly respect, such
a chivalrous remembrance of you that
came to like him and trust him, and
4 told hlm OF Roberts letter, and begged
4 him to learn something of you. And
that day he began going through every
I prison ship, every place where men
| We're confined, ON the plea of selecting
night he would come TO me with a sor-
rowiul shake of his head, but hopeful
| words and never Il fearor complaint of
the danger he ran.
NO record could be found of your
name. You seemed to have sunk into
the earth. Then he tried to tell me
gently that he believed you dead L
could not hear him and begged, be-
sought him TO so again through the
prisons | asked Sir Henry to let me
so and nurse the sick, that | might look
4 for YOU. l:ut he would not hear of it,
4 and only laughed at me for Il quixotic
4 miss.
| stroked the hand that lay in mine
gently. and she went on
SO one day | WIS sitting here in this
house-indeed, the good baroness
brought me here and kept me with her
constantly-w when Captain Atherton
| came To us running up the street and
cried that he had found you, and that
1 You We're Very i'll, ana lor Low had all
ready gone TO see you--yoilr life--might
( Yet be saved. Dear. can you think
what THAI hour of waiting was to me?
/ ! sat here by the window, While, as /
learned afterwards. this best OF friends
4 told the captain to have you brought
4 to her own house--even when She did
not know il YOU might not have the
dreadful plague and told the captain
I al your story for had told her.
And he, finding that the doctor said
YOU had nothing contagious, SO far as
4 he could Sec though YOU We're nearly
dead from fever and lack of food---ha
brought you here in Il cart covered With
straw and vegetables to conceal YOU
\ And that WAS over six week gone now,
And God, the good God be thanked for
4 today, when You opened Your eyes and
saw reason there Tor the first tilne.
The brown head came close to mine
and lay quietly except for the shake of
a sob now and then, which she tried in
4 vain TO suppress. All L. what of me !?
4 Will not u man yet complain OF heayen2
\ There lay cursing my illness, for that
1 L was too Weak to take her in my arms
and could do naught but turn my use
less head TO one side and put my lips
to the White sleeve that supported me-
Soon pressed her hand, and she
looked at hue. l wanted to ask much
and knew not how, but only said:
4 "Curtis?'
My brother?@ said She You would
know how he is?'
| nodded.
Safe and sound in his camp at Yer
planks He got away in a boat across
the riNer.'
4 'Acton?"
IVES, he 700. Rob says, is well and
safe"
Then | looked at her steadily and
said not a WORD. And She sat up and
got upon the floor, With SORROW in her
face and something like dread written
there, 100.
q canot tell YOU. she whispered
standing over me Some one else must
4 do ii. | cannot, | cannot,"
ooh" said a gruff voice behind her,
oh. 20 right on. Don't mind me. Xiii
/ him, kill him. i1gad. lna'ain, why don't
you take him for a walk and give him
! truiiies and champagne? Aye, don't
look at me, and plead and tell me this
and that! just bang him on the head
He's good and slronS, and should be
| thrown out on the snow"
4 Twas Low, going on in sarcastic
I wrath, and she had to run to him with
CONSERVATION in her eyes.
All, doctor, doctor, have done
wrong? He said he would get up and
follow me il left him"
Get up! snorted Low. And how
the devil, ma'aln. think You, he is go
ing 10 get up? Look now. his cheeks
are All red again. Aye, and here's
fever. Why, you young repfobate of
Il nurse, have | taught you these two
months so poorly as this?"
oh, doctor!' cried she, in real alarm!
Tut! moi q word. But run and get
him some of the milk and wine and a
Dlt OF rennet---- and she WAS gone in
fash.
Well, lad" said he at that yen
light again, Ell? How 90 you find your
SELF And he brought a bottle of some
nasty liquid and poured part of it into
Il spoon.
Il need none of your bad tasting
stuff said l. trying 10 laugh
"Oho," said he. no nasty stuff! 1
suppose you've been having that that
tastes better than good iron, eh? Well,
We'll, lad, and his voice changed. '''tis
! the best medicine God could send We.