Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-03-07
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY.
A Priceless Love.


In my youth 10 a simple natural incli-
nation or. rather. yielding just enough
to make my action Il crime.
When l was eighteen. my mother
took into her service little maid from
the country. She wore her dresses to
the tops of her boots, her hair in Il sin
gle braid down her back. 1t was very
light, and her eyes were Il pale blue.
She was such demure little thing and
seemed so lonely sitting by herself in
her room all the long evcning-for she
did not appear to relish the society OF
the other servants-that always spoke
to her kindly when l wished her 10 do
anything for me, usually softening my
request with smile. | gave her books
TO read. such books as l thought would
interest II simple young girl. She al
ways read them and returned them to
me without any comment in words,
but with such look-I understood just
what il meant.
One day she came into the library to
do some dusting. l was seated in the
great leather covered chair 10y the win
dow reading | was To leave for col
Iege the next day. She was going about
with her feather buster. giving light
touches here and there. but listlessly.
as if absorbed by something else. Pres
emily l said TO her:
"You seem distract this morning,
Janet. What is the matter?'
Perhaps she did not know what dis
trait meant. At any rate. she did not
reply, but turned to dust bronze
a
me.
Come, little girl, tell me if anything
troubles YOU
Still she gave me no answer. l got
up from my chair and went to her to
discover the cause of her silence by
looking into her face. She must have
heard me come up behind her. but she
kept on with her work. l put Il hand
OH each arm and turned her around.
Her eyes were filled with tears.
Poor child / said.
bent and kissed her innocent young
lips. Somehow l knew that her tears
We're for my departure on the NOR
row. Then it occurred to me that there
was something in all this that could
only lead To trouble, and, releasing her,
without Il word | left the library.
When | returned year later. / found
Janet little taller, her dresses length
cned TO the floor her hair in Il knot ut
the back of her head. The year had
brought experience 10 me. and knew
better than before that l had trespasS-
ed on forbidden ground. 1 greeted her
kindly. but made it plain by my-t tone
and manner that there was social
hot 10
if the change affected her. l could not
see that it did and felt a sense of re
lief.
/ continued to return ut vacation |
time. once Il year, noting Janets |
growth from the child she had come |
to us to a willOwy woman of nineteen. |
While she grew tall. she did not grow |
robust Her cheek was pale, and her |
step was languid. On my return aft |
er being graduated / noticed this es- |
pecially and spoke to my mother about |
it. but received no satisfaction as TO |
the cause.
/ went abroad to finish my studies, |
and while / was away my mother died. |
I wrote directions to close the home
stead, leaving everything rs il was till |
1 came. 1t was not for two years more |
that l went back to the old place with |
Il view 10 putting it in the market for
sale. My mother had had an elderly
woman in her service who was with
her when she died, and to her l went |
to gain what satisfaction / could in
talking to her about the last days they
had passed together. / asked her to
20 with me TO the little cemetery near
by and show me the grave. She did
so, and / was much pleased with the
care that had been given to my moth
er's resting place.
What is that mound up in the cor
ner?" 1 asked.
THAT is Janet's grave"
"Janet's?"
"Yes. She died soon after your moth
or. When the house was closed, took
her with me. She had been long fail
ing and lived only short time. though
long enough to do all this work, of
which you see the result We must
make haste she would say. He may
come home at any time. and think how
grave neglected."
Janet dead
"She would come here every morn
ng, wedding and spading when she
was so weak that / could not see how
she was able even to walk here. One
lay when she did not return at the ac-
time l came and saw her sit
ing on that bench. l spoke to her, and
ihe did not answer. She was dead"
/ was looking at the little mound de
old of adornment. This girl had spent
wo years of labor. her life slowly go
ng out the while, that when l return
ID l might not find my mothers grave
neglected. During this period 1 had
lever thought once of one so devoted.
"Of what disease did she die?' 1
sked after some time.
II discovered that accidentally She
guarded her secret carefully and l am
ure would not give me permission to