Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1903-10-17
The Picture
i'm the Locket
Copyright. 1903. by Daily Story Pub. Coz
By VIM. Waiter Hinca

Copyright, lsuo, by daily story rub Col
n BvIoUSLY, the man was dying.
~ needed the word Of no doctor
to assure me of this, for have seen
men die before, and when saw his fin
gers picking at the coverlid l knew 1t
was presageful Of the end which could
not be far off.
All night we watched by his bed
side. the doctor, the nurse and myself,
and as day began to dawn we gave up
the last hope. The doctor nodded to
the nurse a mute permission to open
wide the windows and let in the flood OF
fresh air for which the sick man had
begged so piteously through the night.
It could do him no harm now, and 1t
seemed only decent that we should try
and let him enjoy what comfort he
could before he took his last look at the
COON and at us.
The draught from the open window
swept in on us with sort of chill which
was refreshing, and the dying man
drew the air into his lungs in deep,
hard-fought-for breaths. Through the
window We could see the first faint
streaks of dawn painting the sky and
the heavy mjsts rolling up from the
river which lay Just below the house.
No one spoke, but the nurse was kneel-
ing near the foot Of the bed, and her
lips were moving as though in prayer.
I think she had grown somewhat fond
of her patient, and, devout Catholic
that she was, she hoped that this prayer
of hers might give happier passage to
his soul.
For time the man whose death we
were watching was delirious. His eyes
were wide open, but had the wild look
which fever gives. He talked in dis
jointed phrases, and seemed, as far as
we could tell, to be living over some
scene or scenes of other days. He
spoke of a woman, but we could not
catch her name, and think he must
have spoken Of her by some pet name.
Taking me by surprise, his eyes sud-
denly took on a perfectly rational look,
and we could see that he recognized us
and his condition. He smiled as he saw
the anxious look on our faces, and said:
$50 am going to die, after all! Well.
no matter. l have come to look on life
merely as a necessary evil. anyhow. ano
/ think have the best of the bargain
Then he turned his face towards tbs
window, where he could see the bright
ening eastern sky. He looked at this
for some moments, and his face grew
more serious, but in his eyes was look
of intense happiness, as of one who has
sought peace for long time and is at
last in the way of finding 1t.
"In another hour" he said, 81 will be
in a land where we will understand all
the mysteries of sunrises and sunsets"
Turning to me, he said: Il have
something to say to you. Let the doc
tor and the nurse go and get little
rest. They must need 1t badly, and l
want to tell you story and ask of you
favor"
The doctor heard him and shook his
head. The end was too near for doc
tor to desert his patient. Nevertheless,
1 succeeded in persuading both him and
the nurse to go into the next room and
wait until / should call them. When
they had gone, the sick man babe me
bring him locket which we had taken
from his neck while he was uncon-
scious. This / gave him and he pressed
1t to his lips.
"This locket," he said. sis to me what
a crucifix is to that devout little nurse.
II is something which would have
helped me in my prayers If had ever
learned to pray, and it contains that
which has made me wish for life be-
yond the grave.
Inside this locket Is miniature and
a lock Of hair belonging to the only
woman l ever loved. She sent them to
me Just before she died. with the mes
sage that she would wait for me on the
edge of Heaven until came. loved
her more than I can tell you, and, al
though she was the wife of another man,
our love was as pure as that of the
saints" : ESEAs
AS he spoke there was a wonderful
soft light in his eyes, and my own filled
with tears, for 1t was but a year since
my wife died-the woman whom loved
so dearly that it was only the hope of