The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1903-11-26


+ she could only love him.
He had been impelled to tell her
10; for his ingrained hardness and
ielf-restraint had failed him at the
irst touch of this /bewildering pas
iion that, so long a-coming, subdued
him utterly at last. She heard him
with pity in her eyes, but not love;
and she told him, with only pity in
her tones, that the man she loved was
dead and her heart was buried with
him.
Later, he learned the story that lay
behind her words, and saw more hope
in it for himself than she had given
him, for surely his living love of her
could, in due time, win her away
from the memory of dead rival.
Beginning to flatter himself that she
was already relentng toward him, he
had appealed to her again before he
last left home, and she had seemed
10 waver-she silenced him trem-
ulously and had seemed to hesitate;
and feeling that each new day put a
past and removed one from bctwiXt
himself and her. he would not take
her answer then. but begged her to
think of all il must mean to him and
let him ask her for it, once for all,
when lie came from his next voyage.
He was speeding homeward now,
and the letter was to prepare her for
his coming.
He wrote il with so many pauses
for reflection that by ten o'clock it
was still unfinished when, mindful of
his patient he rcloclicd it in his desk.
No. 1G was awake, but drowsy with
sheer weakness.
"The chests still troublesome" he
answered, with a feeble cheerfulnCss,
but I'm n trinc better, thanks"
The doctor was not so sure of that.
We've got to keep your strength
up somehow" he said; adding to the
steward, "Gct some beef tea for him,
Barrow, I'll stay here while you're
gone"
The dim, stuify little cabin was 81
lent for awhile, except for the la
bored respiration of the sick man,
who presently, becoming aware of
the doctors ruminant scrutiny.
rorAcd himself to speak.
IF | don't pull through this, doc
tor"
Don't worry about that; you will"
But if / don't-I'm not afraid of
dying. I've been near it too often for
that; and yet, now, it seems harder
than it ever did before
You'd better not talk. don't
want you to excite yourself"
Not me! What I mean is, it would
be hard luck to die on the way home.
I've been away nearly nine years. I
went away as poor as rat, and I'm
going back rich. That's something,
isn't it?"
"It's great DEAL"
"To me it is. I didn't go out just
because I'd got the gold fever. y y
It's ont to the Klondike I've been,
doctor; away beyond Dawson City,
up the Yukon-Lord! it's the kind of
country you see in Nightmares. I've
been seeing it over and over in night
mares ever since I've been i'll"
Don't think of it"
81 wish | couldn't" He laughed.
but there was feverish brightness
in his eyes, and his voice quavcred
with suppressed excitement. 81
haven't had time to think of it till
now"
lie went on talking, and Walden lis
tened ahscntly, with strange doubts
troubling his mind: and, so listening,
he half-unconscously fashioned from
the others words visions of vast
snow wastes stretching into the night
or the day, now silent and lonely as
death, now blurred, and whirling and
bowling with the fury of storm,
and, always deep in the dcsolation of
it, desperate little band of adven-
turcrs struggled forlornly, chasing n
dream, starving, and falling, and dy-
ing, some Of them, in the track Of it;
and here, at last, with the unimag-
! l0aDle IeTTOTS OF Illdu DlcdK WllUeT-
ness left behind him, one Of the few
survivors had emerged triumphant,
with his dream realized.
Triumphant, so far.
The doctor eyed him gloomily from
under frown.
And I'm not dead yet, though I'm
supposed to be-" the other chuckled
grimly. "One everlasting, terrible
winter we were showed up miles
away from anywhere, and we were
put down as done for. The wonder
is that we were not. Only two of
rs managed to worry through, and
we wandered Heaven only knows
where, and we lived-well, we didn't
live. But we worried through-and
I'm going home" His eyes closed
and he rambled on dreamily: Mine
years! but she'll be waiting. l told
her that it wouldn't be more than
two-and she said, It's till you come,
Ned and if you never come I shall
wait, till meet you, at the end"
He lay quiet a minute, and then