Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1903-08-07
HOSPITAL LETTERS


sick and convalesccnt."
In response to this advertisement in
one of the most widely read newspa-
pers in Il. there came daily to the
above named institution great varie-
ty of publications.
One day there appeared among the
rest n newspaper with thcGc words
written upon the margin: 81 wish you
very good morning and right sneedy
recovery then the full address of the
writer, Miss Louisa Lobstedt. 3 North
street This greeting elected a few
days later the following answer
So there is really in the bright. happy
world outside one kind soul who has a
thought to spare for us sick ones, ! am
the unfortunate one who has received
| your greeting and hope that your kind
wish will soon be gratiied and that n
| time not very distant l shall leave this
| place entirely restored to health. If you
have ever been seriously i'll or have ever
endured such pain as am now suffering.
you will certainly heed the request of a
| poor invalid and not rest satisfied with
the few words Of kindness which have
made me so happy. If there were only
some congenial soul here to whom ! could
speak freely or with whom l might chat
a little now and then, But just now
| there is no one here who can help to pass
away the long. weary hours. and so | beg
you again not to let me hope in vain for
an answer. In the meantime. with kind
est regards, l am. yours gratefully.
BERTHA WILLMERS.
In this way a correspondence was
begun which very soon developed into
a most interesting one for both young
ladies.
Louisa Lobstedt wrote her new friend
that she was quite alone in the world;
that she had position at small pay in
a large confectioner's shop where,
working from early morning until late
at night. with only Il short rest ut noon.
she was quite tired out; that her en-
! plOyer made such unreasonable de-
mands upon his help that he was much
disliked. She wrote that she had few
acquaintance of her own age and no
real friend, and she congratulated her
self that she had conceived the idea of
sending that greeting through the
newspaper and putting her name to it,
| although that last was rather risky.
! What if her address had fallen into
wrong hands She hoped also, she
/ wrote in one of her later letters. some
day to find time to visit Miss Bertha
at the hospital and so to become per-
sonally acquainted with her.
Bertha Willmers in the meantime re-
piled to these letters in the same frank,
hearty way. She wrote that her home
was in H. and that three months be-
fore she had come to b. for the pur-
pose of earning her living as a teacher
of music and the languages. In the
course of few weeks she had fallen
Ill, and, at her earnest request, the peO-
pie with whom she boarded had
brought her here to the hospital How
happy it makes me to think l am soon
to see you. l do not doubt that We
shall become the dearest friends, and
yet | am going to ask you to defer your
visit for little while. And why? You
will think me foolish, vain. Well, call
1t feminine weakness, and yet before
my illness l was always being COM
! plimented upon my pretty, fresh,
healthy looks. and you can readily I'M
| derstand how five weeks of severe i'll
/
but YOU would be utterly disguised
with me when | want so much to make
as favorable an impression as possible
upon my new found friend. Just as
soon as | am somewhat better and a
little more like my old self | will write
you to come"
4 week later she impaired to Louisa
the delightful news that she hoped
very shortly to leave the hospital, en-
tirely recovered. Her first visit would
be to her dear new friend, but before
she could do this she would have TO
make n very. very serious confession.
Amid protcstations of the deepest es-
TEEN and love on her own part she beg
ged Miss Louisa to promise her one
thing in advance-viz, that, whatever
the confession might be, she would al
low it to make no difference in their
relations.
Never was Bertha more surprised in
her life than at the answer which fol
lowed Immediately upon this. Thus it
ran:
My Dear Dear Miss Bertha-With a
hand tremulous from anxiety and excite
begin for us both a new and happy life
or else all is over between us, and how l
can bear that God alone knows! For, oh,
let me confess it, l love you. Yes. love
you with all the fire, all the passion of
my being. Following the impulse of a
wanton humor, l appended to my name
upon the newspaper which a happy fate
threw into your hands the little word
Miss" l continued the joke in my first
letter, and by that time my interest in
you had already become too great to al
low me to confess the truth, which would
not only put an end perhaps to the cor
respondence which had become necessary
to me, but would also debar me from
ever meeting you face to face. All. my
dear Miss Bertha do not be angry with
me, do not cast scornfully from you the
deep. fervent love which fills my heart.
Eternally yours. LOUIS LOBSTEDT.
In fever Of anxiety he awaited an
answer from the woman whom he had
deceived. 1t came on the following day