The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1903-02-06
NUMBER IL.

life he compared her with Luella, SIM
ply in the matter Of capability to bear
the sins and sorrows of humanity.
Luella looked at him gravely and
shook her head. And then John Cor
don rose.
You are not going?" she said before
she realized And then the color flooded
her face, and she stood, proud woman
as she was with bowed head, as con-
scious as a girl who has made some
little social mistake.
Again if John Gordon had said, "Lu-
ella, l will never go from you IL you
will ask me to remainr' she would have
given her whole life into his keeping
and followed him to the earth's end for
the love of him. But how was he to
know all that? All he saw was a wo-
man who quickly recovered from q
momentary confusion. and he said:
You must excuse me; / came to see
your father. l am very anxious to see
him and shall be under obligations to
you If he can come down to Hope
House as soon as he returns"
He turned and walked out into the
hall, where he turned again toward her
and gravely bowed.
Good evening" he said coldly. He
said 1t coldly because his heart was
beating so fi=rcely that he was afraid
to betray his emotions. She did not
say a word. only looked at him as he
slowly walked to the door. As he
opened it she said in whisper, "Johnw
He never heard Is love then both
blind and deaf? Yea; ii Is sometimes,
when the lovers are both high spirited.
strongly individual and sensitive And,
alas for John Gordon, he neither saw
| nor heard. and walked out into the
night, wretched at heart and cast down
in his emotions. When he was gone.
Luella laid her head again on her arms.
and when Mr.. Penrose a little later
sent in his card she excused herself
from seeing him owing to illness. It
was the world old illness, which love
creates when it is baffied, buffeted, dis
honored or misunderstood.
John Gordon had not been back to
Hope House ten minutes when VIII
iiams called him up and said that Bar
ton was conscious and had called for
1
and was soon by Barton's side.
The nurse and doctor and Harris
were there and Gordon knew that Bar
tons hour had come The first word
that Barton spoke was a request that
he be permitted to talk to Gordon alone.
The others went into the next room,
and Gordon kneeled and put his hand
on that Of his friend
John" Barton whispered In his old
whimsical manner, ''the old cough 10
like a daily paper, 1t has the last word.
No use to reply or explain The editor
can get back at you in the next num-
Der. I'm done for as the pancake said
when it was turned over"
He stopped and with great effort
raised up a little. Gordon supported
him-
There, feel little easier. 1 never
wanted to die lying down. What
wanted to say, John, there are two let
ters, love letters. John, from the old
lady. bingham, you remember. They
are in my desk. Read them when
am gone. The second one only came
this morning. l don't know what is in
it. But you-open-and read it"
Gordon was crying. He could not
keep back the tears of affection. His
love for Barton was almost like that
of the love between man and woman.
Don't cry, John. What's the differ
ence? There's one thing-I hope-you
and Luella-the coughs going to get
me. Don't let people look at me. I'm
| | Hor go, t,<,
There's one thing
The voice sank, and yet even in that
last struggle the change from his ap-
: parent flippancy to the profoundest
seriousness was like the change from
sun to shade. "One thing, John. Once
you said I never loved any one. I've
left some books and things to Hope
House. There's money enough to bury
me-directions in desk-don't have q
procession over a mile long" The
voice came back to its seriousness
> again. You said 1 never loved any
E one-Grace Andrews-John-you under
D stand The eye spoke the rest. And
in the tumultuous grief that flooded
{ John Gordon's soul he filed in the
! broken gaps of that sorrowful but
! fragrant romance. The voice was 9
!, whisper when it spoke again. NO use
don't tell her-only add to her burden
God bless her-best woman in this city
She
The voice went out altogether, and
John Gordon realized that the spiri
= of that brave heart would soon ceas,
from all the earth's struggles. 81,
summoned the doctor again and tn,
nurse and Harris came in. There wa
nothing to do. Gordon held his hant
Z as the night deepened. Near midnigh
he rallied and whispered to Gordon
with smile: Il love you. John. Good
by
At . O'Clock his spirit quietly wen
out like Child falling asleep, an,
Gordon rose aud passed into the othe
e room. trying 10 realize what all thi
meant, richer man for this expert
ence OF human friendship, but poore
man for the loss out of his earth strug
:. gle of one of the bravest, tenderesl
e truest souls his manhood would eve
know.
Dear Davidr' he said and let th
tears flow unrestrained. Your hope
less love story. Hopeless? Did eve
man love woman like Grace Andrew
without ennobling himselfF And whe
d little later he went in and saw th
d cold, pale face he thought he could Sc
5 there the triumph of loves great wor
in the glory which it always leave
(. with humanity, for as long as til
l. world shall stand and men shall SUI
,f fer. so long shall the true love of ma
II for woman redeem the earth from il