Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1903-11-04
The Picture
in the Locket
By WIN. waiter Hines

Copyright, 1903, BY Daily story Pub. Col
n BVIOUSLY, the man was dying.
" / needed the word of no doctor
to assure me Of this, for l have seen
men die before, and when l saw his I'm
gers picking at the coverlid | knew 1t
was presageful Of the end which could
not be far of.
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 food Of
fresh air for which the sick man had
begged so piteously through the night.
II 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
room and at us.
The draught from the open window
swept in on us with a 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 mlsts rolling up from the
river which lay just below the house.
No n spoke, but the nurse was kneel-
ing near the foot Of the bed, and her
lips were moving as though in prayer.
l think she had grown somewhat fond
Of her patient, and, devout Catholic
that she was, she hoped that this prayer
Of hers might give a happier passage to
his soul.
For a time the man whose death we
were watching was delirious. His eyes
we're 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 I 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:
sol am going to die, after ALI Well,
no matter. I have come to look on liz,
merely as a necessary evil, anyhow, an6
think / have the best Of the bargain
Then he turned his face towards the
window, where he could see the bright
ening eastern sky. He looked at this
for some moments, and his face grew
O serious, but in his eyes was a look
OF intense happiness, as Of one who has
sought peace for a long time and is at
last in the way Of finding It.
On another hour, he said, Il 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 a little
rest. They must need It badly, and I
want to tell you a story and ask Of youa
favor"
The doctor heard him and shook his
head. The end was too near for a doc
tor to desert his patient. Nevertheless,
succeeded in persuading both him and
the nurse to 60 into the next room and
wait until l should call them. When
they had gone, the sick man bade me
bring him a locket which we had taken
from his neck while he was uncon-
scious. This / gave him and he pressed
IL to his lips.
~This locket," he said, Ifs to me what
a crucihx is to that devout little nurse.
Il Is something which would have
helped me in my prayers II l had ever
learned to pray, and it contains that
which has made me wish for a life be-
yond the grave.
Inside this locket Is a miniature and
a lock Of hair belonging to the only
N / ever loved. She sent them to
me lust before she died, with the mes
sage that she would wait for ne on the
edge Of Heaven until / came. I loved
her o than l can tell you, and. al
though she was the wife Of another man.
4 love was as pure as that Of the
saints"
AS he spoke there was q 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 I loved
80 dearly that It was only the hope Of
reioining her In another world that pre-
vented me from going insane long ago.
"You have been very kind to me"
vent on the dying q Our acquaint-
ance has only been a chance one, and
you DO not even know my name, Or
yours"