The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-01-21
CHAPTER v.

CHAPTER ".
Nv next call on Maitland was profess
sional. / found him abed and in q crit
ical condition.. I blamed myself So
verely that I had allowed other duties
to keep me so long away, and a him
at once removed to the house, where
future, atone for my negligence In the
past. Despite all our efforts, however,
Maitland steadily grew worse. Gwen
watched by him night and day until
l was finally obliged to insist, on &C
count of her own health, that she
should leave the sickroom long enough
to take the rest she so needed. Indeed,
I feared lest I should soon have two
invalids upon my hands, but Gwen
ice during the nights and soon began
to show the good effects Of Sleep
I should have told you that, during
all this time, Jeanette was staying
with us as a guest. I had convinced her
father that it was best she should re-
main with us until the unpleasant no.
toriety caused by his arrest had, in a
measure, subsidized. Then, too, L told him
With fFanhness warranted 5ra tie s,,,d !
not hope to live many weeks longer, and
that every effort should be made to
make the blow his death would deal
5ea a'et as 1as4 light git as possible At Aw this
will become of my child when I am
gone?' he moaned. IT shall leave her
%penniless and without any means Of sup
port.'
my dear Mr.. Latour," I replied,
"you need give yourself no uneasiness
on that score. I will give you my word
as a man Of honor that 50 long as Miss
barrow and I live we will see that your
daughter wants for non of the necessi-
one who shall have a better right than
either Of us to care for her, This
promise acted like magic upon him. He
shOwered his blessings upon me, ex
claiming, "You have lifted a great load
from my heart, and I car now die in
peacel' And so, indeed, he did. In
less than a week he was dead, I had
had her father, but, for all this, her
grief was intense, for she loved her
father with a strength Of love few chill,
dren give their parents. In time, how
ever, her grief grew less insistent and
she began to gain something of her old
buoyancy.
In the meantime, Maitland's life
seemed to hang by a single thread. 1t
was the very worst case Of nervous
prostration I had aver been called to
combat, and for weeks we had to be
content if we enabled him to hold his
own, During all this time Gwen
a closeness that suffered nothing to es
cape her. I think she knew the changes
In his condition better even than I did
And now 1 am to relate q most sin
gular action on Ovens part. I doubt not
most Of her own sex would have consid
cred it very unfeminine, but anyone
who saw it all as I did, could not, J
womanhood which made it. possible
Gwen was not dominated by those char
acteristics usually eptomised in the cpl
thet "lady.' She was q woman anc
she possessed, in q remarkable degree
that fneness Of fiber. that solidity o:
character and that largeness Of sou
%alities Of life into the broad realm o:
the real v~erities of existence.
1t occurred on the afternoon Of tn,
first day that Maitland showed tn,
slightest Improvement. I remember
distinctly how he had fallen into. {
troubled sleep from which he would oc
casionally cry out in a half-articulat,
| side him waiting for him to awaken
Suddenly he said something in hi
sleep that riveted our attention. e.
tell you, Doc,' he muttered, eth
} love Of her burn my heart to q cinde1
( 1 will never trade upon her gratitude
, nor seek to profit by the promise sh
t Godl'
/, Gwen gave me one hurried, sweepin,
, glance and then, throwing herself upol
5 the sofa, buried her face in the cush
ions. I forbore to disturb her till
saw that Maitland was waking, when
laid my hand upon her head and aske
her to dry her eyes lest he should nc
tice her tears. h..
MMay I speak: to hima' she sale
l I could not divine her thoughts, as sh
, smiled at me thru her tears. but I ha
j, no hesitancy in relying upon her jude
ment, so I gave her permission an
started to leave the room.
"Please don't co., she said to MT
IT would prefer you should hear wha
, Gwen drew near the bedside. Mai
r land was now awake and following be
;: every motion. ,
9 ~ have something I want to say t
o you,' she said, bending owe him. I'D
you feel strong enough to listena" H
!, nodded his head and she continued
"You have already done a great des
t for me, yet | come to you now to as
rifce-greater than all the rest. Wi
4 you try to grant it7"
Q The rich, deep tones Of her voic
t vibrant with tender earnestnes
seemed to me irresistible.
}, 1T will do anything in my power,
|, the invalid replied. never once movin
Q his eyes from hers.
8 "Then Heaven grant 1t be with
, your our p q w5}.nas she mqrm nae = ss Sasn;l
Y me for what I am about to say. F
%lenient in your Judgment: Ny happ
n ness, perhaps my very life, depend
q upon this issue. / love you more tha
life; try to love me. If only a little!''
9 2: T watched the effect Of this declar
9 tion with a good deal of anxiety. f,
d fully half a minute Maitland SCENE
j. to doubt the evidence Of his ems
saw him pinch himself to see if !
n were awake, and being thus r
assured, no said slowly: s1T1
d fo-love7=youlN In vain have
& tried not { oAlove you iron the m
y ment I first saw you. Oh, my God! no
I adore you'll He reached his. arms O,
d toward her, and, in q moment, the
u were locked in each others embrace.
It I saw the first kiss given; and the
d stole s~tealthily from the room. The
n was now no need Of q doctor. II
weird, irrisitible alchemy OF love W;
at work and the reign Of medicine ",
over. I did not wish to dim the new
IT found light by my shadow, and-well-
IS / wanted to see Jeanette, 50 ] LETT.
le / need moi tell you, even tho you a
a bachelor. how fast Maitland i
il | proved. Gwen would narmi& M =,