Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-03-03
DAILY SHORT STORY
A NEUTRALIzED CALAMITY.
IOrigi

the trouble was Z the optic nerve and
she would EVENT. ally .Iese the sight Of
both eyes.
She had lover. Z size could not at
once make up her A.lud TO tell him
what had occu tTeo. what must inevita-
bly, separate hem. He had gone to
the gold fields fto seek his fortune.
Young. handson t., fun Of vigor. he was
a perfect man. She prior to Ter mis-
fortune, had cen a perfect woman.
and rs yet 81 e still appeared TO be
physically peri ret No one suspected
the slow impa rment of her vision, and
so long as it kvas confined TO one eye
she could seaA.ahtects as distinctly as
before.
He wrot' atthatthe had bought a claim
that was rOviDg very valuable. With
in few months he would return to
the east io- dbe' purpose of organizing
a comparyItotsO york the property.
A month paSSc i.
He was sinRr g i shaft over n vein
that was w NcI ing and growing richer
rs it DESCENDED. Z.
Another L. 81 III passed.
He had be =! offered n fortune for his
claim. but s Ill thought he would 90
to the east flor capital to develop his
mine himself Then for 4 time there
was q ccssazi On of letters. at the end Of
which lie WI ole that he had been i'll,
but was recU ,ering. There was Il mel
ancLoIy tonei to this letter that she at
tributcd to S recent illness. She was
troubled and kwrote him to tell her all
about himseItS the cause of his illness.
if his mine ha 1 after all proved value
less. When @ wrote again lie made
10 mention of! his disease. but said that
tie mine was proving all that had been
expected.
After this II ere was long silence
that troubled ger greatly. None of her
letters were IN swered. Then one day
came Il huge ii ,veIope in which was Il
certificate for II large number of shares
of stock in thu Eureka Gold Mining
company madeI out in her name. She
flung the paperl aside and seized let
ter contained in the same envelope.
She started aslinstung-n ut what she
read, for ass yet, she had read nothing.
but ut tile e scOEery that her blindness
had extendCsI to her other eye. Her de
sire to hear from her lover induced her
to read thei letter, before which there
was bIur. He announced in few
words thar the prospected marriage
between them could not take place
He had TT ansferred to her half his in
terest in his mining company. If she
declined to accept it her refusal would
break his heart
Here was misfortune piled on mis-
fortune. That she had at her disposal
a fortune did not in the slightest d e
gree pa lliate either of the ills from
whs,h, she suffered. The certificate of
stooE lay unheeded. The mystery in
the case SsIe thought little of. She
knew thatNher lover was not man to
announce such decision unless it was
irrevocable.
In few days she had reCained suffi-
cient caImIess to write accepting the
situation. bat not the half of his for
tune. Indeed the latter was not neces-
sary, since her f;r1her was able to sup
port her. She did not blame her lover,
for she was sure that he had discov-
cred some -cause'tO prevent their mar
riage
Gradually her sight faded till she
could scarcely distinguish light from
darkness.
one day while she was sitting alone
she heard theN door to the room open
and some one' enter. A foOtstep APP
preached. ami she felt herself encir-
cled in mars arms.
Who is it:''
81"
1t was short word. but the voice
with which it was spoken sufficed to
tell her she was in the arms of Iher
lover.
why did you not write me of. your
miSfortuneE" lie asked.
1t seemed SO dreadful to me. I felt
that it would force me to give you up.
l couldn't. Why did you not give me
the cause of your canceling our en-
caGCmCnt:"
From Il similar cause.-The one that
affected you. l had met with Il mis-
fortune which / felt necessitated my
giving you up l preferred that you
should not know the cause"
But that cause still exists"
I'm one sense. yes; in another. no. |
Your misfortune has neutralized it, so |
far as You are concerned. and you alone |
made mine an overburdening calam- |
ity."'
What is it,"
Dear heart. il has made me a differ |
aut man from the lover who wooed and /
won you. wish you to think of me as
the same. beg of you TO permit me TO |
always keep you in ignorance Of it"
She was silent for time then as
scented To his request.
There is nothing now to stand be-
tween Us. Give yourself to me. You
will accept no sacrifice from me- BY
permitting me to love. to care for. to
administer to you, you will give me ex-