The Opelousas courier., 1905-09-16

mu not uncharitabie, vet it
8 W o would have been hard to
- find three persons who be-
Ssso~ llered there was any good
III l,red Wildburn. A rude, ungoverned
child; a lawless, vicious youth: a reck-
less, d%issipated man. In all his thirty
years of life he had done no good thing
that anyone ever remembered Of him.
The people of Milestone were n very
moral sort of people, and did not hest
tate to give this one Ishmaclste to u1-
dcrstand the impossible gulf that lay
between themselves and him, both iii
Tine and eternity. Perhaps 1t tended
to improve his heart and temper; but
l doubt 1t.
Afdong the inhabitants was a family
of the name of Upton. From time i'm
memorial there had been d feud be-
tween the Wildburns and Uptons, kept
alive and aggravated by each success
sive generation A great many years
before a Wildburn and an Upton had
married sisters, and through some nice
BIZ OF diplomacy on the part Of Upton,
his wife was made heiress to the bas
ternal fortune, and the wife Of Wild
burn cut of with Il paltry hundred
dollars.
Inter, Henry Upton had succeeded In
getting the whole Of 4 large legacy,
left by some distant relative, which
should have been equally divided be-
tween Fred Wildburn and himself.
Naturally. this tended to widenstiie
breach, and fearful and bitter weFe the
VOWS Of vengeance which Fred
breathed against Upton.
Indeed, his ungovernable passion
might have led him to some act of
personal violence, but for one restrain.
Ing influence.
Ten years before the commencement
OF our tale, when Fred Wildburn vas
about twenty years old, lie had one of
his wrists broken IN a fight lie had
himself provoked. His mother Mns,
II had been for years. Il bedridden
invalid, With MI intellect weakeged
by long Illness and abuse-for her ius.
hana drank heavily at timas. And iiuuor
made him wild and furions.
The broken limb was set by a SIR.
geon III a neighboring town; hut the
prospect OF payment being exceedingly
small, 10 nald very little subsequent
~a.oenlion to his patient. 1t was warm.
weather, and the arm was hadlS tori
and bruised besides, and Needed daily
attention. Good, charitable. pio,ls peo.
pie, who gave munifcently for the
ameiioration of The heather Thousands
OF miles away. turned with disgust
from this heather at their own doors.
fimid women shrauk from entering
the house, because. perciancp, old
Wildbrrn might BIZ OH one OF his s.ra-
rousess,' ni1d SO the bruises becarne
infamed, and The Hanger that iht arm
would have to come off grew imr11l-
nent. Fred wasn't used to bearing
pain, and raved fearfilly, while the
weak-minded Invalid cried and fretted
by turns, and WiidburI1 senior drank
more perseyerlngly than ever.
Into this pandemonium there can,e
one morning h slight, delicate Girl.
bearing a little roll ct snowy linen III
her hands.
nave rome 60 dress your arm.
fred,. she said, quietly, laying aside
iler white %sunbonnet, and revealing 4
lhin, rather pale ffGce, with steady.
fea:...rss brown eyes.
VINO sent you here, Bessie Bran.
DOM asked the elder Wildburn, IN a
clustering voice.
No one, sir. | came because /
thought It right for me to come.
Frederick will lose his arm, unless 1t
IS cared for speedily"
Let him lose 1t, Them" was the
grAf answer.
Not Il can hnl. It, sir,"
And the brown eyes were lifted fenr.
iessly TO his face.
Muttering something about EMBEDDING
~feighbors," he seized Ills hat ard s.ac-
gered out of the room, and Bessie Mt
once set herself to the work Of caring
for the wounded arm.
It was q shocking sight, and the firm
lHNs grew just a little white as she
stripped off the matted bandages: hut
iifF Hhite fingers were steady and cool
as She carefully washed the arm.
bathed 1t In some liniinent she had
brought with her. and swathed it nice
u md carefully in the cool, soft linen
she had brought for the purpose.
Why. it doesn't feel like the same
arm.' Fred exclaimed, when she had
finished; and inyoluntarily he glanced
at the other hand, which lie for the
first time realized, with a faint emotion
OF Shame, to be almost ais sadly In
need OF washing as the other had been.
When Bessie came the next day. she
noticed that It was almost as white Us
her own.
Every day for four weeks BESSIE
the Wildhurns on her errand
Of mercy, undismayed By old Wildburn.
or the ridicule bit her friends.
q should have lost it, / dare saw If
hadn't been for ron. Miss Bessie
Fred said. the last day she came. .m
= miserable wretch. Heaxsn knows: