The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1906-08-01
ON THE BORDER
;saaaasaaaas8a atsseR1S

grip, his head bow cd. on his face ev-
cry evidence OF distress. On bed lay
q young girl. She was either uucon-
EeIous or sleeping. for she was very
low. and it was Impossible 10 tell
whether It WINS sleep or coma
They are fighting ct the 'front.'" the
old man mused. ''and II anything
should happen to Bert 1t would turn
the scale. But II anything does hap
pen she must not be told. StfI, would
It not be better for her to know it and
die instead OF living on the life of
desolation in store for herr
1.-THE doctors opinion that she viii
weather the storm and get well have
little confidence in. is it his opinion,
OF does be say 1t to Keep me up?'
The nurse came In and begged the
cid man to go to bed. he refused, tell
ing her to go into a room across the
hall, lie down and leave him to watch
alone. If anything important occurred
he would call her. She went over to
the bed, laid her hand on the sick girls
forehead ana looked ut her long and
anxiously. Then she turned and told
him that it was not best she should
leave. But he firmly refused to go
himself, and she took book and weEt
into the room he had Indicated
Ever since her mother died." he
unused on, 'tsbe has been all have had
to live for. Sometimes it seems to me
that all the love she has had for me-
has been merged in her love for Bert
That's natural. All the loye had for
my parent was nothing compared with
the love bore her mother. And when
her mother died gave 1t all to my
little girl.
'T wonder what's going on down
there. Last nights dispatches were
tkHt a fight couldn't be put or twenty.
four hours. We know what they do
must take his chances-one out OF
three or four or five, 1 suppose-wh!le
here lies the girl he loves and who
loves him, having not one chance in 4
dozen. II he dies she viii never smile
PEnin. II she dies Will never smile
again, but he-he is young. He can
forget or replace the old with the new"
Curious thoughts run through the
mind of one in suspense. The old mar
fell to conjuring up all sorts OF posi-
bic happenings. He fancied his girl
again In health, her lover safely re-
turned, their meeting. In their happi.
ness he forgot that he would be left
alone or remembering 1t was mitigated
that they were happy. He pictured
Bert a physical wreck coming to find
the girl he loved gone; the young mans
agony, followed by n settled gloom.
This came the nearer home to him, for
Il was what he would have to suffer
himself
Then be went hack to the period
when she whose life hung by a thread
was jumping her rope. rolling her
hoop. He saw her grow from child to
maiden, from maiden to woman. How
quickly 1t had all come about! And
now If she died, what had all his eff
forts to raise her, her studies, her ac-
complishments, awaited? ID swept
away ut the ceasing OF heat to beat.
And her longer life. what OF it? Every
effort he had made or should mako
would be neutralIzed.
The patient stirred. The watcher was
about to go into the other room and
call the nurse when the girl suddenly,
with a strength that astonlshed him.
sat up and fixed hOr eyes on vacancy
or, as 1t seemed. some one in the center
of the room.
Bert! Oh, Bert Have you Gomez"
She stretched forth her arms, and
the focus of her vision seemed to draw
nearer to herself. Her arms folded,
she raised her face as though for a
kiss. tlren fell back on the pillow.
The old man sprang to the bedside
and was Joined n moment later by the
nurse, who quickly slipped her arms
under the Invalid and raised her. See
ing no sign of life, she pluced her hand
on the girls heart. Then she looked up
and said:
"She's gone"
The old man went to a table, sat
down and, placing his arms on 1t, rest
ed his head on them. The nurse laid
the dead girls arms beside her turn
ed. looked ut the old man pitylngly and
eft the room. The case was closed for
nor, and In u day or two she would be
'eady for the next one.
The old man remained where he was.
The clock struck the hours successive
VI, 2. 3. 4. 8. Then there was the
sound OF boys running In the street |
below and shouting:
Extra! Great bnttIe at SantIngoP'
The old man started up. Going into |
he hall, he rang for n servant. One OF |
hem had been up all night to summon
doctor IL needed He responded at |
'nce, and his mastor ordered him to |
'ring him paper. In It was a tele-
ram announcing the last battle OF the
war, with a partial
Ist of the killed and wounded. Among
he former was the name Lieutenant
Albert Hibbard.
As the old man read 1t something ike
smile lifted across his face.
"Thank Cod" he said. "they have
one together! Providence, who re-