The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1906-06-25
ON THE BORDER
Iorislnall

room, MS hands eiaSped with Il tight
grip, his head bowed. on his face ey.
cry evidence OF distress. On he'd iay
a young girl She was either uncoa.
scious or sleeping. for she was very
low. and It was impossible 10 tell
whether II was sleep or coma.
They are fighting at the front" the
old man unused. land IL anything
should happen to Bert II would turn
the scale But 10 anything does hap
pen she must not be told. sun, would
u not be- better for her TO know 1t and
die Instead or living GU the life of
desolatiOn In store for her?
Tile doctors opinion that she VIII
weather the storm and get well have
little confidence In. is II his opinion.
or does he say 1t TO keep me up?'
The nurse came In and begged the
old man to go to bed. He refused. tell
ing her to so Into room across the
ball, lie down and leave him TO watch
alone. II anything important occurred
he would call her. She went over TO
the bed. laid her hand on the sick girls
forehead and looked at her long and
anxionsly. Then she turned and told
him that 1t was not best she should
leave. But he firmly refused to 70
himself. and she took book and went
into the room he had Indicated.
Ever since her mother died. he
unused on, '.she 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 love ! had for
my parent was nothing compared with
the love bore her mother. And when
her mother died gave it all to my
little girl.
81 wonder what's going on down
there. Last nights dispatches were
that fight couldn't be put or twenty.
four hours. We know what they do
almost as soon rs they do 1t. Bert
must take his >chances-one out OF
three or four or I'VE, 1 suppose-whlle
here lies the girl he loves and who
loves him, having not one chance in n
dozen. If he dies she will never smile
again. II she dies l 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 man
fell to eonjuring up all sorts of posi-.
BILE happenings. He fancled his girl
again in health, her lover safely re
turned, their meeting. In their happi.
| nngG Ito fnfvnf that ha would -. 80.
alone or remembering It was mftlgated
that they were happy. he pictured
Bert physical wreck coming to find
the girl he loved gone; the young mans
agony, followed by settled gloom
This came the nearer home to him, foi
1t was what lie would have to suffer
himself.
Then he went back to the period
when she whose life hung by thrcaC
was jumping her rope, rolling hei
hoop. He saw her grow from child to
maiden, from maiden to woman. How
quickly 1t had all come about! And
now II she died, what had all his ef
forts TO raise her, her studies. her &c.
accomplishments, availed? All swept
away'at the ceasing of heart TO beat.
And her longer life, what OF 1t? Every
effort he had made or should make
would be neutralizcd.
The patient stirred. The watcher was
about to go into the other room and
call the nurse when the girl suddenly.
with strength that astonlshed him.
sat up and fixed her eyes on vacancy
or. as 1t seemed, some one In the center
Of the room.
Bert! Oh, Bert! Have you conner
She stretched forth her arms, and
the focus Of her vision seemed to draw
nearer 10 herself. Her arms folded.
she raised her face as though for a
kiss, then fell back on the pillow.
The old man sprang to the bedside
and was Joined a moment later by the
nurse. who quickly slipped her arms
under the invalid and raised her. See
ing no sign OF life, she placed her hand
on the girls heart. Then she looked up
and said:
''She's gone"
The old man went to a table, sat
| NO"h anu, pldNAhA HIS uEluS WI " rest
ed his head on them. The nurse laid
the dead girls arms beside her. turn.
cd, looked Mt the old man pltyingiy and
left the room. The case was closed for
her. and in day or two she would be
ready for the next one.
The old man remained where he was
The clock struck the hours successive.
ly-1, 2, 3. 4. Then there was the
sound OF boys running in the street
below and shouting:
Extra! Great battle at Santiagor
The old man started up. Going into
the hail. be rang for servant. One OF
them had been up all night to summon
doctor IL needed. He responded at
once. and his master ordered him to
bring him a paper. In 1t was q tele.
gram announcing the last battle OF the
Spanlsh-American war. with a partial
list Of the killed and wounded. Among
the former was the name Lieutenant
Albert Hubbard.
As the old man read II something like
a smile fitted across his face.
Thank Cod he said. they have
gone togetheri Providence. who re.
leases the young and leaves the old TO
endure. has permitted me to witness
their caress on the borderland Of i'm.