The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1907-10-04

from the depths OF the closet where
she is selecting baby clothes, "kiss
Carl instead, that will do as we'll, !
don't doubt YOU think a good dea,
more of him than you do OF me any.
way, with p~eryersely bitter intona.
ton,
II she thinks he win hasten To her
and eoaN her out OF her pet. she 10
greatly mistaken; he Is not used to
any such moods In his bright little
helpmate, SO does not know how to
take them. There Is a sudden silence.
then she faces round Just in time to
see him give baby Carl one long kiss.
and he turns away mute and hurt, and
is gone, She hesitates a moment, too
proud To call to him even then, till
ut last her heart conQuers and she
runs after him; but It Is too late:
ne has passed out of the sideidoor.
gone down the walk and Ia Just step
ping on board the waiting horse.car.
How heavily the day passes after
this, only a tender-hearted woman
mastered by the same falling can
know. Never before has she spoken
such words to the husband she loves
so dearly; never before since their
w~edding'day have they parted for
even a few hours without a kiss and u
loving word.
Theirs has been a very happy mar
rlage. too. having in 1t all the ele-
inents of prosperity and content.
Charley Burt is q house-carpenter by
trade, a first rate mechanic, sober, in
dustrious, earning good wages and
constantly advancing at his work.
They have a cozy little home, a pref
ty cottage in the suburbs.
To-day she goes about the pretty
rooms tidying everything az usual.
and for the first time takes no pride
or pleasure In them.
She gets through her routine.work
somehow, doing all she thinks OF or
finds time Tor, because to leave any
thing undonc would only add TO the
suffering OF Il mind III at ease; but
there Is a heavy weight of misery Mt
her heart.
VIII night ever come~-and bring
her Charley home? At last every
thing Is done; she has prepared "a
most inviting supper for her good
man. saying TO herself.
TN take baby Carl and run down
to the gate and meet him when ha
comes--then Wen kiss and make up
Still he does not come, aud it Is
quite past his usual hour. She sits
patiently holding her boy, her face
growing all the time more white and
drawn and anxious.
"Oh, how / wish I had said good.by
just AS ever today she whispers for
tho twentieth time; then as the slow
minutes creep along, II am afraid
oh, so afraid something has hap
pened.' for though he Is sometimes
a little late, II 10 very seldom that his
time of coming varies a %half-hour-
and now It Is two hours, and her
vague pfesentiments Of evil are grow
itN w ~ ulNhIiui GHi ihiniy. Y
She gets up and walks the floor,
tired out as she Is. another hour
passes. and In the extremity Of her
distress and terror she Is about TO
run across TO her nearest ~neighbor,
when n muHled tramplng approaches
and stops-"the feet Of them that
bear him arc at his gates
1t seems TO Nellie Burt that she
dies a dozen deaths In that moment,
while she stands rooted to the SPOT
and secs them bring In the man She
loves, s~enseless. bleeding, broken;
then she rouses herself, and II Is her
ready hand that arranges the bed and
smooths the pillow under the poor
unconscious head.
Not dead--no--that would have
been a punishment greater than poor
Nellie deserves. and more than she
could bear; but there has been an
accident-a %scaffolding has fallen, and
among the h~alf-dozen men killed or
injured Charley Burt has Jared best
of any-only a broken arm, a disiocat-
ed shoulder, and some cuts and
bruises. He has been well cared for,
too, and only conveyed to his homo
when the attending surgeon has decid.
cd that there are no internal injuries.
and that be al safely be moved.
But the dread might have BEEN
stands out before her then 80 clear
and plain that 1t leaves its Impress
on her very soul: and In all the rest
Of her life 1t helps to teach her the
great lesson Of patience and self.
control.
SO matters might have been much
worse, after all; az IL is. Nellie Burts
bad day ends with a perfect recon-
Citation between husband and wife.
and a most grateful Thanksgiving 10
God from n tender heart that she
has been spared that sharpest pang OF
all--the utter misery OF knowing that
for this world her ~penitence has come
too late.