Mexico Missouri message., 1907-10-10


ties. debts OF honor, gambling debts,
driven beside himself, reckless, des-
perate, this poor, misguided boy rob
bed his employer. took a large sum
OF money from the safe. TO which he
had always had access. This was
soon discovered by the man he had
robbed. who taxed him with Il, prl.
vately. but sternly. and threatening.
ly, and my poor boy, madly letting
his quick temper get the best OF him.
answered insolently. High words fol.
lowed. Robert solemnly asserted that
the lawyer struck him first; how.
ever, Robert picked up a heavy chair
and felled him TO the ground with II.
And In a weeks time he died from
the effects OF the blow" Her voice
faitered. she paused; could only
press her hands In silent sympathy.
You can guess, dear, what followed"
He was arrested, tried, and con.
demned to is years Imprisonment,
which In this state means solitary
confinement. Oh. child, child, shall
| ever forget that moTning-it was
the first day of June-when no stood
in the prisoners dock, so young. so
rarely handsome. and listened with
a white, set face and qulvering lips
to that sentence? I nearly went mad
then. fell on my knees with wild
sobs and means; then tainted, and
when had recovered they. had
taken him away
Il saw him once again to bid him
farewell. was calm then with the
calmness of woe too deep for utter.
ance. He also was silent. numbed
with q terrible. Hullen despair. Dear
| said TO him. pillowing his head on
my breast as had so often done,
the years must pass. | will pray and
wait for you in our little home. and,
should Heaven spare us both, some
day you will come To me, there 20
begin new life together And, dear.
I have been waiting 10 long years;
have counted each day. each week.
each month of them as they gllded
by, and now, but two more years re.
main, and my waiting will be over"
She paused, her cheeks grew soft.
ly flushed, her eyes sparkled with an
intense and rapturous Joy. 1.-Two
years." she repeated, only two years
of waiting"
Only two more years: but one
had hardly past when Miss Molly's
cheeks grew paler and thinner, her
step slow and languid. This was
the beginning. and from that time
her health began steadily to decline.
and, with bitter pain, realized sho
was slowly fading out of life.
One evening. as ! knelt beside her
easy chair, where she now sat all
day, she laid her thin hand gently
on my head and said: Dear, you
know that / am going to leave you
before long?" hid my face in her
lap. and burst into tears. you must
not grieve too much. my child" she
went on, IT Is Gods will: I shall
not be here to make his life happy
and bright; but / shall live to see
him once more, my boy, my Rob
ert
The weeks and months glIded by:
daily she grew weaker, frazier grew
her hold on life. The year was near
ly up; but l never thought she would
live to see Il; but she did. The
FIRST day OF June came, such a sunny,
beautiful day. had been with her
all night. and when the first rays of
the sun shone into her room. q "a.
diant smile lighted up her sweet
white face, and heard her whisper:
''The years Of waiting are over" She
hardly spoke the rest OF the day, but
lay with a Listening look on her face,
and the faint smile lingering about
her lips. My heart was nearly burst.
ing with sorrow and suspense. She
could not 1--we through the night,
knew. All. would he come, or would
she have waited so long in vain? The
day wore on; was sitting beside her
holding her hand. when heard the
front door open, and n mans step
In the hall and upon the stair. /
thought it was the doctor returning,
when a low cry from Miss Molly
caused me TO turn. With a super
human effort she had raised heraeli
In bed. and her great blue eyes were
fixed with a look / shall never forget
upon the door.
Hush" she whispered. he Is
coming" A moment later the door
was thrown open. and man stood
upon the threshold. A man prema.
turely aged, with bent shoulders.
gray, close-cropped head. and a
worn. haggard face. bearing the re-
mains OF great beauty. His eyes saw
nothing. save the figure on the bed;
then he bounded across the room. and
caught her in his arms. Molly. sis
ter" heard him murmur. Her heat
sank against his breast with a sigh
OF utter peace and content. my boy.
my boy she fnurmured. the wait
ing Is over" She smiled once. and
then died. saw the Worn. handsome
face OF the man grow as white a.
tbs amivrs ore on his breest. my
ooa." ne cried aloud, dead. gone