The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1907-12-03

AAARAA-A~-if
the end involved in money Difficult
ties. debts Of honor. gambling debts.
driven beside himself, reckless, des-
perste, 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 it, pri-
/ 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 it.
And in a weeks time he died from
the effects of the blow" Her voice
faitered, she paused 1 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 morning-it was
the first day of June-when he stood
in the prisoners dock, so young, so
rarely handsome, and listened with
a white. set face and quivering lips
to that sentence2 l nearly went mad
then. / fell on my knees with wild
sobs and means; then 1 tainted, and
when 1 had recovered they had
taken him away
Il saw him once again to bid him
farewell. I was calm then with the
calmness of woe too deep for utter
>ance. He also was silent, numbed
with a terrible, sullen despair Dear
| said to him, pillowing his head on
my breast as 1 had so often done,
the years must pass. | viii pray and
wait for you in our little home, and,
should Heaven spare us both, some
day you viii come to me, there to
begin a new life together And dear,
l have been waiting Is long years;
have counted each day, each week,
each month of them as they glided
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. Two
years." she repeated, only two years
of waiting
Only two more years; but one
had hardly past when Miss Mollys
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, l realized she
| was slowly fading out of life
! One evening, as l 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 I am going to leave you
= before long?" 1 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; ! shall
not be here to make his life happy
= and bright; but l shall live to see
= him once more, my boy, my Rob
ert.
s The weeks and months glided by;
daily she grew weaker, Trailer grew
), her hold on life. The year was near
= ly up; but I never thought she would
[ i've 10 SEE UQL SAAC QAQ- nG
= first day of June came, such sunny
4 beautiful day. / had been with her
+! all night, and when the first rays OF
= the sun shone into her room, a "a
= diant smile lighted up her sweet
white face, and l 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
L. her lips. My heart was nearly burst
u ing with sorrow and suspense. She
could not live through the night,
= knew All would he come, or would
- she have waited so long in vain? The
y day wore on; was sitting beside hel
~ holding her hand. when I heard the
ie front door open. and mans steI
4, in the hall and upon the stair.
thought it was the doctor returning
al when a low cry from Miss MOLLY
AZ caused me to turn. With a super
III human effort she had raised hersel
u in bed, and her great blue eyes wer'
" fixed with look l shall never forge
= upon the door.
p Hush" she whispered. he i
I coming. "A ulOuGuL ldlGL the uOO
: was thrown open. and a man stoo'
~ upon the threshold. A man prema
I turely aged, with bent shoulders
~ gray, close-cropped head. and
- 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, an,
caught her in his arms. Molly. sis
!, ter l heard him murmur. Her hea
=. sank against his breast with a sigl
:, of utter peace and content. MY boy
- my boy" she murmured, the wait
~ ing is over" She smiled once an
: then died. l saw the worn, handsom
face of the man grow as white a
4, the smiling one on his breast. M
~ God" he cried aloud dead, gone
- Then, as his heavy sobs echoei
y through the room, stole away, tn
NS tears falling over nv cheeks. leayinl