The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1908-01-16


very tender infection; and dropping
cups and saUcers, she hastens to re
heYe his suferin"s. Charley has his
coat on by this time, and is about
10 start; he has a 15-minutes' ride to
his work. He steps into the bedroom
and stoops over little Carl.
Come, Nell, my girl" he calls,
cheerily fetch US the good-by kiss
oh, I'm busy" replies Nell. tartly,
from the depths of the closet where
she is selecting babys clothes, kiss
Carl instead. that will do as well. /
don't doubt you think a good deal
more Of him than you do of me any
way, with perversely bitter intona-
ton.
If she thinks he will hasten TO her
and coax her out of her pet. she is
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 q sudden silence.
then she faces round just in time to
see him give baby Carl one long kiss.
tNA''A IN '''t Ai illult anu uNll dilAt
is gone She hesitates Il moment, too
proud to call to him even then, till
at last her heart conquers and she
runs after him. but it is too late:
he has passed out of the side-door
gone down the walk and is 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 failing can
know. Never before has she spoken
such words to the husband she loves
so dearly; never before since their
wedding-day have they parted for
even a few hours without kiss and a
loving word.
Theirs has been a very happy mar
'iaSe, too, having in it all the ele-
ments Of prosperity and content
Charley Burt is a house-carpenter by
trade, first-rate mechanic, sober, in
dustrious, earning good wages and
constantly advancing at his work
They have coy little home. a pref
ty cottage in the suburbs, all their
own when this last small payment is
made, and furnished comfortably in
every respect, indeed, almost IuXuri-
ously, thanks to Charley's skill with
his tools and Nellies taste and in
genuity. This pretty young wife is
thrifty, capable, and skillful to con
triye-almost d model-but of late
her health and strength have been so
sorely taxed that she is becoming sub
ject to fits of gloom and even irrita-
ton, failing to appreciate her many
blessings
To-day she goes about the pretty
rooms tidying everything as 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 for, because to leave any
thing undone would only add to the
suffering OF mind i'll at ease: but
there is heavy weight OF misery at
her heart; the slow hours drag. spite
of her countless tasks, and this luck
less day seems the very unhappiest of
her life
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
20 the gate and meet him when he
comes-then we'll kiss and make up"
Still he does not come, and 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 | had said good by
just as ever today she whispers for
The twentieth time; then as the slow
minutes creep along, Il am afraid
oh, so afraid something has hap
pened,' for though he is sometimes
little late, it is very seldom that his
time of coming varies a half-houy-
and now it is two hours, and her
vague presentiments of evil are grow
ing to a dreadful certainty
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 mutfled trampinS approaches
and stops-"the feet of them that
bear him are 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 sees them bring in the man she
loves, senseless, bleeding broken
then she rouses herself, and it is her
ready hand that arranges the bed and
smooths the pillow under the poor
unconscious head,
Not dead-no--that would have
been 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 halfdozen men killed or
injured Charley Burt has Jared best
of any-only broken arm, a dislocat-
ed shoulder and some cuts and
bruises. He has been we'll cared for,
too, and only conveyed to his home
when the attending surgeon has decid-