Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1913-11-21

asked different persons whether she
was comely or homely and received
different replies Some said she was
plain and some that she was neither
good nor bad looking. some that she
was rather pretty and few that she
was beautiful. learned afierward
that these persons saw her through
ewes that lrtrrrrcted hrr differently
Not ee;iirs strength ~ rapidly H.
could have 81 bel. ! determined not ~
IN bach 20 itasln.s< Tor awhile hut
take trip abroad ~ least this l.
what ! tried t. persuade myself WIS
the obje,t ~ ny going My Doctor
helped me- In tie matter. for. having
discovered that ! waS bent on going.
be- save Tie many good REASONS why
should do that very thing. He advised
me 10 20 to n bracing northern climate.
but ! did no such thing Having learn
ed that the Carleton family were In
italy. I determined To go there. | could
not discover what part Of Italy they
were In. but had been there before
md knew that ! should End them In
one II three or four of the large cities.
hunted through all the registers of
Americans NJ Naples and Rome with
out tinding them. but was rewarded by
seeing their names In the register Of n
hotel IN Florence ! Immediately ep.
gagged room at the same house aud
felt that the goal. 80 far as reaching
the Girl I had come 10 seek. was won
But Sor; ~ stage fright took posses
sion OF me had Travelled several
thousand mites 60 find n girl ! had
never seen. and when | should see her
might find her altogether unattractive
In NV eyes
II was not long before Mt the table
d'hote near where | sat ] noticed n
family. n father. mother. daughter and
son. the latter two In their teens. and
heard the elders addressed as Carleton.
l had looked Mt the daughter without
any especial admiration for her comeli-
ness. but the moment knew her for
the object OF my dreams I thought
I could see n kindness In her face.
At any rate. my attention being liked
upon her countenance. I noticed that II
was very expressive.
Americans abroad are unlike Aneri.
cans ut home They are rather Ameri-
cans OF the early part of the last
century. when they travelled In stage
coaches. canalboats and the like. They
don't trouble themselves much about
introductions. soon fell to chatting
with the family sitting opposite the at
table and in few days found myself
AS well acquainted as IL had known
them for years. I. being a young man.
fell in naturally with the daughter.
whom very soon after meeting them
heard called Edith. She was fond OF
pictures and spent most Of her time In
the galleries: consequently ! became
fond of pictures too. We would start
in the Ufiizi gallery. cross the Arno
by the picture hung passageway to
the Pitt gallery and after wandering
through the rooms of the latter re-
cross to the Ufizi And all this time
kept my secret. the evidence Of
which remained carefully folded in my
pocketbook.
defy any young man to go da willing
about with young girl. attractive or
otherwise. especially in the land so
suggestive of dreams. of romance. so
full Of the fine arts rs Italy. without
falling in love with her. And what is
true Of the man is liable to be true Of
the girl. One evening Edith and !
were sauntering on what they call In
Florence the Lung. Arno. which In
England they would dub the ArnO
embankment. The river is crossed by
several bridges. and the streets on
either side Of these bridges are at
night lighted by numerous lamps.
There is no more beautiful city scene
in the world than the Lung. ArnO ut
twilight. when these lamps divide the
day and the night.
At this witching hour. leaning over
one Of the bridges beholding this en-.
trancing scene. took out the scrap
torn from the newspaper. on which
was written the message that had
so comforted me while in the hospital.
and handed it to the girl who had
written it. There was puzzled look
m her face. She saw a message writ.
ten in her own handwriting Whether
or no she remembered having written
it my production Of it far from where
1t had been scrubbed was too confus.
ing for her to understand.
enlightened her I pictured my
self lying i'll in hospital when the
paper she had donated was handed
to me: it's effect: my efforts to read
what had been erased. and my fnnl
success. Then. inspired by the scene
about US. told her that had follow
ed across an ocean and would follow
around the world the girl who had by
that one little act OF sympathy for one
who to her was hut creature of the
imagination without sex. form or indi-
viduality of any kind.
There are few girls who could resist
such an Offering Edith was Of an i'm.
questionable nature and was made
deeply sensible of the power of kindli-
ness by her one kindly act. an act par
taking of the divine work commeCorat
ed in the galleries on either hanc
More than this. that scrap Of paper
or. rather. what ia represented. has
influenced our lives since. We have
given tenth. and often more. OF
our time and one-tenth Of our income
to those who are in need Of aid and