The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1915-07-08
l,s w ", " \. " "

l nave faIlen into the habit OF dating
everything in my life from the time
of my Gripping accident.
When l was little girl, some years
before my accident, used to see the
young fellow at the window of the
adjacent house. The family had just
moved in, but we did not know each
other. In large towns this is often
the way.
l am three years older than Madge,
my sister, and it always behooved me
to set her good example. Perhaps
on that account / was especially anM-
Gus that she should not see me ex-
change glances with the boy at the
window opposite. And Madge was
always the beauty, while 1 am plain;
what I could do Madge must not do
without more serious consequences.
The house was ours. Our parents
had died when we were small, and an
aunt came to live with us and take
charge. When she died l was twenty
two and Madge nineteen. We stayed
on in the house, but our annuity was
tiny one. There was just enough
money to let us exist and little more.
We used to talk about our future. OF
course we both expected to be mar
ried.
If I marry first" said Madge, you
will come and live with us until you
marry"
Who would marry an ugly duckling
like me?" asked, though IN my heart
l knew some day the man would come.
Madge was indignant with me- She
always saw me through the glasses
of love. But beside Madge / was
black little dwarf. Madge had one of
those saints faces, and wealth of
golden hair that made her wonderful.
If we had been like other girls-I
mean, used to social life-her admir-
ers would have been innumerable.
All this while the family had lived
next door. We had come to know
them slightly. Roger, the young man,
was away at college. We had not
seen him for years.
Then came the accident. 1t was a
fall from our buggy in runaway, and
when l recovered consciousness was
room was darkened. Before me sat
Madge. She told me l was getting
better, after three weeks of terrifying
Inconsistencies
The days passed and I felt stronger.
I wondered why the look of pain re-
i,,r 70 = 10 y,
told me. l should never be able to
walk without clutches again.
For whole year / was an invalid.
One day famous visiting surgeon
passed through our town. He spent
four hours here, and two of them were
at my bedside. Madge had brought
him, pleading that he should come and
examine me. He shook his head
frankly when he had completed the
examination.
There is one man who can re-
place the knee in the socket, and
that is Ochs of Vienna" he said. at
has been tried in our hospitals, but
never successfully. He has a special
technic for repairing the atrophied
ligaments. You must go to him if you
wish to get WE'LL
When he was gone Madge and I
stared at each otherin dismay. Even
if the great surgeon were willing to
operate for nothing, it was impossible
to go to Vienna unless-we sold the
house!
We'll sell it, said Madge.
OF course l refused, and that was
the beginning of our first big quarrel.
For days Madge went about with
sullen face. But l would not give
way. How could l jeopardize our fu-
ture, her future, in order to get my
knee Strengthened?
Finally we arrived at compromise.
The house should be sold-after
Madge married. Then, if she married
well, we could afford the sacrifice.
could live on less than two needed,
and the knee could wait. The sur
geon had said that. 1t could wait
three years before it was too late to
operate. Madge must get married
within three years.
Soon after that the young man be-
gan to appear at the window opposite
again.
My invalid chair was by the window.
/ could no longer help seeing him
when he was there. The initiative
had, so to speak, passed out of my
hands.
One day great surprise awaited
me- Madge had struck up a friend
ship with the boy next door. After
that he used to venture to smile at
me, and | smiled back. Madge had
told me that he wanted to be intro