The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-06-05
LOVE WAS not BLIND
BY GEORGE MuNsoN.

1t Is terrible. l cannot stay there,
she whispered.
Dulcie. who had been trembling,
suddenly managed to pull herself to-
gether and entered the room with a
firm tread. She went up to the bed
side.
''Is that you, Julia?" murmured the
sick man again.
YES" answered Dulcie bravely.
Two days before, Jim Ridgely, her
sisters fance, had been struck by
lightning. His recovery. at first de-
SPARED Of, now seemed assured, but
he was blind, and the doctors held out
no hope of his regaining his sight
"The optic nerve is paralyzed," they
said. There is the barest chance,
but the cure must be a spontaneous
one, and 1t must happen within the
next two or three days. Unless by a
miracle that should happen, he will
be blind the rest of his life"
Julia Crothers was the belle Of the
town, and Ridgely rising young law
yer. Though Julia and Dulcie were
alike in speech and manner, and were
often mistaken for each other, when
side by side 1t was plain that Dulcie
was only q poor image of Julia, She
was generally considered plain; the
difference, however. existed principal
ly in Julia's dashing ways and Dulcie's
anattractive and simple ones.
Poor Dulcie, whose tender heart
went out to Ridgely. knew that her
heartless sister would never dream Of
marrying blind man. She could
trace the unconscious processes In
Julia's heart even now. And II
seemed to her that she must do her
best to shield Ridgely until he recov'
cred. Possibly his sight would come
back to him, and then he need never
know that it was she. and not Julia,
who had sat at his bedside all these
long hours when he lay rackcd with
pain and fever
HE is sleeping." she told her sister.
when at last she went out to her.
what shall I do. Dulcie?" moaned
Julia. 81 cannot bear to look upon suf-
fering What shall .do?"
Then Dulcie told her her plan. And
It worked surprisingly. A week
elapsed, and at the end of that time,
although the doctors announced that
there was now no hope Of Ridgely's
ever recovering his sight. he was able
to sit up. And he had not guessed
that 1t was Dulcie who had sat by his
bedside and read to him in her gentle
voice. He had thought 1t was Julia.
And in the midst Of the pain Dulcie
felt to think Of Ridgely's coming disil-
lusionment, there was a fierce exul.
tation in her heart.
For Dulcie loved Ridgely. She had
loved him from the beginning, and
now more than ever before her heart
went out to this blind man, doomed to
be dependent throughout his life upon
the help Of others
! Ridgely had been brought into the
Crothers home simply because he had
no one to care for him. Old Mrs.
Crothers, a gentle old lady. alternately
dominated and petted by Julia, had
assented to the plan with alacrity.
But when she understood Julias inten-
lions she shook her head mournfully.
HE thinks I am Julia, mother"
Dulcie whispered to her. II don't
know how to tell him."
The old lady flared up for the first
time in many years. III you ask me"
she said, tossing her head, II think
that Jim is well rid Of her"
"Will you tell him, mother?' asked
Dulcie, eagerly.
mo, my dear. That is for you"
said the old lady.
And then, resolved to end situation
which had become unbearable. Dulcie
ran up the stairs and into Jim's room.
He was lying on the sofa, looking out
Of the window with his sightless eyes.
do you know, dear, that I have
neither asked nor received a kiss dur
ing the whole Of my illness?" asked
Jim patiently.
Dulcie blushed painfully.
Jim, there is something that !
must tell you,' she stammered, seat
ing herself at his side.
rs 1t something terrible?" he asked
gayly. Tell me, Julia, and let me see
whether find 1t as bad as you think
it is."s
"Oh, you don't understand" the girl
burst out And yet don't know how
you can have been so bli-so unable
to understand. am not Julia. I am
Dulcie, and Julia-Julia-oh, Jim, how
can I manage to tell you that she does
not care for you any more. and has
not been near you since the second
day of your illness? Oh, Jim, she
doesn't care for you and never did
care, and it Is hard to have to tell
| you, and-and-"
And Dulcie broke into a storm Of
passionate tears.
Jim's hand fell lightly upon her own.
81 knew 1t was you, Dulcie," he said
softly.
Dulcie raised her tear-stained face
incredulously.
You see, dear, you only deceived
me for few hours" he said. "You
see, Dulcie, love opens ones ears. and
have come to realize that It Is you.
and not Julia, and have dared to
hope"
He drew her toward him.
ITO hope that you might learn to
care for me. Dulcie. And have dared
to tell you, because have seer
for the past week a.
| saw in my life"