The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-12-30

/ was that both eyes had been injured
beyond reparation.
] Curious are the changes, the antithe-
ses, that come over human beings.
When Aileen Van Worst had desired to
win her teacher it was for the salts
faction Of making him break his prom
Use for love of her. When she had re-
ceived his note resigning her on &C.
count Of his poverty she considered his
| decision wise and had taken no steps
| to change it. And now she was plan
ming to induce him to permit her to as
| sumo the care for life Of one who
would forever be shut out from the
visible world.
To do this she must not reveal her
identity to him. Having refused to &C.
cept the position of poor husband to a
| rich woman, he would surely not
change his decision, now that he had
been blinded. But, remaining unknown
to him, she must win him away from
herself. She designed to play the part
of woman Of small means, hoping to
persuade him to accept the lesser sac
ri6ce. The only way by which her
identity might be betrayed to him was
by her voice But 1t was not proba
BILE that this alone would enable him
to recognize her.
The first time he heard her speak
was when she gave instructions to a
nurse concerning his comfort. Aileen
kept her eyes fixed upon him as she
spoke and saw him start. He appear
ed to be listening for something more
from her, but she refrained from speak.
ing further at that time. When he
heard her again he listened intently.
"You have the voice." he said, "of
one have known"
Indeed"
"Yes; an American"
"One near to your
"One dear to me-"
This was enough to assure Aileen
that she still occupied the place she
coveted, and she turned the subject.
And SO 1t was that Arthur Balm
bridge was unknowingly attended by
one who was intent on being the at
tendant for life of q blind man who
must accept all from her and could
give only his love in return. Though
he could not see her, he was conscious
that she was devoted to him. It is not
| by words alone that love Is expressed,
nor does 1t even require look. The
touch Of hand may speak more than
either.
Be this as it may, cambridge soon
came to know that he was loved. he
FASTENED to say that his heart was al
ready occupied, though he had already
given hint as to that.
| Il shall never be able to see YOU" he
said, "and 1t is well this is SO, for
could not love you, for gave my heart
to another several years ago. When
hear you speak hear her."
| Aileen made no reply in words. TAX
ing his hand in hers, she pressed It.
Then cambridge began to ask her
questions about herself. She told him
! that she had been left a small prop
erty-that, not having to earn her living,
she had desired some occupation and
this had led her to devote herself to
nursing sick and wounded soldiers
A1leen gave as much time to her In.
valid as she could spare from her other
multifarious duties. Occasionally she
would steal away to read to him. He
loved this because her voice was the
voice Of the girl he had met in Amer
lea. Whatever time she gave him
seemed heaven sent, and he passed the
long intervals between her visits in
remembrance of the last and in an.
ticipation Of the next.
One evening when Aileen was hand
ing him something his hand came in
contact with hers. He had not the
will to withdraw 1t.
Not long after this cambridge said
to her:
"If you think that nursing a blind
man would give you an object, do 90
as my wife"
with your lover"
'"That was given to one whose voice
Is counterpart of yours"
"But you cannot see her and can
hear me-"
There was no reply to this. He saw
nothing, he heard nothing, but he felt
himself embodied in an embrace.
One day chaplain was summoned
to perform a marriage ceremony. A
blind officer was married to the rich
American who had founded the hospi-
tai In which he occupied a room.
During this courtship the surgeon
who attended cambridge gave neither
him nor any one else hope that he
would ever see again. One eye was
gone. Would the other ever admit the
light? One day the surgeon performed
an operation on the eye that had been
poisoned, after which the patient was
kept In dark room for long time.
When the light was admitted to the
room he exclaimed:
81 can see!''
what do you wish to see mostr'
asked the surgeon.
"Mv wife"