The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-07-24
ASin That Brought
A Blessing
Bv OSCAR cox

or was very much troubled for fear
| would marry some girl with nothing 10
! recommend her but pretty Iace.
used to think that she wished me 10
| marry Margaret Deane, who knew now
| TO sew and cook and do lot OF pracu-
cal things in which l took no interest
| I rather admired GwendOlin German.
| Gwendolin was tender flower, just
such a girl as a man likes to take un-
| der his protection Her cheek was not
round and rosy, but there was a little
pale red in Its center like a rosebud
painted on a china cup, with lips OF the
same hue.
/ The time came when l made up my
mind that unless could win Gwendo-
lin my life would be a failure. l was
but twenty, and that's very young for
man to feel that his happiness Is
| bound up for life in one person. How
ever, l proved my constancy by years
Of devotion to the image l had set up
| In my heart. Fearing that l could not
| express myself with sufficient delicacy
| Ouc 81 SO ihouSoI, oO
tender, wrote my proposal in letter.
I was several days composing 1t, and
when finished left 1t for another day
on my desk in order to read 1t once
more before posting 1t.
l was suddenly called away, and
when l returned the letter was gone.
l asked my mother what had become
Of 1t, and she said that 1t had been
posted with batch Of letters that had
been sent to the mail while l was
away from home. With this l was
! content and confident that Gwendolin
had received it and waited anxiously
for reply.
| When | met my love again l was
much embarrassed. My Imagination
made her seem to me cold, even Of
Tended, and as she made no reference
to my letter it occurred to me that for
some reason-I imagined a dozen-she
was displeased with my proposal
did not call again, and within year
her family left the place where lived.
and she went with them. My heart
went with her. | lived on a bachelor.
My mother frequently invited Mar
garet Deane to our house, and could
see that she was Intentionally placing
her In my way. Margaret accepted
whatever attention | gave her, which
was not much but when l was un-
mindful Of her she did not seem to
notice 1t. AS the year passed l made
friend Of her but It did not occur to
me to make love to her
When | was thirty my mother died
Before her death she made me a con-
fession.
My dearest boy she said, before
l die l wish your forgiveness. Ten
years ago saw that you were about to
choose companion for life who would
not make you happy. kept the letter
you wrote to Gwendolin German, hop.
Ing to gain time to direct your atten-
tiOn to Margaret Deane Ten years
have passed, and every year l have In
tended to send your letter to Gwen
dolin. | have never done so till today.
BY tomorrow morning she will know
for the first time Of your proposal, but
by that time I shall have left you free
to choose for yourself"
And so my mother. to whom was SO
devoted. had caused me ten years of
misery | forgave her and did not utter
word OF complaint. Indeed, the pain
l suffered at her loss neutrallzed any
feeling OF regret for my long suffering.
The day after laid her In the grave
took up number of letters that had
mostly of coincidence
and among them was one from Gwen
dolin. 1t brought the first of different
sensations from what had experienced
since the beginning Of my mothers i'll.
ness. But with it came the remem.
brance of what my mother must have
endured from her dstaste for nv
choice. Margaret had been with her
constantly In her last days and had
eomforted her as IL she had been her
own daughter.
I felt an inclination to complete the
sacrifice my mother had brought abou,
: by acceding to her wishes and giving
Margaret the option Of being my wife
But I was hound in honor to Gwendo
lin as well as by love- In her letter she
asked me to come and see her II fol,
so inclined
A few days later 1 went to see nor
She still lived with her family. who
, were wealthy-more so than when
. had parted from her-in stately man
sion. 1t was evening when called
and was ushered into a private mar
! lor. In few minutes a bony, salIow
> scrawny woman came into the room
dressed in the height OF fashion. be
decked with jewels, her hands coyeref
with rings. barely recognized Gwen
E dolin and would not have done 40 hsf
I she not preserved the rosebud In bo,
I cheek by touch of paint.
). 80 your poor mother has gone" sb,
] said. What silly thing to keen Won,
letter from me! Just as IL war,
! counting on you. You were lovely ne
ooy, L admit; but, you know, mana bs,
8 always brought me up to understan NJ
q that l must marry money. and i
| COurSa that wnuld -. "