The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1917-07-06
ASin That Brought
a Blessing
By OSCAR cox

i've, INA BlnutlVe, romantic. MY morn
| er was very much troubled for fear
| would marry some girl with nothing TO
recommend her but a pretty face i
used to think that she wished me to
marry Margaret Deane, who knew how
| to sew and cook and do lot of practi-
cal things in which took no interest
l rather admired Gwendolin German.
| Gwendolin was tender flower, Just
such girl as a man likes to take I'M
der his protection. Her check was not
/ round and rosy, but there was little
| pale red In its center like rosebud
| painted on china cup, with lips Of the
same hue
The time came when | made up my
| mind that unless could win Gwendo-
lin my life would be failure / 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, / proved my consistency by years
Of devotion to the image had set up
| In my heart. Fearing that could hot
express myself with sufficient delicacy
to impress one so young, 80 modest, 30
tender, wrote my proposal in letter.
| was several days composing 1t, and
when finished l left 1t for another day
on my desk in torder to read 1t once
more before posting 1t. @
| was suddenly called away, and
/ WREN / returned the letter was gone.
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 was
content and confident that Gwendolin
had received 1t and waited anxiously
for reply.
| When / met my love again / was
much embarrassed. Ny imagination
made her seem to me cold, even Of
Tended, and as she made no reference
to my letter 1t occurred to me that for
some reason-I imagined dozen-she
was displeased with my proposal.
did not call again, and within year
her family left the.place where 7 lived,
and she went with them. My heart
went with her. lived on 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 / was un-
mindful of her she did not seem to
Notice 1t. As the year passed made
friend OF her, but 1t did not occur to
, me to make love to her. y
When | was thirty my mother died.
Before her death she made me con-
fession. $780, '-----
my dearest boy" she said. before
die / wish your forgiveness Ten
years ago / saw that you were about to
choose companion for life who would
not make you happy. l kept the letter
: you wrote to Gwendolin Germaip, hop
z ing to gain time to direct your atten-
, ton to Margaret Deane. Ten years
have passed, and every year have In
tended to send your letter to Gwen
dolin. have never done 10 till today.
BY tomorrow morning she will know
/ for the first time OF your proposal. but
by that time l shall have left you free
t to choose for yourself"
a And so my neither. to whom was 90
devoted, had caused me ten years OF
misery. / forgave her and did not utter
a word of complaint. Indeed, the pain
| suffered at her loss neutralized any
feeling of regret for my long suffering
The day after laid her in the grave
n / took up a number of letters that had
accumulated-mos OF coincidence
and among them was one from Gwen
u dolin 1t brought, the first of different
sensations from what had experienced
since the beginning of my mothers III
~ ness. But with 1t came the remem
brance of what my mother must have
. endured from her dlstaste for m!
choice. Margaret had been with he
m constantly in her last days and hat
comforted her rs II she had been he
: own daughter.
felt an inclination to complete TIN
IS sacrifice my mother had brought abou
. by acceding to her wishes and givinl
Margaret the option Of being my wife
But / was bound in honor to Gwendo
lin as well rs by love. In her letter sh
asked me to come and see her IL fel
"a so inclined.
A few days later went to see hei
81 She still lived with her family. VIII
were wealthy-more SO than when
81 had parted from her-in stately man
oa sion. 1t was evening when l called
70 and was ushered into n private PAL
M lor. In few minutes, a bony, salloH
scrawny woman came into the reoH
20 dressed in the height of fashion. be
decked with jewels, her hands covere
with rings. l barely recognized Gwen
90 dolin and would not have done so ha
o. she not preserved the rosebud in he
check by touch of paint.
Is $50 your poor mother has gone" sh
said. "What silly thing TO keep you
letter from me Just as If / wer
counting on you. You were lovely as
ga boy, / admit; but, you know, papa ha
always brought me up to understan
that l must marry money, and 9
81 course that would not include you Blu
we can be friends. you know. Jus
20 now I'm without cavalier-that Il
one that fancy-and you must com