Short stories, American; United States -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction
Little Knights--poor, broken, Little Knights--like a small, gray
shadow, flitted back and forth between the two stricken homes. At one
moment he had blasphemed in his misery. His Rose had been lying on his
breast and she had wrung her hands and lifted her tortured eyes to his
and cried: “Father, what have I done? Think back--think hard! What
wickedness did I do, that God should punish me so cruelly? Did I lie?
Did I bear false witness against anyone? Think father--think for me,
dear!”
And then he had lifted up his voice against Almighty God and cursed his
work--and now he remembered his words and shivered, for, with creeping
horror, he felt that there was something approaching him more terrible
even than the loss of the second little bud of love and hope--Rose!
Rose--his worshiped Rose--who wept not--who thought no more for others’
comforts--who sat motionless for long hours at a time, had been taken
possession of by a grotesquely horrible idea that the husband she loved
so was trying to put her legally away, because her children died! And
she would hold his hands and beg piteously that he should wait for her
to die!--that she would not be long about it now! And the poor husband
would kneel at her feet and pour out his love and grief, but all in
vain!
Then she would lay her head on “Little Knights’” breast and tell him
to take her away before the new wife came! He felt what was coming,
and believed _his_ blasphemy had brought destruction upon her when his
Rose became quite mad! At first he tried to take his life, but Mrs.
Knights seemed to have eyes all over--he could not escape them. Then,
suddenly, he cast himself--helpless, hopeless, almost heartbroken, at
the “Blessed Feet,” asking nothing for himself, but entreating mercy
for his Rose!--so innocent, so good! Bye and bye he ceased to bargain
with the Lord, and bowed his head, and with grief-shaken voice, said
simply: “Thy will, not mine, O Gott!” and straight a gleam of sunlight
came back into his life. Rose--his beloved Rose--had recovered her
reason! “Little Knights” held her in his arms and kissed the weary eyes
and drooping lips--and blessed God for her! but knew in his heart he
would never again see his white Rose “tied up mit pink ribbons.”
And time goes on and on, and Rose, gentle, kind, a very angel of
mercy to the poor, devoted to her husband and her parents--rarely
smiling--never laughing--shivers at the sight of a blond baby. Four
years had passed after her second loss, and her silence was deceiving
them all. I think, when one Sunday in church a strange, little,
restless creature in her pew crept along the seat and put its baby hand
on hers, and poor Rosie at that touch had fainted dead away, after that
they understood.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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