Proving a Heart
A LOVE STORY
"Hold fast! don"t be frightened! I can save you if you will only be strong!" were the exclamations that burst hurriedly from young Dr.
Gardner"s lips as, with horror-struck face he sprang from his window-seat and bounded downstairs.
And well might he hasten, for she who awaited his succor, hung perilously between heaven and earth, expecting every moment to be dashed to the ground.
For some minutes previous to his excited words, Weldon Gardner"s gaze had been riveted in awful fascination upon an immense balloon that was fast descending toward the high roofs that cl.u.s.tered on all sides about his comfortable rooms on ---- St., New York.
Something was wrong. He could readily detect this in the unsteady wavering of the gaily-striped air-ship. And so, too, thought the crowd that he now saw had gathered in the street below.
Evidently the aeronaut had lost control of his craft. Lower still it tottered, and now were visible several arms outstretched in the vain appeal for aid.
Not a sound escaped the spell-bound mult.i.tude in the streets, for in a moment more the fate of the doomed adventurers must be decided. Suddenly two human forms dropped from the loosened basket and struck with a fearful thud against the elevated railway, then rebounded to the street below a ma.s.s of mangled flesh. Death was instantaneous. With one impulse the throng surged about the bodies; but Dr. Gardner"s eyes were still fixed upon the balloon, for as if relieved by the rapid lightening of its burden it gave a spirited sweep upward, then pa.s.sed over his own roof.
Hastening to his back windows, which overlooked a paved court, he threw himself into a chair, and strained his gaze in search of the wrecked pleasure-craft, to which one other figure clung with the might of desperation.
One large tree, spared by the pruning axe of the city architect, shaded the court; and into the wide-spreading boughs of this tree, did the powerless balloon now descend, its ropes becoming hopelessly entangled.
Clinging fast to whatever offered support, a young girl with dark, terror-stricken eyes, met his look of horror, as with the rea.s.suring words already quoted, Weldon Gardner rushed down to the rescue.
Even as he gained the spot, shouting to the men in service to bring a ladder, a number of persons had penetrated to the court, and were now collected around the tree, uttering excited comments upon the disaster.
With all possible speed the young physician reached the sufferer, but unconsciousness had already closed her eyes to all danger. Bearing the light form from the entangling meshes, the doctor ascended to his consulting-room, and deposited his burden upon a couch. Summoning his housekeeper, he dismissed the gaping followers, and proceeded to examine the death-like form he had preserved from mutilation.
The patient seemed to be about eighteen years old, and bore unmistakable evidences of the lady in her attire.
Mercifully forebearing to restore her senses till after his skillfull examination, the doctor could discover no broken limbs, and nothing now remained but to enable her to speak for herself as to her condition.
After a persistent use of restoratives, the anxious attendants were rewarded by seeing the color flutter back into the pallid cheeks, and the long eyelashes quiver with returning life.
Her first words were: "Lucien! Maggie! we are lost!" Then a strong shudder convulsed her slight frame, and with a startled cry she attempted to spring up.
"Be careful," gently remonstrated the doctor, laying a detaining hand upon her. "Tell me--are you hurt anywhere?"
"I don"t know--I think not--oh! who are you? Where am I? Where are the others? Were they killed? Oh! it was too horrible!" and the agitated speaker burst into a pa.s.sion of tears so violent as to alarm her watchers.
Leaving her to the housekeeper, Dr. Gardner quickly prepared and administered a soothing potion. Then, enjoining absolute quiet, he drew the blinds, and proceeded downstairs to learn of the ill-fated companions of his patient. The crowd still lingered about the spot, although the bodies had been removed to await a claimant. Nothing was known except that the balloon had ascended that morning from one of the city squares, and that, as frequently happened, a party of young people had gone up to get a bird"s eye view of the metropolis. Who they were did not yet appear.
Several hours pa.s.sed, and still the rescued girl slept the dreamless sleep induced by the nervous shock and the narcotic draught of the doctor. Patiently the housekeeper sat and watched.
As twilight fell, she gave a sigh and opened her large eyes in surprise upon the strange face beside her. Taking advantage of the opportune moment, Mrs. Buford removed the pongee walking suit from the drowsy girl, and then gently enfolding her in a soft white wrapper, the kind matron a.s.sisted her to the bed which had been prepared, the girl submitting with a bewildered look of questioning wonder, and finally sinking back gratefully into slumber.
And here Weldon Gardner came before retiring for the night.
Softly touching the delicate wrist in its dainty frill, he noted the somewhat fitful pulsations of the disturbed life-centers. Bending above the tell-tale heart-beats, his practiced ear a.s.sured him that ere long the deep repose of his charge would effectually restore her to health.
How like chiseled marble she looked, lying there in her absolute helplessness beneath his stranger gaze! How pure the white brow, with its cl.u.s.tering rings of glossy hair! How exquisitely fine the white hand to which the dimples of babyhood yet clung! How cla.s.sic the contour of her face, into which already the warm hue of health was creeping! A heavy sigh escaped him as he noted each perfection of outline. Who was this lovely stranger? And what could she be to him?
"Why was I ever such a dupe?" he said in his heart. "Fettered--fettered for life!"
But suddenly realizing that except in his professional capacity he had no right thus to intrude upon her slumbers, the young physician turned from the enchanting picture.
"How is she now, sir?" respectfully inquired the housekeeper.
"Fairly well," he replied cheerfully; "I do not think she is hurt, except a few bruises, which we must look after. She was thrown pretty hard against that tree. To-morrow she will be able to give an account of herself. We can do nothing toward finding her friends before that time.
Call, if she should become restless," and the young man retired to his own apartment, there to ponder deeply, as he had never before pondered in his life.
Some days later the following letter was posted by Weldon Gardner:
NEW YORK, September 20, 1879.
"My Dear Aunt:--
"Your kind letter reminds me that never, in all these years of boyhood grown ripe, has duty come to me in as repulsive a form as now, I tell you, shocked as you may feel when you read the words, that I would rather put a bullet through my head than meet Evelyn Howard at this time! Why couldn"t she stay in England? And what cursed folly induced my parents to thus bind me for life to one I had never seen? True, I submitted. But you know with what an appeal my dying mother besought my compliance, and what could I do? I cared for no one else. How was I to foresee that the tie would ever be so intensely galling?
"I know all that you would say about honor, manhood, and all the category of virtues. I know them all. Nor am I willing to act the scoundrel just yet. But I must have time; I can _not_ marry that girl now. Nor will I consent to meet her yet. Let her think I am out of town, sick, busy, _dead_; anything, till I can screw my courage to the sticking point.
"About the balloon tragedy--yes, you heard correctly of my figuring in the matter. The girl is Miss Lina Dent, of Brooklyn, and I am happy to report that she is entirely recovered, though deeply afflicted at the fearful death of her friends. It seems that they had, in a spirit of fun, gone up in the balloon, feeling confident that their adventure was, to say the least, of somewhat doubtful propriety.
They did not think of danger. The cowardly desertion of the aeronaut, as soon as he could leap to a roof in safety, precipitated their fall.
"The young victims, Lucien and Maggie Taylor, were too much frightened to hold to their frail support. Their tragic fate has plunged an excellent household into mourning. Bitterly my new acquaintance lamented her folly in consenting to the excursion; but how can a man in his senses add to her condemnation when she looks through such eyes, and speaks with such lips? Not I, I a.s.sure you.
"Miss Dent is visiting a relative in Brooklyn, and in my character of physician, I have been kindly received. The strangest part of it all is the odd way that girl looked at me when she knew enough to look rationally at anybody; and her obstinate persistence in leaving my house before she was fit to go. And it was all I could do to induce her to see me again. But her cousin was quite cordial, and now I may claim to have established an easy footing at the house. But about Evelyn Howard--don"t, my dear aunt, if you have a spark of mercy, require me to see her now."
A month pa.s.sed by, and October, in glorious tints of autumnal beauty, shed its light over the city. In a handsome drawing-room on Brooklyn Heights sat Weldon Gardner and Lina Dent. The young girl wore a soft white dress, and her figure was replete with roseate health and beauty.
The young physician was pleading strongly and earnestly, gazing into the eloquent eyes before him as if his very life hung upon their favor.
"But I know so little of you, Dr. Gardner," was her remonstrance in answer to his ardent suit, "true you have earned my life-long grat.i.tude--"
"Don"t mention that, if you have any regard for me," he interrupted, in a sort of disdain.
"Yes," she urged, "I must mention it. To you I owe my life, and perhaps, my reason. Of course I know you in all points of family, position, and professional success; but your own true self--how can I know that you will secure my happiness? Is there nothing you can tell me of yourself which will rea.s.sure me?"
And the bright, honest look of her eyes robbed her plain words all possible sting.
"First, tell me that you love me," he argued, "let me know that it would be sweet to you to place your happiness in my keeping. At least you can do this. You know if you love me."
She listened with averted look.
"And if I confess that I love you," she said at length, in a low voice; "if I do this, would it not be mockery to learn, when too late, that I had made a mistake?"
"But, in heaven"s name, Lina, what can you mean? Why do you doubt me?