To cap it all, Christmas
Eve brought her the shock of her life. Elisabeth, sitting near her
in the old church and remorsefully watching her weep for her buried
boys, could not resist the impulse to steal up behind, as they
were going out, and whisper into her ear, as she gave her a little
vicarious hug: "I have had news from Jacob. He is _very_ happy."
The look of measureless astonishment on my mother's face, as she
turned, recalled to her that she could not know, and she hurried
away, while mother stood and looked after her, for the first
time in her life, I verily believe, thinking hard things of a
fellow-being--and of her! Oh, mother! could you but have known that
that hug was for your boy!
Counting hours no longer, but minutes, till I should claim it
myself, I sat straining my eyes in the dark for the first glimmer
of lights in the old town, when my train pulled up at a station a
dozen miles from home. The guard ran along and threw open the doors
of the compartments. I heard voices and the cry:--
"This way, Herr Doctor! There is room in here," and upon the step
loomed the tall form of our old family physician.
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