Penloe smiled, and said: "I am perfectly willing to obey such a wife as you are. What are your orders, my dear?"
Stella laughed, and said: "Well, Penloe, I have been thinking that I would like to take you over to see an old friend of mine, who has sore eyes. You have never seen him, and he would be so pleased to have us come; for he must have many lonely times, because very few persons ever call on him, and, Penloe, dear, we have such a lot of good things left from aunt's big wedding dinner that she gave us, and I thought we would take some of the nice things along with us for the old man to enjoy. He seldom has anything very good to eat."
Penloe said: "So you are going to make a ministering angel of me, are you, my dear?"
Stella said, smiling: "I am not going to make you too angelic, Penloe, because you might take wings and fly away from me, and I want you to be an angel on the ground and not a soaring one. So get yourself ready to carry a basket."
Penloe said: "I am at your service, my dear."
Stella went into the kitchen, and selected some choice eatables, such as she knew the old man would most enjoy, and the two were soon on their way to the cabin. As they were walking along Stella related to Penloe all she knew of the history of the old man, as he was called, though he was not more than fifty-eight years old.
When they arrived at the cabin, the old man was busy getting stove-wood.
As soon as Stella spoke to him he knew instantly who it was. His sight being in that condition that he could see Penloe's form, but could not see clearly his features, he could distinguish a man's form from that of a woman's, but that was all. Stella introduced Penloe to him, and told the old man that they were married this morning, whereupon the old man instantly congratulated them and showered his blessings on both of them, saying: "Mr. Penloe, what an angel you have got for a wife!" And went on telling Penloe how good she had been to him.
Stella did not check him, because she knew it would do him good to have some one to express his feelings to. After the old man had finished his eulogies on Stella, she told him what she had brought him and said she would put them where they belonged, for she had cleaned up his cabin many a time. He was touched to the heart by such thoughtful kindness, that on their wedding day she should think of him, and he did not know just what to say he was so overcome; he seemed choked. They very soon put him at his ease, and in about ten minutes afterwards conversation had quieted down.
Just then Stella received a mental telegram from Penloe, and it was not long before the old man was sitting in his rocking chair, fast asleep. While he was in that condition, Penloe and Stella went into the silence, remaining in that state for about an hour, when Penloe asked Stella to get a basin, with some water, a clean cloth, and a towel. When she had got everything ready, the old man seemed to be waking up. When he was fully awake, he said: "How much better I feel." Stella said: "I have a basin here, with some water. Let me bathe your eyes." While she was bathing them, she said: "Andrew, you are going to see so that you can read just as well as you could before your eyes became sore." (As Andrew had always associated Stella in his mind as being a member of the angelic band, he was ready to believe anything she said.)