The mountain Democrat., 1863-07-18

quiet no0k he could hear steps upon the
stairs, and voices in the hall, and boxes
and parcels numbering about in the room
overhead. Once, as a door opened up
stairs. he heard fresh, young voice, a
carolling out the old sOng:-
For, Oh, in my heart, I do love that LangOllOn.
And sweet Jenny Jones, too, In truth do ! love.
The doctor pricked up his ears with a
sudden look of interest he had little
Welsh blood in his veins, and the airs OF
the Principally were on that account
special faEoriies with him. But who
could the singer be? To his certain
kuowledca there, bad been no,hiug
younger or prettier than the purbIind
cook in the house for many q day; and
his partner was only widower, with only
one child, q boy at a public school.
Clearly it was not he whom the cab had
brought. Gracious Heavens had the
doctor got married again, without saying
a word to hinif-and was he ashamed,
in consequence. to show his face in the
surgeryE At that fearful yet most al
surd Supposition, he nearly pulled the
surgery bell down in summoning hi, at
tendant Mercury.
James, he said, sharply, when will
the doctor BE- at J. iSure!'
Il cant say, sir, exactly replied the
lad, with the same uniutelligiblc grin mp.
on his face. You See, sir. Miss Bella is
just come that is what is keeping him.
And, pray, who is Miss Bella
Masters ward, sir. She has just come
home from school
on said the doctor, Il su pose that
was the young lady | heard, just now,
singing up stair$?'
Yes, sir, she sings like a lark, and
flies over the house like a bird. We're
all out of breath trying to do what she
tells uS, anil as fast as she tells us; but
it's great fun all the same. III tell mas
ter you want him, sir"
IIumph!" ejacuIated the vonng doc.
tor, as the l"quacions page left the room;
"my worthy friend seems to have nice
inmate. Tin very glad don't live in the
house. that's all. A boarding. school girl
"A bread and utter miss just out oi
her short frOcks, and fanrying every man
who looks ut her S ready to shoot him
self for her saktp I'll take very good
care not TO go too much in her way"
Even as he entertained these unchari
table thoughts he started to his feet, and
flung open the door, for it seemed to him
that all the cr"ckerv in the establishment
had been suddenly thrown down with a
heavy crash in the surgery half Sure
enough there was tray upon the mat
and broken glasses and plates in all 'li.
rccti"ns, while among the relics sat n
pretty, dark eyed. mi>chievons looking
Girl of eighteen, laughing as il her heart
would break at the havoc she had made
"lSn't it shame 2" she hcg"n as the
door opened and then, as she looked up
and saw stranger, she colored brightly,
and sprung up in an instant us Uncle
John in therey" She asked.
"No, he has not been here this morn.
ing" replied the young doctor, very
cnurteou>ly, considering that he knew lie
must be speaking to the obnoxious
b"arding school girl. But you Seem to
have had an accident"
Yes, | was bringing Uncle John his
lunch. and cook sal should find him
here aud then I trod on my dress. or
fell over the mat, and down it all came ~
"Wcll. never mind" said he; II hope
you have not hurt Yourself"
"Oh dear no !" she replied careiessly.
"If | were to hurt myself every time
'fali Hh~n. InIight as wctf GO to the ifus
pital at once. Tor am always tumhling
orer SODrthipv or s0mehody. Cncle
John says ! must belong to the family oi
the Bounding Brothers to come out so
safe after so many hard knocks"
1t was difficult to meet er brig ght smile
and Irtl that the Bounding Brothers could
possibly be unpleasant inmates Of any
house. S" DR.. Mills picked up the bro.
ken plates and glasses, and carried the
tray into the house for her, feeling as j.
she had performed rather a mtritori0uS
action than otherwise in smashing SO
much crockery.
An acquaintance begun in so uncere-
moninnS manner could not possibly help
becoming rather an intimate one. As
the days went by, Miss Bella had little
evening parties. to which Dnrt"r Mills
was alwavs invited, and to which hr reg
ularly came. They danced together, they
read the same books, they sang the same
SongS-and we all know how such things
generally end
The doctor was only human and flesh
a d blood is. after all. more tangih than
a dream. Within six months he found
that the lady Of the glove was hut a dim
and half fm gotten shadow compared with
the dark eyed, laughing. Swert.tempered
Bella, who from morning till night was
always doing something careless aud pro.
voking, and getting into scraprS with her
uncle, and cunning tn him to help her out
Of them. She was the wif,. he wanted !;
and yet he did not speak. Some absurd
feeling of rem"rse kept him faithful in
deed, if not in thought, to the lady Of The
churchyard. Only she was So far away,
and Bella so near at hand, aud so lovea-
ble! Certainly it was most perplexiEg
scrnplr.
In the midst Of his uneasiness, his
partner came into the surgery one morn
ing. and found him sitting by the fire.
lost in brown study, which apparently
was not Of the most pleasant kind. The
worthy doctors eyes twinkled, and slap
ping his junior on the shoulder, he ex-
claimed. Come, my boy, out with It'll
There is NO USE sitting here and signing.
II you like Bella, and Bella likes you,
why shouldn't you take her at once? p
Her fortune and yours wilt buy me out.
aud | want to retire; and there you are,
with your wife, your house, and your
business. all ready to your hand
For moment. the young man could
scaI cely believe his ears; but the first
glance at the doct"r's face reasSured him.
Bella was his if ne could win her; and
would that take very long? Had she not
shown, in thousand innocent ways, that
she preferred him to all others? What
amid e,,,,nrofa fha,n nntr9 0nIu tnoV