Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1870-06-18
CUPID ASTRAY.

Tell every blossom, tree, and star,
We love each other best.
--------------s - >-------a a
CUPID ASTR,AY.
Bob had no idea that the doctor
was behind him as he poked the Val
entine under the front door. Had he
not been too fiustered to look round,
he would have seen him, and had not
the doctor been too deep In medical
reverie about Jane Todd's collar-bone,
he must have spied the dapper figure
as 1t darted away. But rs 1t was, he
fumbled for his key minute, and
then rang the bell, and while doing
SO, spying something white under
the door, he picked 1t up and tore 1t
open. Tore 1t topen that letter! with
all its lavishment of border and blue
seal that letter over which Bob had
set up till two A. NJ, rounding his
periods and curling the tails of his
P's and Q's. Was 1t for this that he
had bestowed so many slaps on his
forehead? o Fate!
Bridget, that faithful servitor, ans
wered the bell, charged with a ness
age which she was bent on delivering
with the least possible delay.
"If you please, sir, Morton Jones'
wife's sisters a been here, and little
Johnny's a fell through the loft and
took up tor dead, and they'd like you
to come up this minute, and two
Irishwomen called and a baby, and
there's a little boy with a faver, it is
in Long Lane, and Miss Usher sent
this note"
"Long Lane must wait" muttered
the doctor, as he threw his instrument
case and the letter on the table, and
took the note Bridget held out
"MOrton Jones, hey? He's that man
on the Flats, isn't he?"
"Yes, SIR"
"I'll go at once. HUMP (skim-
ming the dainty note i'm hand. J.
Dear Doctor: So nervous and de-
pressed-my old foe neuralgia upon
me again-come rs soon as you have
leisure, please, and meantime send
that prescription which did me such
good last year" Prescription! Yes,
Of course, she longs to be dosing her
self-all females do "Yours sin.
cerely, Madaline Usher"
"That comes of being alone and
fanciful. IL she had one earthly
thing to do, she'd be well woman.
I'll see she gets nothing to hurt her."
And tearing a scrap from his pocket
book, the doctor pencilled seme caba.
listic signs.
"Here, Bridget; fetch sheet OF
paper, will you? or this will an.
swer." And seizing Bob's Valentine
the uncOncious doctor wrote upon its
back as follows:
"My Dear Friend: I send you
something which 1 think will suit
you better than the prescription you
asked for. 1t isn't exactly medicine
but will do you more good than Il
It were, and be great deal better al
this season of the year. You know
| always told you that more than
half your bad feelings come from
loneliness and want of occupation
l wish / could make you feel this hal
as strongly as l do. I'll drop in this
evening, If possible. Yours truly,
l.. RAYMOND"
"Poor girl" he muttered; "sht
puts me out of patience sometimes
but she's good creature. Bridget
see that this goes to Miss Usher al
soon as Willy comes from school,
Pm in hurry" And he huddlet
the papers into an envelope, and wa,
off with bang of the door, leavin,
the note in Bridget's custody. Tn,
prescription lay on the floor, wher,
IL had fallen unperceived.
Miss Usher, sitting in her parlor by
her bright fire, pale, detected, wrap
ped In shawl, was not IA title amazed
when, two hours later, the missiv,
was put in her hands. DIR. Raymond
had written her notes before, hal
professional, half friendly, but this wa
something uneXampled. Silver dove
a smirking cupid, with one pinl
wing and one blue one, roses, eglan
tines, and what-not round the edges
these fi0wery lines enclosed:
"Oh! say not II is wrong to love,
TO love, to worship thee;
The sea yearns for the stars above,
The stars look on the sea;
The hot moon woos the scented gale,
The parched flower the dew -
Their love, their longing does not fail,
And why should mine for you?
Like n bird, all spent with wandering.
And weary, must roam,
! Until furl my restless wing
In the dear nest of Home.
But what were home without thy face,
| U htirest love of mine2
Then deign that humble home To grace
And bless your Valentine"
/ IL was really not so bad consider
ing that but eighteen short summer
had passed over Bob's head, and tha
tor sometime back his "restIess wing
had been "furled" In the large dry.
goods store round the corner, whicl
he hoped some day to adorn as q
partner. Whether the doctor woult
have admired IL as addressed to Kitty
THAT baby" as he called her-is
questionable. But Miss Usher quit,
glowed as she read 1t. 1t was al SC
poetical, so sweet" The little con
fusion of pronouns In the first verse
escaped notice altogether. She read
and re-read, and then turned to the
more prosaic second page.
"N0t erdctiy medicinew o that
funny man! Much better suited to
"this season of the yearv Oh! very
much Dear, dear! What could Il
mean? But there was no doubt
about that-it could mean only one
thing: "I.onelyw Yes, indeed
Dear, delicate little Miss Usher had
oft felt so, but there seemed no help
for IL. There was no one i'm partic-
ular she wished to have live with her
and no one To marry TO suit her taste.
DIR. Raymond, to be sure-he was so
superior--so good but then she had
never thought he would marry again
he was 80 devoted TO his first wife.
And thinking how fond she had once
been OF that wife, and how fond She
was still of tina: little Kitty and