Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1871-02-10
KILL OR CURE.

One evening, late in November, an ell
derly man with beetling brot*s, piercing
grey eyes, thin compressed lips, and
long, bony hands, sat in shah
billy furnished room, in splendid old
house, casting up accounts by the light
of single candle. The weather being
cold, one of those baskets for live GOALS
which are sometime most appropriately
called "kill,joys," glimmered in the
huge CRATE. The door Of the room, which
opened into the fine oak-panelled hall,
was alar, and presently, servant girl,
bearing a light, fitted by from the
staircase. Her master called her. Hi,
Jenny come here What makes you
look SO scared? Is your mistress worse?"
''Tm afraid so, Sir Timothy" F..
"Eh what?-really bad?"
"Ye'es."
"Going to die?"
"She says so, Sir Timothy, and oh!
she looks it, too. Q, sir, cried the girl
earnestly, blurting out what was on her
soul, eff she were to die without a
doctor!'
This abnormal philosophy shocked
Sir Timothy Graham also, the invalid
being in a manner dear to him. 1t was
very generel notion amongst his neigh
bors and tenants that the man was
incapable of caring for anybody; but
this was prejudice he did care for his
wife, after his own fashion 1t was not,
perhaps, an enthusiastic attachment, or
a deep one. [ don't suppose that he
loved her as well as good bargain, for
example; but comparisons are odious.
He remained silent for a while, look
,ing down; and then muttered: ~ de
sclared that would never send for that
fellow Radford again - which was an ef-
ror on on his part; he had never made
that rash observation-it was Mr.. Rad
ford who had vowed he would not come.
"Shall Charles go for Dr. Radford,
please, Sir Timothy?'' .
"There's no one else; so | suppose he
must" .'s r1.-- - = -.<->
Jenny vanished in search, Of the foot
man groom gardener, named Charles;
and her master tried to get back to his
sum, but made a mistake Of two-pence
,farthing, and lapsed into reverie.
Sir Timothy Graham was not "a nice
man, but if he had remained Indifferent
to his wife's condition he would have
been a monster. She had now, for thirty
years, devoted herself to the difficult
task of pleasing him; she had brought
him money and saved him money; born
economical, she had developed this fac
u1ty into extreme meanness to gain his
appreciation. Passion would have been
out of place at his age, and hers. but he
esteemed her. Y
y -
had turned into bed with the strong
conviction that he was going to remain
rndisturbed up to.S o'clock on the fol-
lowing morning, for his last g lady's
case" was going on as favorably as if
civilization had been unknown, and no
fellow creature looked to him for intro
duction into the world for the next
fortnight to come But at half past II
his sleep was broken by the lnight-bell.
an he had to. wrench himself from his
warm nook in the feathers, feel.for his
dressing gown and slippers, blunder to
his dressingroo (which looked out on
the front of the house, and open the
window. II w y il !.
What is it?,' he shouted, shivering
as the frosty night air blew in upon his
unprotected legs. "~
i" Please, sir, it's ME" He.
E'' ldiot!4 your name?p I V
:. Charles, from the Hail. - s-'-r-v
N'.'rhen, Charles, from the Hall, you
may go back again, for ann not com
ing"
:" NV lady is very ill, sir.''1
"Can't help it. Tell your master
that | won't attend him or his family,
and he need send no more messages, as
| shall muffie henight nell. And with
these words the doctor banged down the
window. .., e.sc 7e--w
what are you doing, John ?" said
voice from the bed presently.
"Tying stopper around the clapper
of this confounded bell.
"What forg'
5of'Tos get good sleep in spite of his
Sir Timothy Graham"
Why he has never sent for you.'
"He has, though, the insolent screw;
his wife'J ILL.,
"Oh, well, don't tie up the bell,
John; she may be really bad-dying,
you know"
= IL l.